ch17_01.htm

the unix power tools

></DD
><DT
CLASS="term"
><CODE
CLASS="literal"
>-atime</CODE
>&nbsp;<CODE
CLASS="replaceable"
><I
>n</I
></CODE
></DT
><DD
CLASS="listitem"
><P
CLASS="para"
><A
CLASS="indexterm"
NAME="AUTOID-18210"
></A
>Find files that were accessed <CODE
CLASS="replaceable"
><I
>n</I
></CODE
> days ago.
<CODE
CLASS="literal"
>+</CODE
><CODE
CLASS="replaceable"
><I
>n</I
></CODE
> means &quot;find files that were accessed over <EM
CLASS="emphasis"
>n</EM
> days ago&quot;
(i.e., not accessed in the last <EM
CLASS="emphasis"
>n</EM
> days).
<CODE
CLASS="literal"
>-</CODE
><CODE
CLASS="replaceable"
><I
>n</I
></CODE
> means &quot;find files that were accessed less than <EM
CLASS="emphasis"
>n</EM
> days ago&quot;
(i.e., accessed in the last <EM
CLASS="emphasis"
>n</EM
> days).
See articles
<A
CLASS="xref"
HREF="ch17_05.htm"
TITLE="Searching for Old Files "
>17.5</A
>
and
<A
CLASS="xref"
HREF="ch17_07.htm"
TITLE="The Times that find Finds "
>17.7</A
>.</P
></DD
><DT
CLASS="term"
><CODE
CLASS="literal"
>-mtime</CODE
>&nbsp;<CODE
CLASS="replaceable"
><I
>n</I
></CODE
></DT
><DD
CLASS="listitem"
><P
CLASS="para"
><A
CLASS="indexterm"
NAME="AUTOID-18230"
></A
>Similar to <EM
CLASS="emphasis"
>atime</EM
>, except that it checks the
time the file's contents were modified.
See articles
<A
CLASS="xref"
HREF="ch17_05.htm"
TITLE="Searching for Old Files "
>17.5</A
>
and
<A
CLASS="xref"
HREF="ch17_07.htm"
TITLE="The Times that find Finds "
>17.7</A
>.</P
></DD
><DT
CLASS="term"
><CODE
CLASS="literal"
>-ctime</CODE
>&nbsp;<CODE
CLASS="replaceable"
><I
>n</I
></CODE
></DT
><DD
CLASS="listitem"
><P
CLASS="para"
><A
CLASS="indexterm"
NAME="AUTOID-18242"
></A
>Similar to <EM
CLASS="emphasis"
>atime</EM
>, except that it checks the
time the
<SPAN
CLASS="link"
>inode (<A
CLASS="linkend"
HREF="ch01_22.htm"
TITLE="How UNIX Keeps Track of Files: Inodes "
>1.22</A
>)</SPAN
>
was last changed. &quot;Changed&quot; means that the file was
modified or that one of its attributes (for example, its owner) was
changed.
See articles
<A
CLASS="xref"
HREF="ch17_05.htm"
TITLE="Searching for Old Files "
>17.5</A
>
and
<A
CLASS="xref"
HREF="ch17_07.htm"
TITLE="The Times that find Finds "
>17.7</A
>.</P
></DD
><DT
CLASS="term"
><CODE
CLASS="literal"
>-newer</CODE
>&nbsp;<CODE
CLASS="replaceable"
><I
>file</I
></CODE
></DT
><DD
CLASS="listitem"
><P
CLASS="para"
><A
CLASS="indexterm"
NAME="AUTOID-18255"
></A
>Find files that have been modified more
recently than the given <CODE
CLASS="replaceable"
><I
>file</I
></CODE
>.
See articles
<A
CLASS="xref"
HREF="ch17_08.htm"
TITLE="Exact File Time Comparisons "
>17.8</A
>
and
<A
CLASS="xref"
HREF="ch17_09.htm"
TITLE="Problems with -newer "
>17.9</A
>.&#13;</P
></DD
></DL
><P
CLASS="para"
>Of course, you often want to take some action on files that match
several criteria. So we need some way to combine several operators:&#13;</P
><DL
CLASS="variablelist"
><DT
CLASS="term"
><CODE
CLASS="replaceable"
><I
>operator1</I
></CODE
>&nbsp;<CODE
CLASS="literal"
>-a</CODE
>&nbsp;<CODE
CLASS="replaceable"
><I
>operator2</I
></CODE
></DT
><DD
CLASS="listitem"
><P
CLASS="para"
><A
CLASS="indexterm"
NAME="AUTOID-18270"
></A
>Find files that match both <CODE
CLASS="replaceable"
><I
>operator1</I
></CODE
>
and <CODE
CLASS="replaceable"
><I
>operator2</I
></CODE
>. The <CODE
CLASS="literal"
>-a</CODE
> isn't necessary; when two search
parameters are juxtaposed, <EM
CLASS="emphasis"
>find</EM
> assumes you want files that
match both of them.
