JavaScript search() fails to find “()”

Question

This might seem trivial, but I\'m new to JS. I have this piece of code:

alert(elementAction);    
var argumentsBegin = elementAction.search(\"(\");
var argum         


        

Answer 1

Yes: the search() method of strings expects a regular expression as the parameter and is treating the string you're passing as a regular expression pattern, in which parentheses have special meaning. Use indexOf() instead:

alert( elementAction.indexOf("(") ); 

Answer 2

elementAction.search("\\(");

search is regular expression, ( is keyword in regular expression. you have to escape ( to \(, \( in string is "\\("