abdulbadii / find-list-search-filter-filesystem-thoroughly Goto Github PK

Run the InstallUpdate2.bashrc.sh to quickly copy list.sh above to ~/.bashrc
Should do too, clicking it, copy Bash functions inside and then paste it into ~/.bashrc
list-su.sh differs only in having superuser request: sudo command prefix, but will not be applied with -i or -de option

• bash (tested/developed using version 5)
• find (Linux utility, tested/developed using GNU findutils 4.6)
• The default settings of command history.
  It is enabled and this tool or function name must not be prevented being saved by HISTIGNORE variable value. So not messing up this default settings is required. If single letter needs to be prevented from command history saving, exclude the name, e.g.
  HISTIGNORE=[!l]
  when l is this tool name
• Optional, as required by optional feature:
  • file needed for -i (information) option
  • ldd needed for -de (dependencies) option
  • sed needed by the installer script above

• Can't be invoked multiply in one-liner shell script only the first invocation can work
• Can't have an alias. Use -n installer script option, to change the invoked name e.g: -nfd to invoke it with fd
• The default off globstar setting must not be changed by shopt -s globstar as it's inefficient in ** wildcard path search on which search pattern invocation otherwise is absolutely fine

Find and list specific file, directory, link or any filesystem type recursively while keep making use of mostfind test and action options that may be passed. Simply type:
$ l
list every file, directory, and other kinds of filesystem under current directory entirely
$ l /
list every directory only under current directory recursively
$ l //
list every regular file only under current directory, etc. Which suggests:

• put suffix / to search for directory only,
• put suffix // to search for file only,
• put suffix /// to search for executable file only
• put suffix //// to search for link only

$ l \\/
list any filesystem type under / (root) directory entirely, the prefixed \\ is to differentiate it from second usage above: list every directory type only under current directory

To narrow down search:

- To find only directory, file, executable or link type, suffix path with /, //, /// or ////    
- To get better control in search by using regular expression  
- To search in case sensitive. (Defaults to insensitive)   
- To filter by last creation, acces or modification time: `-c`, `-a`, `-m` easier way than find (the found number is rounded up to the given)   
	-a-7m last access is less than or exactly 7 minutes ago   
	-c7d last creation is exactly 7 days ago  
	-m5h-7d last modification is between 5 hours to exactly 7 days ago   
	-c7-10 last creation is between 7 to 10 minutes inclusively. Unit in minute if not given   
	-c5  find object created exactly to 5 minutes ago  
	-a5h-7h  find object accesed between 5 and 7 hours ago inclusively  
	-m-5d  find object modified 5 days ago or later  
- To filter by size in byte, kibi-, mebi- and gibi- byte unit which has simpler command than find's   
	-s7m (or M): size equals to 7 mebibiytes being rounded up  
	-s-7g (or G): size is less than or equal to 7 gibibytes   
	-s7b- : size is more than or equals to 7 blocks (7 times 512-bytes)   
	-s7-10 : size is between 7 to 10 kibibyte inclusively. No unit means in kibibyte 
	-s70c-50 : size is between 70 byte to 50 kibibyte inclusively 
- To filter certain depths :		-1..99[-1..99][r|/], e.g.   
	$ l -5 /usr	: search up only to 5th depths based on /usr dir.
	$ l -5-7	: search only within the 5th to 7th depths of current dir.
	$ l -7.		: search in the exact 7th depths from current dir.
	$ l -5- /usr : search in the 5th depth or deeper up to the last, counted from /usr dir.
	Suffix it with r e.g. l -1r,  would search depth in reverse direction (or / instead of r)
	$ l -1r /usr : or
	$ l -1/ /usr : search in the last directory in depth of /usr dir.
	$ l -3r /usr : search in the last 3 plies up from the max depth of /usr dir.
	$ l -4.r /usr : search exactly in 4 plies before the last depth of /usr dir.
- To filter out by path name i.e. to exclude certain path(s) from the main search result using -x=   

The absolute path-input search, will target in the directory depth as explicitly specified, either with or without wildcard such as:
$ l /qt/build/core/meta
means searching for an object type namedly meta under core under build within qt directory in root dir., or e.g:

$ l /qt/*/*/core/*.cpp//
Search for a regular file type only having extension name ".cpp" under core directory under any directory being under any directory under qt directory in root of filesystem.

To search somewhere deeper up to maximum, add ** i.e. double wildcard asterisks in the context of depth intended, e.g:

$ l /qt/*/*/core/**/meta

Finds e.g:
/qt/src/dev/core/meta
/qt/src/dev/core/c/meta
/qt/src/doc/core/c/build/meta
/qt/lib/sys/core/c/obj/meta
/qt/lib/sys/core/src/c/obj/meta

Means it searchs exactly two plies depth between qt and core directory, and indefinite number of ply between core and meta directory

If navigating in way of relative path, i.e. not started with /, a slash character, then the given relative path will always be searched anywhere in any depth of under current directory, does not have to be directly on current directory.
To limit the search on current directory only, precede (prefix) it in the start with ./

Suppose previous explicit part of path exists only where it's specified i.e. meta exists only under core directory being under any directory being under any dir. under qt directory. Then prefixing a relative path with ./ characters will search on current directory only as if the CLI path is concatenated to current dir.

