Extract URL from string javascript

Question

Here is my variable from which I want to extract only URL, for example in this case I want at the end the result: http://url.com/index.php/foo/bar/new/key/34941cd947592adb1594b6f649468a33/

var variable = "function onclick(event) { setLocation('http://url.com/index.php/foo/bar/new/key/34941cd947592adb1594b6f649468a33/')}"

Why are you storing JavaScript as a string in a JavaScript variable? Functions are objects too, you can just assign them to variables `var foo = function(){}` — elclanrs, Sep 06 '13 at 02:31
@elclanrs If he did it as a function instead of string, how would he extract the URL from it? — Barmar, Sep 06 '13 at 02:41
@Barmar I think what he meant to ask is how that variable ended up with a piece of code inside. — Ja͢ck, Sep 06 '13 at 02:42

1111161171159459134 · Accepted Answer · 2015-08-16T02:56:30.127

12

Use this:

var testUrl = variable.match(/'(http:[^\s]+)'/),
    onlyUrl = testUrl && testUrl[1];

The onlyUrl variable contains the extracted URL or null.

EDIT:

Previous was just answer to OP. Following an update to take care of https:

var testUrl = variable.match(/'(https?:[^\s]+)'/),
    onlyUrl = testUrl && testUrl[1];

edited Aug 16 '15 at 02:56

answered Sep 06 '13 at 02:38

Nice Daniel, Thank you very much! – sh00pac Sep 06 '13 at 02:43
1

+1. I've improved the answer by not relying on `RegExp.$1` and making sure there are no errors when the URL can't be matched. – Ja͢ck Sep 06 '13 at 02:48
might be better off using `.exec` in that case – DGS Sep 06 '13 at 02:58
@DGS I don't see how that would make things simpler. – Ja͢ck Sep 06 '13 at 03:01
Thank you @Jack; Thank you sh00pac :) – 1111161171159459134 Sep 06 '13 at 03:31
2

Actually, this answer isn't fully correct. The resulting `onlyUrl` variable also contains all the text *after* the URL. Also, this would fail if the scheme for the URL was something other than `http` (e.g. `https`). – denishaskin Aug 15 '15 at 00:31

1 Answers1