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Wildcard string compare (globbing)

By , 15 Feb 2005
 

Usage:

This is a fast, lightweight, and simple pattern matching function.

if (wildcmp("bl?h.*", "blah.jpg")) {
  //we have a match!
} else {
  //no match =(
}

Function:

int wildcmp(const char *wild, const char *string) {
  // Written by Jack Handy - <A href="mailto:jakkhandy@hotmail.com">jakkhandy@hotmail.com</A>
  const char *cp = NULL, *mp = NULL;

  while ((*string) && (*wild != '*')) {
    if ((*wild != *string) && (*wild != '?')) {
      return 0;
    }
    wild++;
    string++;
  }

  while (*string) {
    if (*wild == '*') {
      if (!*++wild) {
        return 1;
      }
      mp = wild;
      cp = string+1;
    } else if ((*wild == *string) || (*wild == '?')) {
      wild++;
      string++;
    } else {
      wild = mp;
      string = cp++;
    }
  }

  while (*wild == '*') {
    wild++;
  }
  return !*wild;
}

License

This article has no explicit license attached to it but may contain usage terms in the article text or the download files themselves. If in doubt please contact the author via the discussion board below.

A list of licenses authors might use can be found here

About the Author

Jack Handy
Web Developer
United States United States
Member
No Biography provided

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Questionwchar_t version?memberrmorales8729 Nov '08 - 20:16 
AnswerRe: wchar_t version?memberrazvar31 Mar '11 - 21:49 
Generalwildcmp in XBLitememberCodeGibbon27 Nov '08 - 13:56 
This is the version of the wildcmp function in XBLite programming language:
 
FUNCTION SBYTE wildcmp( wildcard$, search$)
  ' wildcmp(const char *wild, const char *string)
  ' Written by Jack Handy - jakkhandy@hotmail.com
 
  ULONG cp
  ULONG mp
  
  STRING s_txt$
  ULONG  sp 
  
  STRING w_txt$
  ULONG  wp
 
  IFZ search$   THEN RETURN $$FALSE  
  IFZ wildcard$ THEN RETURN $$FALSE
  
  w_txt$ = wildcard$ + "\0\0"   ' Just to be sure
  s_txt$ = search$   + "\0\0"
  
  DO WHILE (s_txt${sp}) && (w_txt${wp} != '*') 
    IF (w_txt${wp} != s_txt${sp} )  && (w_txt${wp} != '?') THEN RETURN $$FALSE
    
    INC wp
    INC sp
  LOOP
    
  DO WHILE (s_txt${sp})
    IF ( w_txt${wp} == '*' ) THEN    
      INC wp
      IF !(w_txt${wp}) THEN RETURN $$TRUE      
      
      mp = wp     
      cp = sp + 1 
    ELSE 
      IF (w_txt${wp} == s_txt${sp} )  || (w_txt${wp} == '?') THEN    
        INC wp
        INC sp
      ELSE
        wp = mp
      
        sp = cp                   
        IF s_txt${sp} THEN INC cp 
       
      ENDIF
    ENDIF  
  LOOP
    
  DO WHILE (w_txt${wp} == '*' )    
    INC wp
  LOOP
  
  RETURN !w_txt${wp} 
 
END FUNCTION
 

GeneralWildcard string compare in C#memberhaiquang10 Nov '08 - 22:15 
GeneralRe: Wildcard string compare in C#memberhaiquang3 Aug '09 - 22:22 
GeneralC# Direct Portmemberhempels23 Sep '08 - 15:10 
General...and yet another C# port [modified]memberDVF27 Aug '10 - 16:59 
GeneralRe: ...and yet another C# portmemberVUnreal21 Sep '10 - 11:22 
General[Message Removed]memberstonber18 Sep '08 - 14:22 
GeneralUsing in Artistic Stylememberjimp023 Apr '08 - 4:43 
GeneralGeez...memberlarryfr5 Mar '08 - 9:39 
QuestionConvert to a replace?memberwilliaps20 Mar '07 - 8:31 
GeneralC# RexExp versionmemberspinsane4 Nov '06 - 6:30 
GeneralKudosmemberquantumred14 Oct '06 - 4:37 
GeneralRe: Kudosmembermilkplus24 Feb '10 - 11:19 
Generalwildcmp(&quot;*&amp;lt;*&amp;gt;&quot;, &quot;&amp;lt;field1&amp;gt;&amp;lt;field2&amp;gt;&quot;) not working [modified]memberDaniel B.6 Sep '06 - 13:14 
GeneralRe: wildcmp(&quot;*&amp;lt;*&amp;gt;&quot;, &quot;&amp;lt;field1&amp;gt;&amp;lt;field2&amp;gt;&quot;) not workingmemberradboudp16 Feb '07 - 0:35 
Generalreturn value typememberwdx048 Jan '06 - 15:49 
General*? case matchmembertalimu3 Nov '05 - 23:42 
GeneralRe: *? case matchmemberkuhnm15 Sep '06 - 2:18 
GeneralRe: *? case matchmemberkuhnm18 Sep '06 - 4:48 
GeneralGets my 5memberFranc Morales18 Oct '05 - 17:05 
Generalmp and cpmembertwopieman15 Mar '05 - 11:59 
GeneralRe: mp and cpmemberradboudp16 Feb '07 - 1:14 
GeneralOK, but ...memberSam Levy16 Feb '05 - 4:48 

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