See article
<A
CLASS="xref"
HREF="ch17_12.htm"
TITLE="Finding Many Things with One Command "
>17.12</A
>.</P
></DD
><DT
CLASS="term"
><CODE
CLASS="replaceable"
><I
>operator1</I
></CODE
>&nbsp;<CODE
CLASS="literal"
>-o</CODE
>&nbsp;<CODE
CLASS="replaceable"
><I
>operator2</I
></CODE
></DT
><DD
CLASS="listitem"
><P
CLASS="para"
><A
CLASS="indexterm"
NAME="AUTOID-18285"
></A
>Find files that match either
<CODE
CLASS="replaceable"
><I
>operator1</I
></CODE
> or <CODE
CLASS="replaceable"
><I
>operator2</I
></CODE
>.
See article
<A
CLASS="xref"
HREF="ch17_06.htm"
TITLE="Be an Expert on find Search Operators "
>17.6</A
>.</P
></DD
><DT
CLASS="term"
><CODE
CLASS="literal"
>!</CODE
>&nbsp;<CODE
CLASS="replaceable"
><I
>operator</I
></CODE
></DT
><DD
CLASS="listitem"
><P
CLASS="para"
><A
CLASS="indexterm"
NAME="AUTOID-18297"
></A
><A
CLASS="indexterm"
NAME="AUTOID-18300"
></A
>Find all files that do <EM
CLASS="emphasis"
>not</EM
> match the given
<CODE
CLASS="replaceable"
><I
>operator</I
></CODE
>. The <CODE
CLASS="literal"
>!</CODE
> performs a logical NOT operation.
See article
<A
CLASS="xref"
HREF="ch17_06.htm"
TITLE="Be an Expert on find Search Operators "
>17.6</A
>.</P
></DD
><DT
CLASS="term"
><CODE
CLASS="literal"
>\(&nbsp;</CODE
><CODE
CLASS="replaceable"
><I
>expression</I
></CODE
><CODE
CLASS="literal"
>&nbsp;\)</CODE
></DT
><DD
CLASS="listitem"
><P
CLASS="para"
><A
CLASS="indexterm"
NAME="AUTOID-18314"
></A
>Logical precedence; in a complex
expression, evaluate this part of the <CODE
CLASS="replaceable"
><I
>expression</I
></CODE
> before the rest.
See article
<A
CLASS="xref"
HREF="ch17_06.htm"
TITLE="Be an Expert on find Search Operators "
>17.6</A
>.&#13;</P
></DD
></DL
><P
CLASS="para"
>Another group of operators tells <EM
CLASS="emphasis"
>find</EM
> what action to take when it
locates a file:&#13;</P
><DL
CLASS="variablelist"
><DT
CLASS="term"
><CODE
CLASS="literal"
>-print</CODE
></DT
><DD
CLASS="listitem"
><P
CLASS="para"
><A
CLASS="indexterm"
NAME="AUTOID-18327"
></A
>Print the file's name on standard output.
See articles
<A
CLASS="xref"
HREF="ch17_02.htm"
TITLE="Delving Through a Deep Directory Tree "
>17.2</A
>
and
<A
CLASS="xref"
HREF="ch17_03.htm"
TITLE="Don't Forget -print "
>17.3</A
>.&#13;</P
></DD
><DT
CLASS="term"
><CODE
CLASS="literal"
>-exec</CODE
>&nbsp;<CODE
CLASS="replaceable"
><I
>command</I
></CODE
></DT
><DD
CLASS="listitem"
><P
CLASS="para"
><A
CLASS="indexterm"
NAME="AUTOID-18338"
></A
>Execute <CODE
CLASS="replaceable"
><I
>command</I
></CODE
>. To include the
pathname of the file that's just been found in <CODE
CLASS="replaceable"
><I
>command</I
></CODE
>, use the
special symbol <CODE
CLASS="literal"
>{}</CODE
>. <CODE
CLASS="replaceable"
><I
>command</I
></CODE
> must end with a backslash
followed by a semicolon (<CODE
CLASS="literal"
>\;</CODE
>). For example: </P
><P
CLASS="para"
><BLOCKQUOTE
CLASS="screen"
><PRE
CLASS="screen"
>% <CODE
CLASS="userinput"
><B
>find -name &quot;*.o&quot; -exec rm -f {} \;</B
></CODE
></PRE
></BLOCKQUOTE
></P
><P
CLASS="para"
>tells <EM
CLASS="emphasis"
>find</EM
> to delete any files whose names end in <EM
CLASS="emphasis"
>.o</EM
>.
