object([str])

This method executes a search for a match in a specified string, returning a result array. (If, however, you simply want to test whether or not there is a match, it is best to use the test method or the String.search method.) For example, the following blocks of code, one for the Internet Explorer browser and the other for Netscape, each execute a search of the string "the fisherman" for a match with the regular expression 'rexp'. If one is found (and in the case of the example it is), then an appropriate message is printed.

Code:
rexp = /[aeiou]/g
myString = "the fisherman"
if(rexp.exec(myString))
   match = rexp.exec(myString)
   document.write("Successfully matched " + match)

Code:
rexp = /[aeiou]/g
myString = "the fisherman"
if(rexp(myString))
   match = RegExp.lastMatch
   document.write("Successfully matched " + match)

Output:
Successfully matched e

NOTE:

The Netscape browser can call the exec method both directly (object.exec([str])) or indirectly (object([str])), whereas Microsoft Internet Explorer can only call it directly. If no string is declared then the value of RegExp.input is used. If the search fails, the exec method returns null.