#include <fnmatch.h>
int fnmatch ( Pattern, String, Flags);
int Flags;
const char *Pattern, *String;
The fnmatch subroutine checks the string specified by the String parameter to see if it matches the pattern specified by the Pattern parameter.
The fnmatch subroutine can be used by an application or command that needs to read a dictionary and apply a pattern against each entry; the find command is an example of this. It can also be used by the pax command to process its Pattern variables, or by applications that need to match strings in a similar manner.
If the FNM_ PATHNAME flag is set in the Flags parameter, a / (slash) in the String parameter is explicitly matched by a / in the Pattern parameter. It is not matched by either the * (asterisk) or ? (question-mark) special characters, nor by a bracket expression. If the FNM_PATHNAME flag is not set, the / is treated as an ordinary character.
If the FNM_PERIOD flag is set in the Flags parameter, then a leading period in the String parameter only matches a period in the Pattern parameter; it is not matched by either the asterisk or question-mark special characters, nor by a bracket expression. The setting of the FNM_PATHNAME flag determines a period to be leading, according to the following rules:
If the FNM_NOESCAPE flag is not set in the Flags parameter, a \ (backslash) character in the Pattern parameter, followed by any other character, will match that second character in the String parameter. For example, \\ will match a backslash in the String parameter. If the FNM_NOESCAPE flag is set, a \ (backslash) will be treated as an ordinary character.
If the value in the String parameter matches the pattern specified by the Pattern parameter, the fnmatch subroutine returns 0. If there is no match, the fnmatch subroutine returns the FNM_NOMATCH constant, which is defined in the fnmatch.h file. If an error occurs, the fnmatch subroutine returns a nonzero value.
These subroutines are part of Base Operating System (BOS) Runtime.
| /usr/include/fnmatch.h | Contains system-defined flags and constants. |
The glob (glob Subroutine) subroutine, globfree (globfree Subroutine) subroutine, regcomp subroutine, regfree subroutine, regerror subroutine, regexec subroutine.
The find command, pax command.
Files, Directories, and File Systems for Programmers and Understanding Internationalized Regular Expression Subroutines Ln AIX 5L Version 5.1 General Programming Concepts: Writing and Debugging Programs