Help with REGEX to extract value from a multi-line text field

[HugoFirst]

I can't get a regex to extract a value from a multi-line text field, and I'm looking for advice to get it to work.

Here's my use case:   I have a catalog form   with a reference field where the user selects a service.   Once a service is selcted, the form should then obtain text from the corresponding service's record, extract a value and set it in another variable in the form.   The example used in these scripts is to find the string "cpus=" and return the value which follows ( a 2 in this case ).

Here's the conundrum: I have a short "demo" catalog client script which has a variable set to a multiline text value.   The regex works in this script.

I also   have a "real" catalog client script (C-C-S) which obtains the record and then attempts to parse   a multi-line text field to extract a value for it.   It always show a null as the extracted value.

I'm providing both forms of the C-C-S for your edification.

******************* First the "demo" script in which the regex "works": ****************

function onChange(control, oldValue, newValue, isLoading) {
     if (isLoading || newValue == '') {
           return;
     }
   if (newValue != '' )
   {
   alert("debug 1.6");
   var spec = "These are the linux midservers used primarily to export attachments from the CMDB to the manifest area.\nOther services on these midservers are provided in the /servicenow file system.\nThe primary locations of services are:\n/servicenow/operational/software     for jobs which run in support of servicenow activities.\n/servicenow/operational/webapp/   for varfious web applications which support servicenow activities.\n\n# Service Config Info\n# Farm Name = none\n# Load balancer = none\n# DNS Name Pattern =   snmidsy[server#]ex[[datacenter]\n# Network Access = to all devices on all subnets\n# Data Center = ColumbusMetro-M1\n#Subnet=132.174.73\n#\n#Server Config\n#Type=Virtual Machine\n#cpus=2\n#Memory(GB)=4\n#CPU Speed(Ghz)=2.5\n#Filesystem=/servicenow\n#Filesystem=/Web\n#Local Disk Space(GB)=100\n#Operating System=Linux CentOS\n#Software=perl\n#Software=putty\n#Software=ServiceNow-MidServer\n#group: servicenow\n#sudoers=snmid\n";
// var regex = new SNC.Regex('/cpus=(.*$)/');
   alert("debug 10.1, ");
   var somevalue = spec.match(/cpus=(.*)$/m)[1]; // BINGO!
   alert("debug 11.1, somevalue=" + somevalue);
   }
   else
   {
   alert("debug-no action, newValue is null");
   }
}

*********************** end of demo script ***********************************

***********************   start of "real" script ***********************************

Now for the "real" script, where the regex returns null
function onChange(control, oldValue, newValue, isLoading) {
     if (isLoading || newValue == '') {
           return;
     }
   alert("start 5.1");
   if (newValue != '' )
   {
               var rec = g_form.getReference('service');
               var spec = rec.u_description_common.toString();
   alert("11 spec=" + spec);   // shows that spec has the string as expected
               var somvalue = spec.match(/cpus=(.*)$/m)[1];   // somevalue is null
               alert('13 somevalue=', somevalue);
               g_form.setValue('server_spec', spec);
   }
}
*********************** end of "real" script ***********************************

[philengles]

It seems like you are not declaring your regex. Also you could send back to the server with a script include if that wasn't the answer and do your parsing there; return what you want. Sorry for the trouble hope this helps!

Best,
    Philip E.

[HugoFirst]

Whoa, I posted too soon.   And I thank Philip for such a quick reply.

It turns our that the regex was indeed working.   But my alert command   to display the extracted value was coded incorrectly.

I wrongly coded it as this:

    alert('13 somevalue=', somevalue);

I corrected it by replacing the comma with a plus:

  alert('13 somevalue=' + somevalue);

So now I see the result and I am able to assign it to another form variable.

I apologize for not catching this before I posted.   I had iterated so many times over the different options for the regex, I never suspected the alert.

No matter how old I get, I'm still capable of making rookie mistakes! 🙂

[HugoFirst]

I also want to flag this question as answered, but I don't see the red buttons to do so.   Another rookie mistake?

[philengles]

Haha glad to hear you got it and aren't we all. We will keep this one between us .