See article
<A
CLASS="xref"
HREF="ch17_10.htm"
TITLE="Running Commands on What You Find "
>17.10</A
>.</P
></DD
><DT
CLASS="term"
><CODE
CLASS="literal"
>-ok</CODE
>&nbsp;<CODE
CLASS="replaceable"
><I
>command</I
></CODE
></DT
><DD
CLASS="listitem"
><P
CLASS="para"
><A
CLASS="indexterm"
NAME="AUTOID-18359"
></A
>Same as <EM
CLASS="emphasis"
>-exec</EM
>, except that <EM
CLASS="emphasis"
>find</EM
>
prompts you for permission before executing <CODE
CLASS="replaceable"
><I
>command</I
></CODE
>. This is a
useful way to test <EM
CLASS="emphasis"
>find</EM
> commands.
See article
<A
CLASS="xref"
HREF="ch17_10.htm"
TITLE="Running Commands on What You Find "
>17.10</A
>.&#13;</P
></DD
></DL
><P
CLASS="para"
>A last word: <EM
CLASS="emphasis"
>find</EM
> is one of the tools that vendors frequently
fiddle with, adding (or deleting) a few operators that they like (or
dislike). The operators listed above should be valid on virtually any
system. If you check your system's manual page, you may find a few
others.<A
CLASS="indexterm"
NAME="AUTOID-18369"
></A
></P
><DIV
CLASS="sect1info"
><P
CLASS="SECT1INFO"
>- <SPAN
CLASS="authorinitials"
>ML</SPAN
></P
></DIV
></DIV
></DIV
><DIV
CLASS="htmlnav"
><P
></P
><HR
ALIGN="LEFT"
WIDTH="515"
TITLE="footer"><TABLE
WIDTH="515"
BORDER="0"
CELLSPACING="0"
CELLPADDING="0"
><TR
><TD
ALIGN="LEFT"
VALIGN="TOP"
WIDTH="172"
><A
CLASS="SECT1"
HREF="ch16_29.htm"
TITLE="16.29 sls: Super ls with Format You Can Choose "
><IMG
SRC="gifs/txtpreva.gif"
SRC="gifs/txtpreva.gif"
ALT="Previous: 16.29 sls: Super ls with Format You Can Choose "
BORDER="0"></A
></TD
><TD
ALIGN="CENTER"
VALIGN="TOP"
WIDTH="171"
><A
CLASS="book"
HREF="index.htm"
TITLE="UNIX Power Tools"
><IMG
SRC="gifs/txthome.gif"
SRC="gifs/txthome.gif"
ALT="UNIX Power Tools"
BORDER="0"></A
></TD
><TD
ALIGN="RIGHT"
VALIGN="TOP"
WIDTH="172"
><A
CLASS="SECT1"
HREF="ch17_02.htm"
TITLE="17.2 Delving Through a Deep Directory Tree "
><IMG
SRC="gifs/txtnexta.gif"
SRC="gifs/txtnexta.gif"
ALT="Next: 17.2 Delving Through a Deep Directory Tree "
BORDER="0"></A
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
ALIGN="LEFT"
VALIGN="TOP"
WIDTH="172"
>16.29 sls: Super ls with Format You Can Choose </TD
><TD
ALIGN="CENTER"
VALIGN="TOP"
WIDTH="171"
><A
CLASS="index"
HREF="index/idx_0.htm"
TITLE="Book Index"
><IMG
SRC="gifs/index.gif"
SRC="gifs/index.gif"
ALT="Book Index"
BORDER="0"></A
></TD
><TD
ALIGN="RIGHT"
VALIGN="TOP"
WIDTH="172"
>17.2 Delving Through a Deep Directory Tree </TD
></TR
></TABLE
><HR
ALIGN="LEFT"
WIDTH="515"
TITLE="footer"><IMG
SRC="gifs/smnavbar.gif"
SRC="gifs/smnavbar.gif"
USEMAP="#map"
BORDER="0"
ALT="The UNIX CD Bookshelf Navigation"><MAP
NAME="map"
><AREA
SHAPE="RECT"
COORDS="0,0,73,21"
HREF="../index.htm"
ALT="The UNIX CD Bookshelf"><AREA
SHAPE="RECT"
COORDS="74,0,163,21"
HREF="index.htm"
ALT="UNIX Power Tools"><AREA
SHAPE="RECT"
COORDS="164,0,257,21"
HREF="../unixnut/index.htm"
ALT="UNIX in a Nutshell"><AREA
SHAPE="RECT"
COORDS="258,0,321,21"
HREF="../vi/index.htm"
ALT="Learning the vi Editor"><AREA
SHAPE="RECT"
COORDS="322,0,378,21"
HREF="../sedawk/index.htm"
ALT="sed &amp; awk"><AREA
SHAPE="RECT"
COORDS="379,0,438,21"
HREF="../ksh/index.htm"
ALT="Learning the Korn Shell"><AREA
SHAPE="RECT"
COORDS="439,0,514,21"
HREF="../lrnunix/index.htm"
ALT="Learning the UNIX Operating System"></MAP
></DIV
></BODY
></HTML
>