# String =~ string **URL:** \ **Category:** ruby-talk\ **Created:** [24 June 2006 17:51 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/string-string/28440 "2006-06-24T17:51:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Alex\_Young](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Alex\_Young](https://rubytalk.org/u/Alex_Young)\ **Post date:** [24 June 2006 17:51 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/string-string/28440/1 "2006-06-24T17:51:53Z")
[http://ruby-doc.org/core/classes/String.html#M001849](http://ruby-doc.org/core/classes/String.html#M001849) says this:    "cat o' 9 tails" =~ '\d' #=\> nil I get this: irb(main):001:0\> "cat o' 9 tails" =~ '\d' TypeError: type mismatch: String given          from (irb):1:in `=~'          from (irb):1 $ ruby -v ruby 1.8.4 (2005-12-24) [i386-mswin32] Any clues? > **···** > > -- > Alex ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_Hunter4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea5d25/32.png) [@Tim\_Hunter4](https://rubytalk.org/u/Tim_Hunter4)\ **Post date:** [24 June 2006 19:21 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/string-string/28440/2 "2006-06-24T19:21:41Z")
Alex Young wrote: > [class String - RDoc Documentation](http://ruby-doc.org/core/classes/String.html#M001849) says this: > >   "cat o' 9 tails" =~ '\d' #=\> nil > > I get this: > > irb(main):001:0\> "cat o' 9 tails" =~ '\d' > TypeError: type mismatch: String given >         from (irb):1:in `=~' >         from (irb):1 > > $ ruby -v > ruby 1.8.4 (2005-12-24) [i386-mswin32] > > Any clues? Use a regexp: irb(main):004:0\> "cat o' 9 tails" =~ /\d/ =\> 7 ---
**Author:** ![Logan\_Capaldo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Logan\_Capaldo](https://rubytalk.org/u/Logan_Capaldo)\ **Post date:** [24 June 2006 19:27 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/string-string/28440/3 "2006-06-24T19:27:25Z")
String#=~ used to automagically convert the second arg into a regexp. It doesn't do that anymore. > **···** > > On Jun 24, 2006, at 1:51 PM, Alex Young wrote: > > > [class String - RDoc Documentation](http://ruby-doc.org/core/classes/String.html#M001849) says this: > > > >   "cat o' 9 tails" =~ '\d' #=\> nil > > > > I get this: > > > > irb(main):001:0\> "cat o' 9 tails" =~ '\d' > > TypeError: type mismatch: String given > >         from (irb):1:in `=~' > >         from (irb):1 > > > > $ ruby -v > > ruby 1.8.4 (2005-12-24) [i386-mswin32] > > > > Any clues? > > > > -- Alex ---
**Author:** ![Alex\_Young](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Alex\_Young](https://rubytalk.org/u/Alex_Young)\ **Post date:** [24 June 2006 19:27 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/string-string/28440/4 "2006-06-24T19:27:17Z")
Timothy Hunter wrote: > Alex Young wrote: > > > [class String - RDoc Documentation](http://ruby-doc.org/core/classes/String.html#M001849) says this: > > > >   "cat o' 9 tails" =~ '\d' #=\> nil > > > > I get this: > > > > irb(main):001:0\> "cat o' 9 tails" =~ '\d' > > TypeError: type mismatch: String given > >         from (irb):1:in `=~' > >         from (irb):1 > > > > $ ruby -v > > ruby 1.8.4 (2005-12-24) [i386-mswin32] > > > > Any clues? > > Use a regexp: > > irb(main):004:0\> "cat o' 9 tails" =~ /\d/ > =\> 7 That's not the point. Why is what I'm seeing different to what's in the docs? They explicitly say I should be able to use a string there, and I've just wasted half an hour tracking that bug down because of that. > **···** > > -- > Alex ---
**Author:** ![Alex\_Young](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Alex\_Young](https://rubytalk.org/u/Alex_Young)\ **Post date:** [24 June 2006 19:30 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/string-string/28440/5 "2006-06-24T19:30:13Z")
Logan Capaldo wrote: > String#=~ used to automagically convert the second arg into a regexp. It doesn't do that anymore. Ah, ok. That makes sense. Why was it changed? > **···** > > -- > Alex ---
**Author:** ![Matthew\_Harris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/51bf81/32.png) [@Matthew\_Harris](https://rubytalk.org/u/Matthew_Harris)\ **Post date:** [26 June 2006 11:04 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/string-string/28440/6 "2006-06-26T11:04:56Z")
I'd really like similar behavior to be added back in. For example, converting to a Regexp, yes, but instead: 'foo' =~ 'o' would convert 'o' such as: Regexp.new(Regexp.escape('o')) > **···** > > On 6/25/06, Logan Capaldo \ wrote: > > > On Jun 24, 2006, at 1:51 PM, Alex Young wrote: > > > > \> [class String - RDoc Documentation](http://ruby-doc.org/core/classes/String.html#M001849) says this: > > \> > > \> "cat o' 9 tails" =~ '\d' #=\> nil > > \> > > \> I get this: > > \> > > \> irb(main):001:0\> "cat o' 9 tails" =~ '\d' > > \> TypeError: type mismatch: String given > > \> from (irb):1:in `=~' > > \> from (irb):1 > > \> > > \> $ ruby -v > > \> ruby 1.8.4 (2005-12-24) [i386-mswin32] > > \> > > \> Any clues? > > \> > > \> -- > > \> Alex > > \> > > > > String#=~ used to automagically convert the second arg into a regexp. > > It doesn't do that anymore. > > -- > Matt