'''`[http://www.tcl.tk/man/tcl/TclCmd/glob.htm%|%glob]`''', a [Tcl
Commands%|%built-in] [Tcl] [command] lists files in a directory.

** See Also **
   [ycl%|%dir listing]:   A drop-in replacement for `glob` that adds another type specifier, `+hidden`, to include hidden files in all results.

    :   '''glob''' ?''switches...''? ''pattern'' ?''pattern ...''?

Supported ''switches'' are:

    :   '''-directory''' ''directory''
    :   '''-join'''
    :   '''-nocomplain'''
    :   '''-path''' ''pathPrefix''
    :   '''-tails'''
    :   '''-types''' ''typeList''
    :   '''--'''



** Documentation **

    [http://www.tcl.tk/man/tcl/TclCmd/glob.htm%|%official reference]:   



** Description **

'''`glob`''' lists all the directory entries whose names match a given
'''`glob`''' lists all the directory entries (files, directories, and links)
whose names match a given ''pattern''.
The following two cases are errors:
`glob` should have been designed such that it returned the empty string when
sake of backward-compatibility, in the current Tcl release `glob` still returns
an error if the result list would be empty.



** `glob` raises an exception; the `-nocomplain` option **
*** `glob` raises an exception; the `-nocomplain` option ***
If no files or directories were found, the command
throws an error, unless the '''-nocomplain''' switch is given. This models the
behavior of [Unix]'s '''ls''':

======none
$ ls not_existing
ls: not_existing: No such file or directory
$ echo $?
1
======

[PYK] 2016-11-16:  Except that it doesn't model the behaviour of ls in other

*** Use `--` to separate switches from arguments ***
** Use `--` to separate switches from arguments **
contain arbitrary characters or might get a preceding dash through substitution.



*** The `-types` option ***
** The `-types` option **

======
glob -types hidden *
glob -types d *
======

There are cross-OS issues with this (in particular the handling of hidden files), 
see below.

To get a list of all contents of a directory that aren't themselves
directories, including broken symbolic links (`[lsort] -unique` is used 
in case an item gets listed by both invocations of `glob`):

======
set itemlist [
    concat [
        glob -nocomplain -directory $dir -types hidden *] [
        glob -nocomplain -directory $dir *]]
#usually . and .. aren't desired
set onlyfiles [lmap item [lsort -unique $itemlist] {
    expr {![file isdirectory $item] && [file tail $item] ni {. ..}
        ? $item
        : [continue]
    }
}]
======

[[name redacted]]: I rewrote the script some.
[PL]: I rewrote the script some.
I left the subcondition `[[[file tail] $item]] ni {. ..}` in, even 
though `.` and `..` ''are'' directories and thus get filtered out by 
`![[[file isdirectory] $item]]` alone, i.e. this invocation ought to do:

======
expr {![file isdirectory $item] ? $item : [continue] }
======

[PYK] 2014-08-13: edited the example above to use `[[[file tail] $item]]`
instead of `$item`, as the `-directory` option causes `glob` to return paths
instead of `$item`, as the `-directory` option to `glob` will return paths



** The `-directory` and `-path` options **
*** The `-directory` and `-path` options ***
(Note that these are mutually exclusive. Also note that `-directory` can be
abbreviated to `-dir`.)

Let's say I want to find all files in a directory, then I use (ignoring hidden
files for the moment)

======
glob -dir $dir *
======

Now, what I want all files in that directory whose names start with `$nametail`
(where I have no idea what characters are in `$nametail`).  I could try:

======
glob -dir $dir ${nametail}*
======

but that would fail (either with an error or not the expected result) if
nametail contains characters like `{}`.  Therefore I must use ''-path'', like
this:

======
glob -path $dir/$nametail *
# or even (see below)
glob -join -path $dir $nametail *
======

One thing to be aware of is that `-dir {}` is the same as `-dir .`.  Hopefully
this wart will be removed in the future.


** The `-join` option **
*** The `-join` option ***
When to use ''-join''?

If I want to find all `*.tcl` files in any subdirectory of a known directory, I
could try this:

======
glob -dir $dir */*.tcl
======

but that won't work on MacOS.  So, use `-join`:

======
glob -join -dir $dir * *.tcl
======


** Trailing `/` **
*** Odds and ends ***
In a recent email thread on the [Modules] mailing list, a developer reported a

**** Trailing `/` ****

change he found when beginning to use Tcl 8.5:

===
$ tclsh8.4
% glob /home/
/home
% glob /home
/home
^D
$ tclsh8.5
% glob /home/
/home/
% glob /home
/home
^D

===

Turns out that the modules package was dependent on having the path returned
without the trailing `/`, and when 8.5 started returning some paths with the
slash, certain behaviors changed.

