Determine if pattern is in strings
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Syntax
TF = contains(str,pat)
TF = contains(str,pat,'IgnoreCase',true)
Description
TF = contains(str,pat) returns 1 (true) if str contains the specified pattern, and returns 0 (false) otherwise.
If pat is an array containing multiple patterns, then contains returns 1 if it finds any element of pat in str.
If str is a string array or cell array, then TF is a logical array that is the same size as str.
example
TF = contains(str,pat,'IgnoreCase',true) ignores case when determining if str contains pat.
example
Examples
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Open Live Script
Create a string array of names, where some names contain Paul.
You can create strings using double quotes.
str = ["Mary Ann Jones","Paul Jay Burns","John Paul Smith"]
str = 1×3 string "Mary Ann Jones" "Paul Jay Burns" "John Paul Smith"Return a logical array where the position of each element equal to 1 corresponds to the position of a string in str that contains Paul.
pat = "Paul";TF = contains(str,pat)TF = 1×3 logical array 0 1 1Display the strings that contain Paul. Index back into str using TF.
str(TF)
ans = 1×2 string "Paul Jay Burns" "John Paul Smith"Open Live Script
Since R2020b
Create a string array that contains addresses.
str = ["221B Baker St.","Tour Eiffel Champ de Mars","4059 Mt Lee Dr."]
str = 1×3 string "221B Baker St." "Tour Eiffel Champ de Mars" "4059 Mt Lee Dr."To find addresses that contain numbers, create a pattern that matches an arbitrary number of digits by using the digitsPattern function.
pat = digitsPattern
pat = pattern Matching: digitsPatternReturn a logical array indicating which strings contain digits. Display the matching strings.
TF = contains(str,pat)
TF = 1×3 logical array 1 0 1str(TF)
ans = 1×2 string "221B Baker St." "4059 Mt Lee Dr."Search for strings that have a sequence of digits followed by one letter. You can build more complex patterns by combining simple patterns.
pat = digitsPattern + lettersPattern(1)
pat = pattern Matching: digitsPattern + lettersPattern(1)TF = contains(str,pat);str(TF)
ans = "221B Baker St."
For a list of functions that create pattern objects, see pattern.
Open Live Script
Create a string array of names, where some names contain either Ann or Paul.
str = ["Mary Ann Jones","Christopher Matthew Burns","John Paul Smith"]
str = 1×3 string "Mary Ann Jones" "Christopher Matthew Burns" "John Paul Smith"Find the elements of str that contain either Ann or Paul.
pat = ["Ann","Paul"];TF = contains(str,pat)
TF = 1×3 logical array 1 0 1Index back into str using TF.
str(TF)
ans = 1×2 string "Mary Ann Jones" "John Paul Smith"Open Live Script
Create a string array that contains names. Determine which names contain anne, ignoring case.
You can create strings using double quotes.
str = ["Anne","Elizabeth","Marianne","Tracy"]
str = 1×4 string "Anne" "Elizabeth" "Marianne" "Tracy"pat = "anne";TF = contains(str,pat,'IgnoreCase',true)
TF = 1×4 logical array 1 0 1 0Display the strings that contain anne. Index back into str using TF.
str(TF)
ans = 1×2 string "Anne" "Marianne"Open Live Script
Create a character vector that contains a list of foods. Determine if the names of different foods are in the character vector.
chr = 'peppers, onions, and mushrooms';TF = contains(chr,'onion')
TF = logical 1TF = contains(chr,'pineapples')TF = logical 0Input Arguments
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Input text, specified as a string array, character vector, or cell array of character vectors.
Search pattern, specified as one of the following:
String array
Character vector
Cell array of character vectors
pattern array (since R2020b)
Extended Capabilities
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The contains function fully supports tall arrays. For more information, see Tall Arrays.
Usage notes and limitations:
strandpatmust be a string scalar, character vector, or cell array containing not more than one character vector.
This function fully supports thread-based environments. For more information, see Run MATLAB Functions in Thread-Based Environment.
This function fully supports distributed arrays. For more information, see Run MATLAB Functions with Distributed Arrays (Parallel Computing Toolbox).
Version History
Introduced in R2016b
See Also
count | endsWith | extract | matches | replace | startsWith | split | pattern | digitsPattern | lettersPattern
Topics
- Create String Arrays
- Compare Text
- Search and Replace Text
- Build Pattern Expressions
- Test for Empty Strings and Missing Values
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