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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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Comments and Discussions

 
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GeneralNice code...membervoja2125 Aug '04 - 2:30 
GeneralSlight efficiency improvementmemberBill Buklis9 Jul '04 - 6:53 
GeneralRe: Slight efficiency improvementmemberBill Buklis9 Jul '04 - 7:19 
QuestionPathMatchSpec (shlwapi.h)?memberpeterchen28 Jun '04 - 6:56 
AnswerRe: PathMatchSpec (shlwapi.h)?memberJack Handy13 Feb '05 - 9:56 
GeneralDoesnt seem to work well..sussBikram Singh13 May '04 - 1:56 
GeneralRe: Doesnt seem to work well..memberJack Handy21 Jun '04 - 9:13 
GeneralCase Insensitive wildcmpmemberTechiex16 Mar '04 - 9:36 
GeneralRe: Case Insensitive wildcmpmemberNeville Franks16 Mar '04 - 9:52 
GeneralRe: Case Insensitive wildcmpmemberTechiex23 Mar '04 - 9:33 
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 
Vic Mackey wrote:
Be careful when using toupper(), some of the CRT variations of this function _only_ work when the input is known to be lowercase.
 
Which is why I specified toupper() instead of _toupper(). The latter is nothing but a #define directive that does no checking.
 
In any case, I was simply responding to Techiex's statement that "toupper doesnt support char characters."
 

"Opinions are neither right nor wrong. I cannot change your opinion. I can, however, change what influences your opinion." - David Crow


GeneralRe: Case Insensitive wildcmpmemberf_randy12 Jun '06 - 18:13 
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 

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