Naive Pattern Matching in JavaScript

Algorithms: String Algorithms November 15, 2026 javascript

Naive pattern matching tries the pattern at every possible starting position.

javascript
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"use strict";
// Naive Pattern Matching in JavaScript
//
// PURPOSE
// Naive pattern matching tries the pattern at every possible starting position. It is simple
// and useful for short patterns or as a correctness reference.
//
// METHOD
// At each alignment compare tokens until a mismatch or the whole pattern matches. Return the
// first complete match, or -1 after every alignment fails.
//
// COMPLEXITY
// O(nm) worst-case time and O(1) auxiliary space.
//
// CONTRACT
// Text and pattern are integer token arrays with lengths n and m. Empty pattern matches at
// zero. Text normalization/tokenization is outside the function.
// Public APIs infer array lengths except in C, which accepts pointer/length pairs. Vertex
// counts and matrix dimensions remain explicit. Arrays must contain signed 32-bit integers.
// Sorted order, correct tree topology, and caller-owned data-structure invariants are
// preconditions; checking them on every query would change query complexity.
// Scalar and shape checks are included. Value-range checks are included where needed to
// prevent invalid indexing or nontermination. Allocation sizes are capped at 4,000,000
// workspace entries. Arithmetic outside Python raises an error on 32-bit overflow; Python
// uses arbitrary precision. Native allocation failures propagate. In-place outputs may be
// partly updated after arithmetic failure. These are single-threaded, in-memory
// implementations.
//
// LANGUAGE DETAILS
// Node.js 18+: Int32Array inputs and workspaces provide compact integer storage. Automatic
// lengths and checked arithmetic reject values outside signed 32-bit. Invalid inputs or
// overflow throw RangeError.
//
// EXAMPLE
// Expected return: 2.
// Run: node example.js
// Tests for this exact source artifact run before publication. The accompanying source
// archive includes unit cases, runtime results, and source hashes.

function alg_require(valid) { if (!valid) throw new RangeError("invalid algorithm input"); }
function alg_checked(v) { if (!Number.isInteger(v) || v < -2147483648 || v > 2147483647) throw new RangeError("32-bit result overflow"); return v; }
function alg_add(a,b) { return alg_checked(a+b); }
function alg_sub(a,b) { return alg_checked(a-b); }
function alg_mul(a,b) { return alg_checked(a*b); }
function alg_size(n) { alg_require(Number.isInteger(n) && n>=0 && n<=4000000); return n; }

function naive_match(text, pattern) {
    alg_require(text instanceof Int32Array);
    alg_require(pattern instanceof Int32Array);
    let n = text.length;
    let m = pattern.length;
    alg_require(((n >= 0) && (n <= 1000000)));
    alg_require(((m >= 0) && (m <= 1000000)));
    alg_require((pattern.length == m));
    alg_require((text.length == n));
    let i = 0;
    let j = 0;
    while ((i <= alg_sub(n, m))) {
        j = 0;
        while (((j < m) && (text[alg_add(i, j)] == pattern[j]))) {
            j = alg_add(j, 1);
        }
        if ((j == m)) {
            return i;
        }
        i = alg_add(i, 1);
    }
    return alg_sub(0, 1);
}

let text = new Int32Array([1, 2, 1, 2, 3]);
let pattern = new Int32Array([1, 2, 3]);
let result = naive_match(text, pattern);
console.log(result);