Question

Hi need help in using regexp for condition matching.

ex.my file has the following content
{hello.program=’function’`;
bye.program=’script’; }

I am trying to use regexp to match the string that has .program='function' in them:

pattern = '[.program]+\=(function)'

also tried pattern='[^\n]*(.hello=function)[^\n]*';

pattern_match = regexp(myfilename,pattern , 'match')

but this returns me pattern_match={} while i expect the result to be hello.program=’function’`;

Answer 1

If 'function' comes with string-markers, you need to include these in the match. Also, you need to escape the dot (otherwise, it’s considered “any character”). [.program]+ looks for one or several letters contained in the square brackets – but you can just look for program instead. Also, you don’t need to escape the =-sign (which is probably what messed up the match).

cst = {'hello.program=''function''';'bye.program=''script'''; };
pat = 'hello\.program=''function''';
out = regexp(cst,pat,'match');
out{1}{1} %# first string from list, first match
   hello.program='function'

---

EDIT

In response to the comment

my file contains

m2 = S.Parameter;
m2.Value = matlabstandard;
m2.Volatility = ‘Tunable’;
m2.Configurability = ‘None’;
m2.ReferenceInterfaceFile =”;
m2.DataType = ‘auto’;

my objective is to find all the lines that match, .DataType=’auto’

Here’s how you find the matching lines with regexp

%# read the file with textscan into a variable txt
fid = fopen('myFile.m');
txt = textscan(fid,'%s');
fclose(fid);
txt = txt{1};

%# find the match. Allow spaces and equal signs between DataType and 'auto'
match = regexp(txt,'\.DataType[ =]+''auto''','match')

%# match is not empty only if a match was found. Identify the non-empty match
matchedLine = find(~cellfun(@isempty,match));