How to use a PHP fuzzy match string class to find similar strings in a text using the package Matchy: Perform exact or fuzzy searches in text strings

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Last Updated		Ratings				Unique User Downloads		Download Rankings
2025-11-08 (Yesterday)		Not yet rated by the users				Total: Not yet counted		Not yet ranked

Version		License		PHP version		Categories
`matchy` 4.0.0		Artistic License		5		PHP 5, Searching, Text processing, Ar...

Description

Author

Nikos M.

This package can perform exact or fuzzy searches in text strings.

It provides a class that can take a text string and returns the occurrences of another string in that string using exact or fuzzy matching.

The class can perform fuzzy search using different algorithms like:

- Finite State Automaton Matcher

- Rabin-Karp Matcher

- Knuth-Morris-Pratt Matcher

- Boyer-Moore Matcher

- Two-Way Matcher

The package also provides JavaScript and Python alternative implementations of the PHP class.

Innovation Award

October 2025
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Fuzzy search is used to search for similar string in a longer text.

It is useful to search for text entered by users that may have made spelling mistakes.

This package implements a fuzzy search solution that supports many fuzzy search algorithms.

Manuel Lemos

Nikos M.

Name:	Nikos M. is available for providing paid consulting. Contact Nikos M. .
Classes:	23 packages by Nikos M.
Country:	Greece
Age:	49
All time rank:	844	9 in Greece
Week rank:	195	2 in Greece

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Nominee: 10x

Winner: 2x

Instructions

Please check this example script to learn how to search for a similar in text.

Example


<?php

include(dirname(__FILE__) . '/../../src/php/Matchy.php');



function create_string($alphabet, $n)

{

    $s = '';

    for ($i=0; $i<$n; ++$i)

    {

        $s .= $alphabet[rand(0, count($alphabet)-1)];

    }

    return $s;

}

function create_pattern($string, $n)

{

    $i = rand(0, strlen($string)-$n);

    return substr($string, $i, $n);

}

function test_case($matchy, $algorithm, $pattern, $string, $offset = 0)

{

    $matcher = $matchy->{$algorithm}($pattern);

    $found = $matcher($string, $offset);

    $index = strpos($string, $pattern, $offset);

    if (false === $index) $index = -1;

    echo($algorithm.'("'.$pattern.'", "'.$string.'", '.$offset.') = '.$found.($found === $index ? ' (true)' : ' (expected '.$index.')')."\n");

}

function test()

{

    $matchy = new Matchy();



    $algorithms = [

    'fsa',

    'rabinkarp',

    'knuthmorrispratt',

    'twoway',

    'boyermoore'

    ];



    for ($i=0; $i<10; ++$i)

    {

        $string = create_string(['a', 'b'/*, 'c', 'd'*/], 10);

        $pattern = create_pattern($string, 5);



        echo("\n");

        foreach ($algorithms as $algorithm)

        {

            test_case($matchy, $algorithm, $pattern, $string);

        }

    }



    /*

    // problematic

    echo("\n");

    echo('problematic'."\n");

    $problematic = [

    ['boyermoore', "bbbbb", "aabaabbbbb"],

    ['twoway', "babab", "aababababb"],

    ['twoway', "babab", "baaabababb"],

    ['boyermoore', "babab", "aababababb"],

    ['boyermoore', "abaaa", "baabaaabab"]

    ];

    foreach ($problematic as $entry) test_case($matchy, $entry[0], $entry[1], $entry[2]);

    */

}



test();

Details

Matchy

Exact and fuzzy string and regular expression matching algorithms for PHP, JavaScript, Python

Matchy

version: 4.0.0 almost complete

Included Algorithms:

A generic Non-Deterministic Finite Automaton is also included that can match exact regular expression patterns, fuzzy patterns, fuzzy regular expression patterns and various combinations of these.

