How to Get Last Two Characters of a String in JavaScript

When working with strings in JavaScript, it’s common to need to extract specific parts of a string. In this article, we will explore various methods to get the last two characters of a string using JavaScript.

Method 1: Using substring Method

One simple way to achieve this is by using the substring method in JavaScript. Here’s how you can do it:

const str = "Hello World";
const lastTwoChars = str.substring(str.length - 2);
console.log(lastTwoChars); // Outputs "ld"

Explanation:

• We start by defining the original string str.
• By using str.length - 2, we can get the starting index for the last two characters.
• Then, we use substring to extract the last two characters from the original string.

Method 2: Using Array Indexing

Another approach is to treat the string as an array of characters and use array indexing to retrieve the last two characters:

const str = "JavaScript";
const lastTwoChars = str.slice(-2);
console.log(lastTwoChars); // Outputs "pt"

Explanation:

• The slice method can accept negative numbers as arguments, making it easy to extract the last two characters of a string.

Method 3: Using Regular Expressions

Regular expressions can also be used to solve this problem. Here’s how you can do it:

const str = "Coding";
const lastTwoChars = str.match(/.{0,2}$/)[0];
console.log(lastTwoChars); // Outputs "ng"

Explanation:

• We use a regular expression /.{0,2}$/ to match the last two characters of the string.

Method 4: Using substr Method

The substr method can also be employed to extract the last two characters of a string:

const str = "Programming";
const lastTwoChars = str.substr(-2);
console.log(lastTwoChars); // Outputs "ng"

Explanation:

• With a negative starting index, the substr method can retrieve the last two characters from the string.

Method 5: Converting String to Array and Slicing

By converting the string into an array and then using Array slicing, we can get the last two characters:

const str = "Array";
const lastTwoChars = str.split('').slice(-2).join('');
console.log(lastTwoChars); // Outputs "ay"

Explanation:

• We first split the string into an array of characters.
• Using slice(-2) on the array allows us to extract the last two elements.
• Finally, we join the sliced array back into a string to get the last two characters.

Conclusion

In this article, we have explored five different methods for extracting the last two characters of a string in JavaScript. Each method offers a unique approach to achieving the desired outcome. By understanding and experimenting with these methods, you can enhance your string manipulation skills and efficiently handle string operations in your JavaScript projects. Happy coding!