What does the “?:^” regular expression mean?

Question

I am looking at this sub-expression (this is in JavaScript):

(?:^|.....)

I know that ? means \"zero or one times\" when it fol

Answer 1

You're probably seeing it in this context

(?:...)

It means that the group won't be captured or used for back-references.

EDIT: To reflect your modified question:

(?:^|....)

means "match the beginning of the line or match ..." but don't capture the group or use it for back-references.