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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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QuestionLicence Questionmemberrandommark23-Nov-10 0:33 
AnswerAnother C# version, with a twistmembertomlev29-Jun-10 14:50 
GeneralObscuritymemberChuck O'Toole25-Apr-10 18:18 
AnswerMy C# contribution - recursive, of course!memberRenniePet26-Mar-10 5:21 
GeneralRe: My C# contribution - recursive, of course!memberErwin de GRoot29-Mar-10 1:58 
GeneralDepends on whether you need to optimize the last few nanoseconds out of it...memberRenniePet29-Mar-10 7:45 
GeneralSorry - revised numbersmemberRenniePet29-Mar-10 8:35 
GeneralRe: Depends on whether you need to optimize the last few nanoseconds out of it...memberErwin de GRoot29-Mar-10 8:37 
GeneralYet another version - 25% faster, I think [modified]memberRenniePet1-Apr-10 8:24 
GeneralRe: Yet another version - 25% faster, I thinkmemberaleks1k21-Sep-11 2:47 
QuestionI used this function but I how I can catch variables from the * ???membermoh.hijjawi20-Oct-09 1:55 
AnswerRe: I used this function but I how I can catch variables from the * ???memberRenniePet1-Apr-10 11:27 
Questionany updates ?memberalhambra-eidos2-Jul-09 5:12 
GeneralImproved matching with end-of-textmemberAnders Heie11-May-09 15:20 
Great code, but when trying this I realized that the following pattern is a match:
 
Search: ????????
Text to search: ABC
 
The problem is that the pattern can be LONGER than the text searched, in which case it should return a not found, but instead returns found.
 
Also, this example succeeds:
 
Search: y*n
Text to search: yessir
 
But of course should fail, since I'm looking for a text that ends with n
 
So I re-wrote your program to this, to correctly handle this situation.
 
bool StrWildCmp(char* wildstring, char *matchstring){
 
	
	char stopstring[1];
	*stopstring = 0;
 
	while(*matchstring) {
		if (*wildstring == '*') {
		  if (!*++wildstring) {
			return true;
		  } else {
			  *stopstring = *wildstring;
		  }
		}
 
		if(*stopstring) {
			if(*stopstring == *matchstring ) {
				wildstring++;
				matchstring++;
				*stopstring = 0;
			} else {
				matchstring++;
			}
		} else if((*wildstring == *matchstring) || (*wildstring == '?')) {
				wildstring++;
				matchstring++;
		} else {
			return false;
		}
 
		if(!*matchstring && *wildstring && *wildstring != '*') {
			// matchstring too short
			return false;
		}
	}
 
  return true;
}
 
Thanks again for the inspiration. Cool | :cool:
GeneralRe: Improved matching with end-of-text: some cases don't work properly!memberroadrunner31412-Aug-09 3:35 
QuestionPathMatchSpec instead?memberkintz25-Mar-09 8:55 
AnswerRe: PathMatchSpec instead?memberMandatoryDefault31-Aug-09 10:39 
Questionwchar_t version?memberrmorales8729-Nov-08 20:16 
AnswerRe: wchar_t version?memberrazvar31-Mar-11 21:49 
Generalwildcmp in XBLitememberCodeGibbon27-Nov-08 13:56 
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 
QuestionWhy make 3 loop ?memberDarkYoda Mickael2-Feb-05 22:22 
AnswerRe: Why make 3 loop ?memberJack Handy13-Feb-05 10:02 
GeneralC# versionmemberSancy26-Oct-04 6:23 
GeneralRe: C# versionsussPsyk6621-Dec-04 3:39 
GeneralRe: C# versionmemberIonut FIlip22-Feb-05 6:15 
GeneralRe: C# versionmemberrobagar3-Apr-06 16:58 
GeneralRe: C# versionmemberSancy5-Jun-06 16:01 
GeneralConvert to java base on C# version [modified, better look :~ ]memberquangtin321-Mar-08 21:13 

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