FIND(1) UNIX Programmer's Manual FIND(1) NAME find - find files SYNOPSIS find pathname-list expression find pattern DESCRIPTION In the first form above, _f_i_n_d recursively descends the directory hierarchy for each pathname in the _p_a_t_h_n_a_m_e-_l_i_s_t (i.e., one or more pathnames) seeking files that match a boolean _e_x_p_r_e_s_s_i_o_n written in the primaries given below. In the descriptions, the argument _n is used as a decimal integer where +_n means more than _n, -_n means less than _n and _n means exactly _n. The second form rapidly searches a database for all path- names which match _p_a_t_t_e_r_n. Usually the database is recom- puted weekly and contains the pathnames of all files which are publicly accessible. If escaped, normal shell "glob- bing" characters (`*', `?', `[', and ']') may be used in _p_a_t_t_e_r_n, but the matching differs in that no characters (_e._g. `/') have to be matched explicitly. As a special case, a simple _p_a_t_t_e_r_n containing no globbing characters is matched as though it were *_p_a_t_t_e_r_n*; if any globbing charac- ter appears there are no implicit globbing characters. -name filename True if the _f_i_l_e_n_a_m_e argument matches the current file name. Normal shell argument syntax may be used if escaped (watch out for `[', `?' and `*'). -perm onum True if the file permission flags exactly match the octal number _o_n_u_m (see _c_h_m_o_d(1)). If _o_n_u_m is prefixed by a minus sign, more flag bits (017777, see _s_t_a_t(2)) become significant and the flags are compared: (_f_l_a_g_s&_o_n_u_m)==_o_n_u_m. -type c True if the type of the file is _c, where _c is b, c, d, f, l or s for block special file, character special file, directory, plain file, symbolic link, or socket. -links n True if the file has _n links. -user uname True if the file belongs to the user _u_n_a_m_e (login name or numeric user ID). -nouser True if the file belongs to a user _n_o_t in the /etc/passwd database. Printed 11/26/99 October 11, 1996 1 FIND(1) UNIX Programmer's Manual FIND(1) -group gname True if the file belongs to group _g_n_a_m_e (group name or numeric group ID). -nogroup True if the file belongs to a group _n_o_t in the /etc/group database. -size n True if the file is _n blocks long (512 bytes per block). -inum n True if the file has inode number _n. -atime n True if the file has been accessed in _n days. -mtime n True if the file has been modified in _n days. -exec command True if the executed command returns a zero value as exit status. The end of the command must be punctuated by an escaped semicolon. A command argument `{}' is replaced by the current pathname. -ok command Like -exec except that the generated command is written on the standard output, then the standard input is read and the command executed only upon response y. -print Always true; causes the current pathname to be printed. -ls Always true; causes current pathname to be printed together with its associated statistics. These include (respectively) inode number, size in kilo- bytes (1024 bytes), protection mode, number of hard links, user, group, size in bytes, and modif- ication time. If the file is a special file the size field will instead contain the major and minor device numbers. If the file is a symbolic link the pathname of the linked-to file is printed preceded by ``->''. The format is identical to that of ``ls -gilds'' (note however that format- ting is done internally, without executing the ls program). -newer file True if the current file has been modified more recently than the argument _f_i_l_e. -cpio file Write the current file on the argument _f_i_l_e in _c_p_i_o format. Printed 11/26/99 October 11, 1996 2 FIND(1) UNIX Programmer's Manual FIND(1) -xdev Always true; causes find _n_o_t to traverse down into a file system different from the one on which current _a_r_g_u_m_e_n_t pathname resides. The primaries may be combined using the following operators (in order of decreasing precedence): 1) A parenthesized group of primaries and operators (parentheses are special to the Shell and must be escaped). 2) The negation of a primary (`!' is the unary _n_o_t opera- tor). 3) Concatenation of primaries (the _a_n_d operation is implied by the juxtaposition of two primaries). 4) Alternation of primaries (`-o' is the _o_r operator). EXAMPLES To find all accessible files whose pathname contains `find': find find To typeset all variants of manual pages for `ls': vtroff -man `find '*man*/ls.?'` To remove all files named `a.out' or `*.o' that have not been accessed for a week: find / \( -name a.out -o -name '*.o' \) -atime +7 -exec rm {} \; FILES /etc/passwd /etc/group /var/db/find.codes coded pathnames database SEE ALSO sh(1), test(1), fs(5) Relevant paper in February, 1983 issue of ;_l_o_g_i_n:. BUGS The first form's syntax is painful, and the second form's exact semantics is confusing and can vary from site to site. More than one `-newer' option does not work properly. Printed 11/26/99 October 11, 1996 3