Goal: How to search for a file, by name, across a hierarchy of folders.
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Searching for Files:
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Let us look at a folder with many subfolders and files. |
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[]$ cd ~/intro_to_linux
[intro_to_linux]$ ls
clusters data fruits.txt software.csv vegatables.txt workshop_all.txt workshop_me.txt |
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The What does the |
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[intro_to_linux]$ ls -R
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clusters data fruits.txt software.csv vegatables.txt workshop_all.txt workshop_me.txt
./clusters:
beartooth.html loren.html teton.html wildiris.html
./data:
2021 2022 2023 dd.tx
./data/2021:
Apr feb Nov README.txt Sep
./data/2021/Apr:
20210403.txt 20210427.txt 20210428.txt
./data/2021/feb:
february_01_2021.tx
./data/2021/Nov:
20211114.txt 20211115.txt 20211116.txt hello.txt |
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Searching for Files: Recursive List Continued
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./data/2021/Sep:
20210908.txt 20210921.txt
./data/2022:
Dec February Hello.csv Jul Jun readme.txt
./data/2022/Dec:
20221207.txt 20221220.txt 20221230.txt 20221231.txt 2022_dec_01.txt
./data/2022/February:
20220203.txt 20220223.txt
./data/2022/Jul:
20220720.txt 20220722.txt 20220723.TX
./data/2022/Jun:
20220611.txt 20220615.txt 20220624.txt
./data/2023:
Feb Jan Mar ReadMe.txt
./data/2023/Feb:
20230204.txt 20230217.txt 20230223.txt 20230224.txt
./data/2023/Jan:
20230102.txt 20230108.txt 20230115.txt 20230121.txt texttx
./data/2023/Mar:
20230305.txt 20230311.txt 20230313.txt 20230326.txt 20230327.txt HELLO.txt
./data/dd.tx: |
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Check the manual page:
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Searching for Files: find
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find |
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The find command is naturally recursive. |
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Examples
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Find the file named: |
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[]$ cd ~/intro_to_linux/
[intro_to_linux]$ find . -name 20230121.txt
./data/2023/Jan/20230121.txt
# Check that this file is within the returned location.
[intro_to_linux]$ ls data/2023/Jan/
20230102.txt 20230108.txt 20230115.txt 20230121.txt |
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Find the file named: |
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[intro_to_linux]$ find . -name 20230120.txt
[intro_to_linux]$ |
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The command completed since we got back to the prompt and no errors were displayed. No output means that this file could not be found. |
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The |
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[intro_to_linux]$ find . -name README.txt
./data/2021/README.txt |
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Use the alternative |
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[intro_to_linux]$ find . -iname README.txt
./data/2021/README.txt
./data/2022/readme.txt
./data/2023/ReadMe.txt |
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Examples
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Use wildcards to find all files with the postfix Lets look at two versions: |
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With quotes:
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Without quotes:
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Using or not using quotes across commands is an advanced and confusing subject. If you do not use quotes, then if you have a file in the current directory ending with So, if you have a file named say "software.csv" (which we do), the command that gets executed is This single file is found, and the command stops. Surrounding the search term with quotes prevents this from happening. |
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Find any files/folders that contain the string |
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[intro_to_linux]$ find . -name "*dec*"
./data/2022/Dec/2022_dec_01.txt
[intro_to_linux]$ find . -iname "*dec*"
./data/2022/Dec
./data/2022/Dec/2022_dec_01.txt |
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Find only folders using the Question: Are we searching with respect to case-sensitive or insensitive? |
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[intro_to_linux]$ find . -type d -iname "*dec*"
./data/2022/Dec |
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Find only files using the |
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[intro_to_linux]$ find . -type f -iname "*dec*"
./data/2022/Dec/2022_dec_01.txt |
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Exercises: Find Files
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Questions:
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Answers (1, 2)
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1. What do we notice about some of the find command options? |
That some of the single dash options (
-name
) are similar to long-names and not single letters.
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2. Find any files that contain the string “ |
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[intro_to_linux]$ find . -name "hello"
[intro_to_linux]$ find . -name "hello.*"
./data/2021/Nov/hello.txt
[intro_to_linux]$ find . -iname "hello.*"
./data/2021/Nov/hello.txt
./data/2022/Hello.csv
./data/2023/Mar/HELLO.txt |
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Answers (3)
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3. Find any folders or files that contain the string “
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[intro_to_linux]$ find . -name feb
./data/2021/feb
[intro_to_linux]$ find . -iname feb
./data/2021/feb
./data/2023/Feb
[intro_to_linux]$ find . -iname "*feb*"
./data/2021/feb
./data/2021/feb/february_01_2021.tx
./data/2022/February
./data/2023/Feb
[intro_to_linux]$ find . -type d -iname "*feb*"
./data/2021/feb
./data/2022/February
./data/2023/Feb |
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Answers (4)
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4. Find any files that have the postfix “ |
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[intro_to_linux]$ find . -name "tx"
[intro_to_linux]$ find . -name "*tx*"
./data/2021/README.txt
./data/2021/Nov/20211115.txt
./data/2021/Nov/hello.txt
./data/2021/Nov/20211114.txt
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[intro_to_linux]$ find . -name "*tx"
./data/dd.tx
./data/2021/feb/february_01_2021.tx
./data/2023/Jan/texttx
[intro_to_linux]$ find . -name "*.tx"
./data/dd.tx
./data/2021/feb/february_01_2021.tx |
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Answers (4)
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Notice: |
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[intro_to_linux]$ ls -l data
total 4
drwxrwxr-x 6 <username> <username> 2021
drwxrwxr-x 6 <username> <username> 2022
drwxrwxr-x 5 <username> <username> 2023
drwxrwxr-x 2 <username> <username> dd.tx
[intro_to_linux]$ find . -type f -name "*.tx"
./data/2021/feb/february_01_2021.tx |
Note | ||
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If we (forget and) ignore the case (using
Notice this has listed a file with a capital a postfix |
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