You might think that Google applications, being browser applications, would use the JavaScript regex engine in your browser. Or you might think that they would use Google’s own RE2 regex engine. The reality is that Google Docs uses JavaScript, Google BigQuery uses RE2, and Google Sheets uses a modified version of RE2 that lacks Unicode properties and has its own replacement string syntax. Fortunately, RegexBuddy knows all this. So you just need to tell RegexBuddy which Google application you’re working with.
In Google Docs, you can select Edit|Find and Replace in the menu or press Ctrl+H to search your document using a regular expression. You can copy and paste your regular expression directly between this dialog box and RegexBuddy.
Google Sheets provides 3 functions that you can use in your formulas to test for a regex match, extract a regex match, or replace a regex match. RegexBuddy can generate a formula that uses your regex for any of these 3 purposes that you can then paste into Google Sheets. You can also copy and paste just the regular expression by selecting RegexMagic Formula under the Copy or Paste button in RegexBuddy.
Google BigQuery provides 6 functions that you can use in your GoogleSQL statements to test for regex matches, find match positions, extract regex matches, extract capturing groups, replace a regex match, and replace all regex matches. RegexBuddy can generate complete SQL statements that use your regex for any of these purposes that you can then paste into Google BigQuery. You can also copy and paste just the regular expression by selecting SQL String under the Copy or Paste button in RegexBuddy.
First, use RegexBuddy to define a regex or retrieve a regex saved in a RegexBuddy library. Rely on RegexBuddy’s clear regex analysis, which is constantly updated as you build the pattern, rather than dealing with the cryptic regex syntax on your own. Detailed help on that syntax is always only a click away.
If you created a new regular expression, test and debug it in RegexBuddy before using it in your actual application. Test each regex in RegexBuddy’s safe sandbox without risking precious data. Quickly apply the regex to a wide variety of input and sample data, without having to produce that input through your application.