textBoundary - Match start or end of text - MATLAB (original) (raw)

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Match start or end of text

Since R2020b

Syntax

Description

[pat](#mw%5F31a2088b-3c95-4798-b029-c2952b35b0f6%5Fsep%5Fmw%5F5d8462f7-c5cb-4493-9ed2-15c426e9be6f) = textBoundary creates a pattern that matches the start or end of text. textBoundary can be negated using the~ operator. When negated, textBoundary matches between every character except at the start or end of the text.

example

[pat](#mw%5F31a2088b-3c95-4798-b029-c2952b35b0f6%5Fsep%5Fmw%5F5d8462f7-c5cb-4493-9ed2-15c426e9be6f) = textBoundary([type](#mw%5F31a2088b-3c95-4798-b029-c2952b35b0f6%5Fsep%5Fmw%5F3db4ca55-65f2-47cb-817d-7df607c4d0ee)) specifies whether to match at the start or end of text. type can be'start', 'end', or 'either' (default).

example

Examples

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Use textBoundary to match the start or end of text.

Create a string array with multiple pieces of text. Create a pattern that matches the first word of each piece of text.

txts = ["This is the first piece of text" "Here is the second" "Now there are three"]; pat = textBoundary + lettersPattern;

Extract the pattern.

firstWords = extract(txts,pat)

firstWords = 3×1 string "This" "Here" "Now"

Use the "end" option for textBoundary to match the specified endpoint of a piece of text.

Create a string array with multiple pieces of text. Create a pattern that matches the last word of each piece of text.

txts = ["This is the first piece of text" "Here is the second" "Now there are three"]; pat = lettersPattern + textBoundary("end");

Extract the pattern.

lastWords = extract(txts,pat)

lastWords = 3×1 string "text" "second" "three"

Use the ~ operator to negate textBoundary. This matches boundaries between two characters when neither is the start or end of text.

Create a string array with multiple pieces of text. Create a pattern that matches letters that are neither at the start or end of a piece of text.

txts = ["This text is first" "Here is the second" "Now there are three"]; pat = ~textBoundary + lettersPattern + ~textBoundary;

Extract the pattern.

lastWords = extract(txts,pat)

lastWords = 3×4 string "his" "text" "is" "firs" "ere" "is" "the" "secon" "ow" "there" "are" "thre"

Input Arguments

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Boundary type, specified as 'start', 'end', or 'either'.

Data Types: char | string

Extended Capabilities

Version History

Introduced in R2020b