Difference between wildcard pattern and regex?
Wildcard patterns and regular expressions (regex) are both used to match patterns in text, but they have some key differences:
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Syntax: Wildcard patterns use simple characters like
*or?to match one or more characters, whereas regular expressions use a more complex syntax that includes special characters and metacharacters to match specific patterns. -
Flexibility: Regular expressions are more powerful and flexible than wildcard patterns. They allow you to match a wide range of patterns, including complex and nested patterns, whereas wildcard patterns are limited to matching simple patterns.
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Use Cases: Wildcard patterns are mostly used to match patterns in file names or paths, whereas regular expressions are used to match patterns in text. Regular expressions are often used in text editors, programming languages, and command-line utilities to search, match, and manipulate text.
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Speed: Wildcard patterns are faster to use and process than regular expressions, since they are simpler and less complex. However, wildcard patterns are less powerful than regular expressions and may not be able to match complex patterns.
Overall, wildcard patterns are simpler and easier to use than regular expressions, but regular expressions are more powerful and flexible. It depends on the use case and the complexity of the pattern you need to match.