$ cd /qt
$ l core/meta

Would find e.g:
/qt/src/lib/core/meta
/qt/dev/src/lib/core/meta

$ l ./core/meta
Finds nothing since there is no /qt/core/meta

More, use shell global star analogy as it's set by shopt -s globstar, if current working dir. is /usr and we do:

$ l lib
Defaults to search recursively under /usr, so it'd mean searching for:
/usr/lib
/usr/*/lib
/usr/*/*/lib
/usr/*/*/*/lib
...so on till the max depth, or in shell global star form: /usr/\*\*/lib
So prefixing the relative path with ./ to be l ./lib, will ensure only search for /usr/lib; the first above

In this way of having relative path explicitly put i.e. there's no wildcard in the string, if searching and matches a directory in current working dir, precisely there, then the directory content all will entirely be listed automatically, when it'll be otherwise listed itself in else deeper place regardless of its type.
If such need arise otherwise way of path specification above; i.e. searching by wildcard pattern or some depth searches, put -l option (may be followed by number of depth) to list the content of any directory found.
E.g to have it shown more certain depth add the number, -l3 option will show to 3 directory plies for every directory found and to show entirely put number 0, e.g. l -l0 lib*

Control the limited search depth by option -1..99[-1..99], e.g:

To search only on current directory and another one below it, put -2
$ l -2

To search in current directory for src/dev only within 3rd to 5th ply
$ l -3-5 src/dev

can be navigated as one-liner having multiple paths, absolute followed by relative path

$ l /qt/*/*/core/**/meta usr/src/*.c tmp/*.o var/*.etc

can even be invoked as multiple object/item names of the same first directory path, each must be separated by separator \\\\ in a row.
e.g. this will search for /qt/src/dev/*.h, /qt/src/dev/*.c, /qt/src/dev/*.cp and /qt/src/dev/*.cs
$ cd /qt $ l src/dev/*.h\\*.c\\*.cpp\\.cs

To change separator to other than \\, use -s= option, it'd be any one or two characters (no guaranteed it has robust consisent result if the character(s) are regarded as special one by Bash)
E.g. below is to search for o, c and so type files everywhere under usr directory path
$ l -s=: /usr/*/*.o:*.c:*.so

Can search in POSIX-extended regular expression by -E or -re option e.g.
$ l -E '/a/*/m\w{1,2}\.[c-h]'

Printout option:

- Always absolute path printing out   -aa
- Size					-s   or with extra info: -ls  (similar to command ls -l)
- Last modification, change/creation and access in date time   -m, -c, -a  
- Last modification, change/creation and access in hour time or day  -mh, -ch, -ah  
- Information on the file found (whether 64/32 bit binary etc)	-i  
- Dependencies of file found in one level depth			-de
- Interleave colorized list -co

One of the most useful feature of this tool are its widely recognized, standard format of both the input and output which could later be used or piped as input of another utility, and the -x (or-xs for case-sensitive) exclusion option for excluding some certain files or paths from the main result paths
E.g. search under lib being under dev being under qt dir. instead of in src or core, any c file:

$ l /qt/src/../dev/core/../lib/.c\\.cpp\\*.o
/qt/dev/lib/main.c
/qt/dev/lib/edit.c
/qt/dev/lib/clear.c
/qt/dev/lib/main.cpp
/qt/dev/lib/edit.o

And the result is recognized reusable output in relative or absolute path (use -aa option to force always absolute path), surronded by single quote (e.g. '/home/go on') if it contains space which is ready to be piped correctly by | xargs ...

Removal is readily guarded nicely. One needn't to test it first by a usual search without removal options below, instead go straight using it as it'll prompt user to confirm to execute the deletion as final decision, if there is a find result
-0 : to remove every zero size file and empty directory sits under any directory found in the main search result -no : to remove all orphan links (no orphan) sits under any directory found in the main search result -rm or -delete : to remove all objects on the main find result

Another useful and powerful feature is the exclusion from the main result found.
This is done by specifiying path and/or pattern in -x= option e.g. $ l /usr/bin -x=perl*

get all objects in that directory except one having name perl*, e.g. perl, perl5, perl6.1

$ l /usr/bin -x=pyt* perl*

get all objects in that directory except one having name python*, e.g. pythagoras, python, and except perl*, e.g. perl, perl5, perl6.1

...wrting is being edited, for now just go on using -x={search pattern}

One of the most useful features is the copying from the main result found.

-c= $ l /usr/bin -x=pyt* -c=/mnt/doc

Copy all objects in that directory except one having name python* with dthe usr/bin/... directory structure kept intact

...wrting is being edited, for now just go on using -c=