matches

Returns true if the given string matches the given regular expression

matches($input as xs:string?, $pattern as xs:string) ➔ xs:boolean

Arguments
	$input	xs:string?	The string to be matched against a regular expression
	$pattern	xs:string	The regular expression
Result		xs:boolean

matches($input as xs:string?, $pattern as xs:string, $flags as xs:string) ➔ xs:boolean

Arguments
	$input	xs:string?	The string to be matched against a regular expression
	$pattern	xs:string	The regular expression
	$flags	xs:string	Flags that control the interpretation of the regular expression
Result		xs:boolean

Links to W3C specifications

Namespace: http://www.w3.org/2005/xpath-functions

Applies to: XPath 2.0, XSLT 2.0, XQuery 1.0 and later versions

XPath 2.0 Functions and Operators

XPath 3.0 Functions and Operators

Notes on the Saxon implementation

Saxon 9.3 introduced support for the q flag, and for XPath 3.0 regular expression enhancements, provided XPath 3.0 is enabled.

Saxon implements some extensions to the flags argument. The value of this argument contains the standard flags defined in the spec (i,m,s,x,q) followed optionally by a semicolon and then Saxon-specific flags. The Saxon-specific flags are:

• j - Use the standard Java regular expression engine, allowing native regex syntax

• n - Use the standard .NET regular expression engine, allowing native regex syntax

• g - Switch on diagnostics

• k - Treat unknown Unicode block names as matching any character (this is the default for XSD 1.1)

• K - Treat unknown Unicode block names as an error (this is the default for XSD 1.0 and for XPath/XSLT/XQuery)