Match a string against multiple patterns

Question

How can I match a string against multiple patterns using regular expression in ruby.

I am trying to see if a string is included in an array of prefixes, This is not

Answer 1

If you can use a single string, it might be faster to write a regex containing the possible values.

e.g.

/(Mr\.|Mrs\.| ... )/.match(name)

Answer 2

Use Regexp.union to combine them:

union(pats_ary) → new_regexp

Return a Regexp object that is the union of the given patterns, i.e., will match any of its parts.

So this will do:

re = Regexp.union(prefixes)

then you use re as your regex:

if name.match(re)
    #...