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RegEx search field expression type plugin

Easily extract unique values from messages using the Nodinite RegEx Search Field Expression Plugin. This page shows you how to configure, test, and use this plugin with clear input, configuration, and result examples.

✅ Extract single or multiple unique values from messages (payload)
✅ Use powerful RegEx expressions for advanced extraction
✅ Designed for high performance and self-service log views

What is the RegEx Plugin?

The Nodinite RegEx plugin lets you extract one or more unique values from the payload (Body) of Log Events. Use it to process messages where you need to target specific data using RegEx.

  • Extract single or multiple unique values from messages (payload)
  • Use RegEx expressions to match and style data
  • Ideal for small payloads and business integration scenarios

Use this plugin for extracting values from messages using RegEx.

How It Works: Input → RegEx Expression → Result

Each example below clearly separates the Input (message body), the RegEx Expression (pattern), and the Result (output value).

Quick Example

Input:

<ns0:Orders xmlns:ns0="Common.Schemas/Nodinite/1.0">
    <Order>
        <Id>101</Id>
        <Amount>1337</Amount>
        <City CityId="054">Karlstad</City>
    </Order>
    <Order>
        <Id>102</Id>
        <Amount>10</Amount>
        <City CityId="08">Stockholm</City>
    </Order>
</ns0:Orders>

RegEx Expression:

CityId="([0-9]+)"

Result:

CityId="054"
CityId="08"

Examples

Example 1: Extract City IDs from XML Using RegEx

Input:

<ns0:Orders xmlns:ns0="Common.Schemas/Nodinite/1.0">
    <Order>
        <Id>101</Id>
        <Amount>1337</Amount>
        <City CityId="054">Karlstad</City>
    </Order>
    <Order>
        <Id>102</Id>
        <Amount>10</Amount>
        <City CityId="08">Stockholm</City>
    </Order>
</ns0:Orders>

RegEx Expression:

CityId="([0-9]+)"

Result:

CityId="054"
CityId="08"

Additional RegEx Examples

Type Expression Value(s) Match Comment
Alternative dog|cat the cat loves the dog cat and dog Use a | character to match at least one alternative
Concatenation h how h A sequence of sub expressions and matches results with the expression only
Grouping a(ero|ir)plane airplane and aeroplane are both English terms airplane and aeroplane Use parentheses for a grouping match
Iteration go*gle gogle, google or gooooogle ggle, gogle, google, gooogle Use a wildcard * character to match infinite combinations
Length ... longword lon and gwo Use a dot, . to match any character. Repeat the number of dots to extract the matching number of characters from the string.
NOTE: Using a dot is risky as it matches just about anything except line breaks, you should try other options
Matching [lsh]and land sand hand land sand hand Use brackets to match on the specified characters

Features

  • Extract single or multiple unique values from messages (payload)
  • Use RegEx expressions to match and style data
  • Designed for small payloads and high performance

Note: This plugin loads the entire message into RAM. Only use it for small payloads.

How to Use

  1. Select the 'RegEx' expression type plugin when configuring a Search Field.
  2. Enter the RegEx expression to extract the desired value(s).
  3. Finalize the configuration and select the Message Types to apply the expression.
  4. Optionally, perform a re-index operation (Add or manage Search Field).

Extracted values are stored for as long as the Message Type retention is configured.

Test Expression

You can test your configuration in the 'Test Expression' tab when setting up a Search Field:

  1. Enter a sample payload in the 'Message Body' tab
  2. Select the 'RegEx' plugin
    Select Search Field Expression Plugin
    Here's an example selecting the 'RegEx' Search Field Expression Plugin.
  3. Enter your RegEx expression (click on elements/attributes to get suggestions)
  4. Review the output and adjust as needed

If the expression is valid, you will see the unique values and total count:

Test Expression
Valid expression with state output, unique values, and total count.

If the expression is invalid or does not match any data, you will see:
No Result
Example of an invalid expression yielding no result.

Mermaid Diagram: Search Field Expression Flow

This diagram shows how the RegEx plugin fits into the overall search field expression process.

graph LR subgraph "Search Fields" sf(fal:fa-magnifying-glass-plus Order Number) end subgraph "Search Field Expressions" sfe(fal:fa-flask RegEx plugin) end subgraph "MessageTypes" mt1(fal:fa-file Orders) end sf --- sfe sfe ---|Expression| mt1

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