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contains

Determine if pattern is in strings

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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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 = 1x3 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 = 1x3 logical array

   0   1   1

Display the strings that contain Paul. Index back into str using TF.

str(TF)
ans = 1x2 string
    "Paul Jay Burns"    "John Paul Smith"

Since R2020b

Create a string array that contains addresses.

str = ["221B Baker St.","Tour Eiffel Champ de Mars","4059 Mt Lee Dr."]
str = 1x3 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:

    digitsPattern

Return a logical array indicating which strings contain digits. Display the matching strings.

TF = contains(str,pat)
TF = 1x3 logical array

   1   0   1

str(TF)
ans = 1x2 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.

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 = 1x3 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 = 1x3 logical array

   1   0   1

Index back into str using TF.

str(TF)
ans = 1x2 string
    "Mary Ann Jones"    "John Paul Smith"

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 = 1x4 string
    "Anne"    "Elizabeth"    "Marianne"    "Tracy"

pat = "anne";
TF = contains(str,pat,'IgnoreCase',true)
TF = 1x4 logical array

   1   0   1   0

Display the strings that contain anne. Index back into str using TF.

str(TF)
ans = 1x2 string
    "Anne"    "Marianne"

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
   1

TF = contains(chr,'pineapples')
TF = logical
   0

Input 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

Version History

Introduced in R2016b

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