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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
No Biography provided

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Comments and Discussions

 
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GeneralRe: Case Insensitive wildcmpmemberDavidCrow23-Feb-05 2:24 
GeneralRe: Case Insensitive wildcmpmemberVic Mackey23-Feb-05 8:00 
GeneralRe: Case Insensitive wildcmpmemberDavidCrow23-Feb-05 8:22 
GeneralRe: Case Insensitive wildcmpmemberf_randy12-Jun-06 18:13 
Doesnt seems to work for me.
GeneralExcellent code!memberHans Dietrich16-Jul-03 19:40 
Generalchecking for nullmemberJack Handy13-Mar-03 20:38 
GeneralRe: checking for nullsussAnonymous15-Mar-03 20:10 
GeneralRe: checking for nullmemberJack Handy18-Mar-03 13:25 
Generalgreat code, but ...sussAnonymous12-Mar-03 3:17 
GeneralRe: great code, but ...memberJack Handy13-Mar-03 20:34 
GeneralRe: great code, but ...sussAnonymous15-Mar-03 20:08 
GeneralRe: great code, but ...memberJack Handy18-Mar-03 13:25 
GeneralRe: great code, but ...sussAnonymous19-Mar-03 23:13 
GeneralNicememberChris Richardson16-Jan-03 10:58 
GeneralRe: NicememberJack Handy20-Jan-03 11:56 
GeneralCool CodesussAnonymous6-Dec-02 11:09 
GeneralRe: Cool Codememberhector santos1-Mar-03 1:53 
GeneralRe: Cool CodesussKent C. Dorner2-Mar-03 5:32 
GeneralRe: Cool Codemembergebrudergrimm28-Dec-03 10:18 
GeneralRe: Cool CodememberBrcKcc15-Jun-04 8:18 
GeneralYes man - you a really cool developermemberStanislav Panasik23-Oct-02 19:06 
GeneralRe: Yes man - you a really cool developersussAnonymous28-Mar-04 13:43 
GeneralPseudo Code...memberblahblah18-Apr-02 10:45 
GeneralRe: Pseudo Code...memberTargys8-Jan-03 2:43 
Generaltoo complicatedmemberThe C++ Guru21-Mar-02 21:31 
GeneralRe: too complicatedmemberBig Spender22-Mar-02 0:23 
GeneralRe: too complicatedmemberThe C++ Guru22-Mar-02 0:34 
GeneralRe: too complicatedmemberJack Handy22-Mar-02 15:23 
GeneralRe: too complicatedmemberThe C++ Guru22-Mar-02 21:40 
GeneralRe: too complicatedmemberJack Handy22-Mar-02 22:26 
GeneralRe: too complicatedmemberHockey19-Apr-03 9:25 
GeneralRe: too complicatedmemberdouglashogan25-Jan-04 12:34 
GeneralRe: too complicatedmemberJack Handy25-Jan-04 12:40 
GeneralRe: too complicatedmemberdouglashogan25-Jan-04 12:50 
GeneralRe: too complicatedmemberJim Bob22-Mar-02 15:29 
GeneralRe: too complicatedmemberSimon Capewell22-May-02 2:48 
GeneralRe: too complicatedmemberTargys8-Jan-03 1:57 
GeneralRe: too complicatedsussThe C++ Guru24-Feb-03 10:43 
GeneralRe: too complicatedmemberJack Handy24-Feb-03 16:52 
GeneralRe: too complicatedmemberhector santos1-Mar-03 1:49 
GeneralRe: too complicatedsussKent C. Dorner2-Mar-03 5:26 
GeneralRe: too complicatedmemberhector santos2-Mar-03 10:05 
GeneralRe: too complicatedmemberJack Handy2-Jun-03 13:56 
GeneralRe: too complicatedsussAnonymous2-Jun-03 14:48 
GeneralRe: too complicatedsussAnonymous4-Dec-03 18:29 
GeneralRe: too complicatedmemberolegxxx4-Mar-05 19:24 
GeneralSweet!memberEpicBoy1-Feb-02 16:08 
GeneralRe: Sweet!memberMichael Dunn1-Feb-02 17:10 
GeneralRe: Sweet!memberSteve Mallam13-May-02 0:29 
GeneralI found this very useful.memberTodd Smith4-Jan-02 14:40 

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