Pattern matching in parameters

An explanation of the special characters available in pattern-matching parameters.

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String patterns ¶

You can use string patterns anywhere an expression function needs a name (such as a parameter or node name) to match multiple things at once.

`*`	Matches any string.
`?`	Matches any single character.
`[‹chars›]`	Matches any of the characters between the square brackets. This does not support character ranges using a hyphen (you cannot do `[a-z]`).
`^‹pattern›`	Removes strings matching ‹`pattern`› from the previous match.
`@‹name›`	Matches attribute, object group, channel group, and/or bundle (depending on context).

Examples:

`geo*`	Matches everything beginning with “geo”.
`[gG]eo*`	Matches everything beginning with “geo” or “Geo”.
`?eo*`	Matches everything that has any character followed by “eo” and then any number of characters.
`* ^geo1`	Matches everything except the string “geo1”.

Separate multiple patterns with spaces. Commas are not allowed as separator characters.

Network editor

How to create, move, copy, and edit nodes.
Network navigation

How to move around the networks and move between networks.
Connecting (wiring) nodes

How to connect nodes to each other to make them work together.
Network types and node flags

Flags represent some state information on the node, such as which node represents the output of the network. Different network types have different flags.
Badges

Badges indicate some status information about a node. They usually appear as a row of icons below the name of the node.
Node Info

The node info window shows a quick overview of statistics and information about a particular node.
Find nodes in a network

How to use the Find dialog to find nodes based on various criteria.

Parameter editor

How to change the behavior of nodes by changing their parameters.
Ramp parameters

Explains the tricks to working with ramp parameters.
Pattern matching in parameters

An explanation of the special characters available in pattern-matching parameters.
Modifying a node’s interface

How to change the parameter interface of a node.
Parameter references

How to create references between parameters and create node copies that reference the original.

Laying out nodes

How to automatically clean up, align, and distribute nodes.
Organizing, customizing, and annotating nodes and networks

How to keep your networks neat and well documented.
Node and parameter paths

Every node and parameter has a unique pathname you can use to refer to it.
Visualizing dependencies

How to display lines and indicators representing channels references between nodes.
Network editor options

Guide to network editor options.
Network editor shortcuts

A quick reference for hotkeys and user interface shortcuts in the network editor.

Rename nodes

Parameter expressions

You can enter expressions into a parameter so its value is computed instead of being static or keyframe animated.
Expressions in filenames

How to use variables and expressions in file path fields to generate numbered and unique filenames.
Spare parameters

How to add extra parameters to an individual node.
Expression cookbook

Tips and tricks for writing expressions to accomplish various effects.
List of expression functions

Expression functions let you compute the value of parameters.

Recipes: saving and recreating node and parameter presets

How to save parameter settings and groups of nodes so you can recreate them when needed.
Parameter Motion Effects

Motion Effects let you easily add secondary motion to keyframed parameters (usually translate, rotate, or scale parameters), such as jitter or overshoot.
Custom HScript expression functions

How to add custom functions to the HScript expression language.