Linear-time string-matching using only a fixed number of local storage locations

Abstract

We report a linear-time string-matching algorithm for a random-access machine without dynamic storage allocation. To do this, we tell how to adapt a cited algorithm to fill its dynamic storage needs by temporarily borrowing some of the space occupied by the input pattern. In automata-theoretic terms, we tell how to adapt the cited algorithm to run on a writing multihead finite automaton with a restricted writing alphabet.