Does anyone know of source code for matching templates against input strings
like "AAA-AAA-####" against a string, etc.  Thanks for any pointers.

Locate a UNIX system and look for files like "/usr/include/regex.h" and
"/usr/include/regexp.h"

Locate "The C Gazette", Volume 4, No. 4, for an article on finite state
automata, by Alan Holub

Locate "Algorithms" by Ian(?) Sedgewick

Locate "Compiler Design in C" by Allen I. Holub

Locate "Compilers, Principles, Techniques, and Tools" by Aho, Sethi, Ullman

Pat

        int     jeff(sp,tp) /*======================================*/
        char    *sp;
        char    *tp;
        {
            while (*tp && *sp) {
                switch (*tp) {
                    case ('A'):
                        if (!isalpha(*sp)) return(0);
                        break;
                    case ('#'):
                        if (!isdigit(*sp)) return(0);
                        break;
                    default:
                        if (*tp != *sp) return(0);
                }
                tp++;
                sp++;
            }
            if (*tp || *sp) return(0);
            return(1);
        }

    You don't have to test for *sp in the loop condition, or for *tp
    in the last if statement, if you can trust the code in each case
    statement to do the right thing when *sp is zero.

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