OpenCV and programming with images

[Somethinggeneric]

Is it possible with OpenCV to read an image, a template(e.g an object in the foreground of the image) and have your program run code if the template is detected in your image?

What I am trying to do is create a program that reads the image and throws out information about the characters in the foreground to the user. I can find plenty of information about detecting objects and their characteristics, but nothing on "if an object is present and has this characteristic: do this".

If this isn't possible in OpenCV, are there other modules that are capable?

[j.crater]

"if an object is present and has this characteristic: do this"

I think you have just answered your own question in pseudocode. If you found information on how to detect a presence of an object and finding some characteristic about it, you can also check for presence of both with an IF statement.