|                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      |  | # minimatch
A minimal matching utility.
[](http://travis-ci.org/isaacs/minimatch)
This is the matching library used internally by npm.
It works by converting glob expressions into JavaScript `RegExp`objects.
## Usage
```javascriptvar minimatch = require("minimatch")
minimatch("bar.foo", "*.foo") // true!minimatch("bar.foo", "*.bar") // false!minimatch("bar.foo", "*.+(bar|foo)", { debug: true }) // true, and noisy!```
## Features
Supports these glob features:
* Brace Expansion* Extended glob matching* "Globstar" `**` matching
See:
* `man sh`* `man bash`* `man 3 fnmatch`* `man 5 gitignore`
## Minimatch Class
Create a minimatch object by instantiating the `minimatch.Minimatch` class.
```javascriptvar Minimatch = require("minimatch").Minimatchvar mm = new Minimatch(pattern, options)```
### Properties
* `pattern` The original pattern the minimatch object represents.* `options` The options supplied to the constructor.* `set` A 2-dimensional array of regexp or string expressions.  Each row in the  array corresponds to a brace-expanded pattern.  Each item in the row  corresponds to a single path-part.  For example, the pattern  `{a,b/c}/d` would expand to a set of patterns like:
        [ [ a, d ]        , [ b, c, d ] ]
    If a portion of the pattern doesn't have any "magic" in it    (that is, it's something like `"foo"` rather than `fo*o?`), then it    will be left as a string rather than converted to a regular    expression.
* `regexp` Created by the `makeRe` method.  A single regular expression  expressing the entire pattern.  This is useful in cases where you wish  to use the pattern somewhat like `fnmatch(3)` with `FNM_PATH` enabled.* `negate` True if the pattern is negated.* `comment` True if the pattern is a comment.* `empty` True if the pattern is `""`.
### Methods
* `makeRe` Generate the `regexp` member if necessary, and return it.  Will return `false` if the pattern is invalid.* `match(fname)` Return true if the filename matches the pattern, or  false otherwise.* `matchOne(fileArray, patternArray, partial)` Take a `/`-split  filename, and match it against a single row in the `regExpSet`.  This  method is mainly for internal use, but is exposed so that it can be  used by a glob-walker that needs to avoid excessive filesystem calls.
All other methods are internal, and will be called as necessary.
### minimatch(path, pattern, options)
Main export.  Tests a path against the pattern using the options.
```javascriptvar isJS = minimatch(file, "*.js", { matchBase: true })```
### minimatch.filter(pattern, options)
Returns a function that tests itssupplied argument, suitable for use with `Array.filter`.  Example:
```javascriptvar javascripts = fileList.filter(minimatch.filter("*.js", {matchBase: true}))```
### minimatch.match(list, pattern, options)
Match against the list offiles, in the style of fnmatch or glob.  If nothing is matched, andoptions.nonull is set, then return a list containing the pattern itself.
```javascriptvar javascripts = minimatch.match(fileList, "*.js", {matchBase: true}))```
### minimatch.makeRe(pattern, options)
Make a regular expression object from the pattern.
## Options
All options are `false` by default.
### debug
Dump a ton of stuff to stderr.
### nobrace
Do not expand `{a,b}` and `{1..3}` brace sets.
### noglobstar
Disable `**` matching against multiple folder names.
### dot
Allow patterns to match filenames starting with a period, even ifthe pattern does not explicitly have a period in that spot.
Note that by default, `a/**/b` will **not** match `a/.d/b`, unless `dot`is set.
### noext
Disable "extglob" style patterns like `+(a|b)`.
### nocase
Perform a case-insensitive match.
### nonull
When a match is not found by `minimatch.match`, return a list containingthe pattern itself if this option is set.  When not set, an empty listis returned if there are no matches.
### matchBase
If set, then patterns without slashes will be matchedagainst the basename of the path if it contains slashes.  For example,`a?b` would match the path `/xyz/123/acb`, but not `/xyz/acb/123`.
### nocomment
Suppress the behavior of treating `#` at the start of a pattern as acomment.
### nonegate
Suppress the behavior of treating a leading `!` character as negation.
### flipNegate
Returns from negate expressions the same as if they were not negated.(Ie, true on a hit, false on a miss.)
### partial
Compare a partial path to a pattern.  As long as the parts of the path thatare present are not contradicted by the pattern, it will be treated as amatch.  This is useful in applications where you're walking through afolder structure, and don't yet have the full path, but want to ensure thatyou do not walk down paths that can never be a match.
For example,
```jsminimatch('/a/b', '/a/*/c/d', { partial: true })  // true, might be /a/b/c/dminimatch('/a/b', '/**/d', { partial: true })     // true, might be /a/b/.../dminimatch('/x/y/z', '/a/**/z', { partial: true }) // false, because x !== a```
### allowWindowsEscape
Windows path separator `\` is by default converted to `/`, whichprohibits the usage of `\` as a escape character. This flag skips thatbehavior and allows using the escape character.
## Comparisons to other fnmatch/glob implementations
While strict compliance with the existing standards is a worthwhilegoal, some discrepancies exist between minimatch and otherimplementations, and are intentional.
If the pattern starts with a `!` character, then it is negated.  Set the`nonegate` flag to suppress this behavior, and treat leading `!`characters normally.  This is perhaps relevant if you wish to start thepattern with a negative extglob pattern like `!(a|B)`.  Multiple `!`characters at the start of a pattern will negate the pattern multipletimes.
If a pattern starts with `#`, then it is treated as a comment, andwill not match anything.  Use `\#` to match a literal `#` at thestart of a line, or set the `nocomment` flag to suppress this behavior.
The double-star character `**` is supported by default, unless the`noglobstar` flag is set.  This is supported in the manner of bsdgloband bash 4.1, where `**` only has special significance if it is the onlything in a path part.  That is, `a/**/b` will match `a/x/y/b`, but`a/**b` will not.
If an escaped pattern has no matches, and the `nonull` flag is set,then minimatch.match returns the pattern as-provided, rather thaninterpreting the character escapes.  For example,`minimatch.match([], "\\*a\\?")` will return `"\\*a\\?"` rather than`"*a?"`.  This is akin to setting the `nullglob` option in bash, exceptthat it does not resolve escaped pattern characters.
If brace expansion is not disabled, then it is performed before anyother interpretation of the glob pattern.  Thus, a pattern like`+(a|{b),c)}`, which would not be valid in bash or zsh, is expanded**first** into the set of `+(a|b)` and `+(a|c)`, and those patterns arechecked for validity.  Since those two are valid, matching proceeds.
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