Regex to replace entire match

Question

I have this regex in JavaScript:

var val = val.replace(/[":)"]/g, "<img src = \"/img/smile.png\" height = 24 width = 24>");

Basically, this regex should replace :) with an image of a smiley, however it is placing an image of a smiley face on either : or ) not when both are next to each other.

How must I adapt this regex: /[":)"]/g to only replace if there is an exact match for :) not just one on it's own?

Thanks

Answer 1

What you have now is a character class, meaning it's looking to match either a " , : , or ) and replace it with the image.

To fix this, your regex should be /:\\)/g :

var val = val.replace(/:\)/g, "<img src = \"/img/smile.png\" height = 24 width = 24>");