How to test if a URL string is absolute or relative?

Question

How can I test a URL if it is a relative or absolute path in Javascript or jQuery? I want to handle accordingly depending if the passed in URL is a local or external path.

Answer 1

var pat = /^https?:\/\//i;
if (pat.test(urlString))
{
    //do stuff
}

For protocol relative urls, use this regex:

/^https?:\/\/|^\/\//i