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staycreativedesign/gist:4c924bc4abee3a9fa6561987262b0ca5

Created September 10, 2019 18:59
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why is this match getting nil?
Raw
gistfile1.txt
[5] pry(main)> receipt_number = receipt["Reference Number(s)"]
=> "121961|501526|121961|501526"
[6] pry(main)> receipt_number = receipt["Reference Number(s)"].match(/"\K\d+/)
=> nil
https://rubular.com/r/ML1ypdresB9CKY
@nilbus
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nilbus commented Sep 10, 2019 

[1] pry(main)> receipt_number = "121961|501526|121961|501526"
=> "121961|501526|121961|501526"
[2] pry(main)> receipt_number.match(/"\K\d+/)
=> nil
[3] pry(main)> receipt_number.match(/\A\d+/)
=> #<MatchData "121961">
[4] pry(main)> receipt_number.match(/\A\d+/)[0]
=> "121961"

A more readable regex that works if receipt_number can't have multiple lines:

[6] pry(main)> receipt_number.match(/^\d+/)[0]
=> "121961"

Another approach that's easier to read and understand but less efficient if the string could be very long (hundreds or more).

[6] pry(main)> receipt_number.split('|').first
=> "121961"

Prefer readability over efficiency when the efficiency gain isn't significant to the business goals of what you're building.

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