The theory behind the implementation of the generic automaton is a custom fully functional and transparent fusion of a Non-Deterministic Finite Automaton for a given regular expression, and a Non-Deterministic Levenshtein Automaton for approximate matching either at char level or at word level (ie approximate words or approximate sentences) with option to take account of transpositions, ie a Damerau-Levenshtein Automaton.

examples:

see test/ folder

see also:

Abacus Computer Algebra and Symbolic Computation System for Combinatorics and Algebraic Number Theory for JavaScript and Python
TensorView view array data as multidimensional tensors of various shapes efficiently
Geometrize Computational Geometry and Rendering Library for JavaScript
Plot.js simple and small library which can plot graphs of functions and various simple charts and can render to Canvas, SVG and plain HTML
CanvasLite an html canvas implementation in pure JavaScript
Rasterizer stroke and fill lines, rectangles, curves and paths, without canvas
Gradient create linear, radial, conic and elliptic gradients and image patterns without canvas
css-color simple class to parse and manipulate colors in various formats
MOD3 3D Modifier Library in JavaScript
HAAR.js image feature detection based on Haar Cascades in JavaScript (Viola-Jones-Lienhart et al Algorithm)
HAARPHP image feature detection based on Haar Cascades in PHP (Viola-Jones-Lienhart et al Algorithm)
FILTER.js video and image processing and computer vision Library in pure JavaScript (browser and node)
Xpresion a simple and flexible eXpression parser engine (with custom functions and variables support), based on GrammarTemplate, for PHP, JavaScript, Python
Regex Analyzer/Composer Regular Expression Analyzer and Composer for PHP, JavaScript, Python
GrammarTemplate grammar-based templating for PHP, JavaScript, Python
codemirror-grammar transform a formal grammar in JSON format into a syntax-highlight parser for CodeMirror editor
ace-grammar transform a formal grammar in JSON format into a syntax-highlight parser for ACE editor
prism-grammar transform a formal grammar in JSON format into a syntax-highlighter for Prism code highlighter
highlightjs-grammar transform a formal grammar in JSON format into a syntax-highlight mode for Highlight.js code highlighter
syntaxhighlighter-grammar transform a formal grammar in JSON format to a highlight brush for SyntaxHighlighter code highlighter
Fuzzion a library of fuzzy / approximate string metrics for PHP, JavaScript, Python
Matchy a library of string matching algorithms for PHP, JavaScript, Python
PatternMatchingAlgorithms library of Pattern Matching Algorithms in JavaScript using Matchy
SortingAlgorithms library of Sorting Algorithms in JavaScript

Screenshots (1)

Files (25)

File	Role	Description
`src` (3 directories)
`test` (3 directories)
`README.md`	Doc.	Documentation

Files (25)

src

File	Role	Description
`js` (2 files)
`php` (1 file)
`py` (2 files)

Files (25)

src

File	Role	Description
`Matchy.js`	Data	Auxiliary data
`Matchy.min.js`	Data	Auxiliary data

Files (25)

src

php

File	Role	Description
`Matchy.php`	Class	Class source

Files (25)

src

File	Role	Description
`Matchy.py`	Data	Auxiliary data
`__init__.py`	Data	Auxiliary data

Files (25)

test

File	Role	Description
`js` (6 files)
`php` (6 files)
`py` (6 files)

Files (25)

test

File	Role	Description
`out-fuzzy-nfa.txt`	Doc.	Documentation
`out-nfa.txt`	Doc.	Documentation
`out.txt`	Doc.	Documentation
`test-fuzzy-nfa.js`	Data	Auxiliary data
`test-nfa.js`	Data	Auxiliary data
`test.js`	Data	Auxiliary data

Files (25)

test

php

File	Role	Description
`out-fuzzy-nfa.txt`	Doc.	Documentation
`out-nfa.txt`	Doc.	Documentation
`out.txt`	Doc.	Documentation
`test-fuzzy-nfa.php`	Example	Example script
`test-nfa.php`	Example	Example script
`test.php`	Example	Example script

Files (25)

test

File	Role	Description
`out-fuzzy-nfa.txt`	Doc.	Documentation
`out-nfa.txt`	Doc.	Documentation
`out.txt`	Doc.	Documentation
`test-fuzzy-nfa.py`	Data	Auxiliary data
`test-nfa.py`	Data	Auxiliary data
`test.py`	Data	Auxiliary data