substr vs substring
Written byPhuoc Nguyen
Category
JavaScript
Created
15 Jul, 2020
Both
`substr`
and `substring`
are common functions to get a sub-string of a given string.#Differences
-
Both methods have two parameters. The first parameters indicate the index of starting position of sub-string. The second parameters are different.substr(startPosition, length);substring(startPosition, endPosition);As you can see, the second parameters of
`substr`
and`substring`
are the length and the end position of sub-string respectively. Given a string of`helloworld`
:'helloworld'.substr(2, 4); // 'llow''helloworld'.substring(2, 4); // 'll' -
`substr`
allows to use a negative number for the start position parameter.'helloworld'.substr(-2, 4); // 'ld'`substring`
, on the other hand, will turn a negative start position to 0 (zero):'helloworld'.substring(-2, 5); // 'hello''helloworld'.substring(0, 5); // 'hello'
#Good to know
`slice`
is another function for getting a sub-string. It's not deprecated as substr, and supports negative indices.'helloworld'.slice(2, 4); // 'll'
'helloworld'.slice(-10, 5); // 'hello'
'helloworld'.slice(-5); // 'world'
Questions? 🙋
Do you have any questions? Not just about this specific post, but about any topic in front-end development that you'd like to learn more about? If so, feel free to send me a message on Twitter or send me an email. You can find them at the bottom of this page.
I have a long list of upcoming posts, but your questions or ideas for the next one will be my top priority. Let's learn together! Sharing knowledge is the best way to grow 🥷.
Recent posts ⚡
Copy the content of an element to your clipboard
01 Oct, 2023
Make a text area fit its content automatically
30 Sep, 2023
Quickly insert alternate characters while typing
30 Sep, 2023
Zebra-like background
30 Sep, 2023
Add autocomplete to your text area
28 Sep, 2023
Linear scale of a number between two ranges
28 Sep, 2023
Highlight the current line in a text area
27 Sep, 2023
Create your own custom cursor in a text area
27 Sep, 2023
Mirror a text area for improving user experience
26 Sep, 2023
Display the line numbers in a text area
24 Sep, 2023
Select a given line in a text area
24 Sep, 2023
Newsletter 🔔
If you're into front-end technologies and you want to see more of the content I'm creating, then you might want to consider subscribing to my newsletter.
By subscribing, you'll be the first to know about new articles, products, and exclusive promotions.
Don't worry, I won't spam you. And if you ever change your mind, you can unsubscribe at any time.
Phước Nguyễn