Check if a string matches a regular expression pattern

Summary

The matches macro tests whether a string matches a given regular expression pattern. Returns true if the entire string matches, false otherwise.

Syntax 

${matches;<string>;<regex>}

Parameters

  • string - The string to test
  • regex - The regular expression pattern (Java regex syntax)

Behavior

  • Tests if entire string matches the pattern
  • Returns boolean (true/false)
  • Uses Java regular expression syntax
  • Must match the entire string (implicit anchoring)

Examples

Check pattern match:

${if;${matches;v1.2.3;v[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+};valid-version;invalid}

Validate format:

${matches;com.example.api;com\.example\..*}
# Returns: true

Check numeric:

${if;${matches;${value};[0-9]+};is-number;not-number}

Test package pattern:

${matches;${package};com\..*\.impl}

Use Cases

  • Pattern validation
  • String format checking
  • Conditional logic based on patterns
  • Input validation
  • Package name filtering

Notes

  • Uses Java regex syntax
  • Entire string must match (no partial matches)
  • Case-sensitive by default
  • For case-insensitive, use (?i) in pattern
  • See also: ${filter} for list filtering
  • See also: ${find} for substring search

See test cases in MacroTestsForDocsExamples.java