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Getting the last matching substring in a string with vanilla JS

Yesterday, we looked at how to get the last matching item in an array using the Array.lastIndexOf() method.

Today, we’re going to look at how to do the same thing with substrings inside a string.

The String.lastIndexOf() method

One weird little quirk of JavaScript is that many array methods have string equivalents (and vice-versa). This is so common that the amazing Steve Griffith even made a video about it.

Just like the Array.lastIndexOf() method, the String.lastIndexOf() method returns the index of the last matching substring in string, or -1 if a match is not found.

var pirateCreed = 'I am a cunning pirate. A cunning pirate am I.';

// Find "pirate"
// returns 33
pirateCreed.lastIndexOf('pirate');

// Find "swashbuckler"
// returns -1
pirateCreed.lastIndexOf('swashbuckler');

Here’s a demo.

Starting at a specific index

The String.lastIndexOf() method accepts a second argument: fromIndex.

It defaults to the index of last character in the string (string.length - 1). If you pass in a positive integer, it will start that many items from the beginning of the string.

Unlike the Array.lastIndexOf() method, if you pass in a negative integer, the String.lastIndexOf() method treats it as 0.

// This skips the substring at index 33 because it starts at index 32
// returns 12
pirateCreed.lastIndexOf('pirate', 32);

// This starts at 0, and works backwards to 0, so it finds nothing
// returns -1
pirateCreed.lastIndexOf('pirate', -12);

Here’s another demo.

Browser compatibility

The String.lastIndexOf() method works in all modern browsers, and back to at least IE6.