diff --git a/simgear/misc/strutils.cxx b/simgear/misc/strutils.cxx
index a9d76e24..405a980c 100644
--- a/simgear/misc/strutils.cxx
+++ b/simgear/misc/strutils.cxx
@@ -754,6 +754,81 @@ bool to_bool(const std::string& s)
     return false;
 }
 
+enum PropMatchState
+{
+    MATCH_LITERAL = 0,
+    MATCH_WILD_INDEX,
+    MATCH_WILD_NAME
+};
+
+bool matchPropPathToTemplate(const std::string& path, const std::string& templatePath)
+{
+    if (path.empty()) {
+        return false;
+    }
+
+    const char* pathPtr = path.c_str();
+    const char* tPtr = templatePath.c_str();
+    PropMatchState state = MATCH_LITERAL;
+
+    while (true) {
+        bool advanceInTemplate = true;
+        const char p = *pathPtr;
+        if (p == 0) {
+            // ran out of chars in the path. If we are matching a trailing
+            // wildcard, this is a match, otherwise it's a fail
+            if (state == MATCH_WILD_NAME) {
+                // check this is the last * in the template string
+                if (*(tPtr + 1) == 0) {
+                    return true;
+                }
+            }
+
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        switch (state) {
+        case MATCH_LITERAL:
+            if (*tPtr != p) {
+                // literal mismatch
+                return false;
+            }
+            ++pathPtr;
+            break;
+        case MATCH_WILD_NAME:
+            if ((p == '-') || isalpha(p)) {
+                advanceInTemplate = false;
+                ++pathPtr;
+            } else {
+                // something else, we will advance in the template
+            }
+            break;
+        case MATCH_WILD_INDEX:
+            if (isdigit(p)) {
+                advanceInTemplate = false;
+                ++pathPtr;
+            } else {
+                // something else, we will advance in the template
+            }
+            break;
+        } // of state switch
+
+        if (advanceInTemplate) {
+            const char nextTemplate = *(++tPtr);
+            if (nextTemplate == 0) {
+                // end of template, successful match
+                return true;
+            } else if (nextTemplate == '*') {
+                state = (*(tPtr - 1) == '[') ? MATCH_WILD_INDEX : MATCH_WILD_NAME;
+            } else {
+                state = MATCH_LITERAL;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    // unreachable
+}
+
 } // end namespace strutils
 
 } // end namespace simgear
diff --git a/simgear/misc/strutils.hxx b/simgear/misc/strutils.hxx
index 3844e7f9..e49d67e3 100644
--- a/simgear/misc/strutils.hxx
+++ b/simgear/misc/strutils.hxx
@@ -265,6 +265,20 @@ namespace simgear {
      */
     std::string error_string(int errnum);
 
+
+      /**
+       * Match a property path, obtained from prop->getPath(), against a
+       * template string. Templates are allowed to contain widlcards denoted by
+       * an asterix in certain places - at the end of names, or inside indices.
+       * Note that paths returned by getPath() always include an index on every
+       * path component, so template strings should be structured accordingly.
+       *
+       * Examples: 
+       *   /foo[*]/bar* will match /foo/barber, /foo[2]/bargain
+       *   /views[0]/view[*]/f* will match /views[0]/view[99]/foo,
+       *      /views[0]/view[4]/fig, /views[0]/view[1000]/flight
+       */
+      bool matchPropPathToTemplate(const std::string& path, const std::string& templatePath);
   } // end namespace strutils
 } // end namespace simgear
 
diff --git a/simgear/misc/strutils_test.cxx b/simgear/misc/strutils_test.cxx
index 3d2ebdb5..073d474c 100644
--- a/simgear/misc/strutils_test.cxx
+++ b/simgear/misc/strutils_test.cxx
@@ -175,6 +175,32 @@ void test_md5_hex()
   SG_CHECK_EQUAL(strutils::md5("test"), "098f6bcd4621d373cade4e832627b4f6");
 }
 
+void test_propPathMatch()
+{
+    const char* testTemplate1 = "/sim[*]/views[*]/render";
+    SG_VERIFY(strutils::matchPropPathToTemplate("/sim[0]/views[50]/render-buildings[0]", testTemplate1));
+    SG_VERIFY(strutils::matchPropPathToTemplate("/sim[1]/views[0]/rendering-enabled", testTemplate1));
+
+    SG_VERIFY(!strutils::matchPropPathToTemplate("/sim[0]/views[50]/something-else", testTemplate1));
+    SG_VERIFY(!strutils::matchPropPathToTemplate("/sim[0]/gui[0]/wibble", testTemplate1));
+
+    // test explicit index matching
+    const char* testTemplate2 = "/view[5]/*";
+    SG_VERIFY(!strutils::matchPropPathToTemplate("/view[2]/render-buildings[0]", testTemplate2));
+    SG_VERIFY(!strutils::matchPropPathToTemplate("/sim[1]/foo", testTemplate2));
+    SG_VERIFY(!strutils::matchPropPathToTemplate("/view[50]/foo", testTemplate2));
+    SG_VERIFY(!strutils::matchPropPathToTemplate("/view[55]/foo", testTemplate2));
+
+    SG_VERIFY(strutils::matchPropPathToTemplate("/view[5]/foo", testTemplate2));
+    SG_VERIFY(strutils::matchPropPathToTemplate("/view[5]/child[3]/bar", testTemplate2));
+
+
+    const char* testTemplate3 = "/*[*]/fdm*[*]/aero*";
+
+    SG_VERIFY(strutils::matchPropPathToTemplate("/position[2]/fdm-jsb[0]/aerodynamic", testTemplate3));
+    SG_VERIFY(!strutils::matchPropPathToTemplate("/position[2]/foo[0]/aerodynamic", testTemplate3));
+}
+
 void test_error_string()
 {
 #if defined(_WIN32)
@@ -210,6 +236,7 @@ int main(int argc, char* argv[])
     test_compare_versions();
     test_md5_hex();
     test_error_string();
+    test_propPathMatch();
 
     return EXIT_SUCCESS;
 }