file name matching with wildcard

Here is a dependency free portable C++ version:

#include <string>

#include <string.h>

bool wild_match(const std::string& str, const std::string& pat) {
  std::string::const_iterator str_it = str.begin();
  for (std::string::const_iterator pat_it = pat.begin(); pat_it != pat.end();
       ++pat_it) {
    switch (*pat_it) {
      case '?':
        if (str_it == str.end()) {
          return false;
        }

        ++str_it;
        break;
      case '*': {
        if (pat_it + 1 == pat.end()) {
          return true;
        }

        const size_t max = strlen(&*str_it);
        for (size_t i = 0; i < max; ++i) {
          if (wild_match(&*(pat_it + 1), &*(str_it + i))) {
            return true;
          }
        }

        return false;
      }
      default:
        if (*str_it != *pat_it) {
          return false;
        }

        ++str_it;
    }
  }

  return str_it == str.end();
}

This is pretty much the same as @nabulke's answer, using C++11 instead of Boost (so be sure to upvote that one too if you like this answer):

#include <regex>
#include <string>

std::regex wildcardToRegex(const std::string& wildcard, bool caseSensitive = true)
{
    // Note It is possible to automate checking if filesystem is case sensitive or not (e.g. by performing a test first time this function is ran)
    std::string regexString{ wildcard };
    // Escape all regex special chars:
    regexString = std::regex_replace(regexString, std::regex("\\\\"), "\\\\");
    regexString = std::regex_replace(regexString, std::regex("\\^"), "\\^");
    regexString = std::regex_replace(regexString, std::regex("\\."), "\\.");
    regexString = std::regex_replace(regexString, std::regex("\\$"), "\\$");
    regexString = std::regex_replace(regexString, std::regex("\\|"), "\\|");
    regexString = std::regex_replace(regexString, std::regex("\\("), "\\(");
    regexString = std::regex_replace(regexString, std::regex("\\)"), "\\)");
    regexString = std::regex_replace(regexString, std::regex("\\{"), "\\{");
    regexString = std::regex_replace(regexString, std::regex("\\{"), "\\}");
    regexString = std::regex_replace(regexString, std::regex("\\["), "\\[");
    regexString = std::regex_replace(regexString, std::regex("\\]"), "\\]");
    regexString = std::regex_replace(regexString, std::regex("\\+"), "\\+");
    regexString = std::regex_replace(regexString, std::regex("\\/"), "\\/");
    // Convert wildcard specific chars '*?' to their regex equivalents:
    regexString = std::regex_replace(regexString, std::regex("\\?"), ".");
    regexString = std::regex_replace(regexString, std::regex("\\*"), ".*");

    return std::regex(regexString, caseSensitive ? std::regex_constants::ECMAScript : std::regex_constants::icase);
}

bool wildmatch(const std::string& input, const std::string& wildcard)
{
    auto rgx = wildcardToRegex(wildcard);
    return std::regex_match(input, rgx);
}

Also you can try my wildcard matching library: Wildest card

It is:

• Based on NFA
• Written in C in single header file
• Has no dependencies
• Has no recursion
• Has no dynamic allocations
• Has O(MN) complexity
• Requires O(logM) memory

Example:

#include "wildcard.h"
...
bool answer = wildcard("*.cpp", "file.cpp");