From a purely technical point of view, the two forms of the name are considered
equivalent by the operating systems with which I am familar (Ultrix, Solaris,
etc.). I don't know if there are differences for variants or not. 

[[name redacted]]: In Tcl 8.6, this seems to be changed ''again'': no trailing slashes are 
[PL]: In Tcl 8.6, this seems to be changed ''again'': no trailing slashes are 

In any case, `file normalize` removes any trailing slashes present:

===
string equal [file nor [glob /Tcl/]] [file nor [glob /Tcl]]
# => (should be 1 on all versions)
string equal [file nor /foo/] [file nor /foo]
# => 1
===

[APN] I don't see 8.6 having changed again. At least not on Windows. If
===
**** `glob` does not sort ****

might have to use `[lsort]` on the file list (note the various settings of the 
`lsort` command: especially differences between `-ascii` and `-dictionary` 
sorting, the option to choose increasing or decreasing order, the option to 
ignore case difference, and the option to provide an adhoc comparison command):

======
set files [lsort [glob *]] ;# will probably suffice in most cases
set files [lsort -dictionary -decreasing -nocase [glob *]]
======



**** Negated patterns ****
** Negated patterns **
glob function allows me to do things like `!(o*)` or `ab[[!b-z]` and I would like
to be able to do similar things.

[[name redacted]]: This one is still open, though one might possibly `glob` two lists, one 
[PL]: This one is still open, though one might possibly `glob` two lists, one 
from the first. There may be issues with this that need to be investigated, 
though.


----
<<discussion>>

[[name redacted]]: The following command is intended to ''start'' a discussion, not to be 
[PL]: The following command is intended to ''start'' a discussion, not to be 

======
# untested code
proc negatedGlob pattern {
    set allfiles [glob -nocomplain *]
    set matchedfiles [glob -nocomplain $pattern]
    ldiff $allfiles $matchedfiles
}
======

<<discussion>>


**** Use of braces ****

glob uses the brace (`{}`) characters as special notation, even though the Tcl
parser ''ALSO'' uses these characters.  The result is that one needs to learn, from
the beginning, that one needs to quote these characters when using them in glob
arguments.  glob also uses the [[ and ]] characters and those need quoted as
well.

Vince: fortunately with the use of '-dir' or '-path' flags to glob the need for
quoting is pretty much gone in Tcl 8.3 or newer.


**** Recursive `glob` ****

<<discussion>>Recursive `glob`
** Filename Encodings **
sure what happens with links) and returns all non-directories in alphabetic
order:

======
proc glob-r {{dir .}} {
    set res {}
    foreach i [lsort [glob -nocomplain -dir $dir *]] {
        if {[file type $i] eq {directory}} {
            eval lappend res [glob-r $i]
        } else {
            lappend res $i
        }
    }
    set res
} ;# RS
======

(Verified works with 8.6.)
([PL]: verified works with 8.6.)
[JH] 2006-05-16: With this variant that allows for optional patterns of
interest, like `glob-r C:/Tcl *.gif *.ps`:

======
proc glob-r {{dir .} args} {
    set res {}
    foreach i [lsort [glob -nocomplain -dir $dir *]] {
        if {[file isdirectory $i]} {
            eval [list lappend res] [eval [linsert $args 0 glob-r $i]]
        } else {
            if {[llength $args]} {
                foreach arg $args {
                    if {[string match $arg $i]} {
                        lappend res $i
                        break
                    }
                }
            } else {
                lappend res $i
            }
        }
    }
    return $res
} ;# JH
======

(Invocation without arguments verified works with 8.6.)
([PL]: invocation without arguments verified works with 8.6.)
[MG] 2004-05-20: I couldn't get the above code to work, so wrote my own version
of it. The only oddity about it is that paths (sometimes) start `././`, rather
than just `./` - I really don't know why. But using `[file exists]` on those
files still works, so it doesn't really seem to matter. (It also uses `[info
level] 0` to find out its own name when it calls itself recursively.  This is
simply because I just found out how you do that :) Replacing `[[lindex [[info
level 0]] 0]]` with `globRec` (or whatever you call the procedure) will
speed it up a fair bit. ''Changed quickly to add -- into the `glob` calls, so
`$dir` can't be mistaken as a switch, as suggested above''. Takes an optional
second argument to specify which types of file to `glob`, for by default all
mentioned on the manpage apart from directories.

======
proc globRec {{dir .} {types {b c f l p s}}} {
    set files [glob -nocomplain -types $types -dir $dir -- *]
    foreach x [glob -nocomplain -types {d} -dir $dir -- *] {
        set files [
            concat $files [[lindex [info level 0] 0] [file join $dir $x]]]
    }
    return [lsort $files]
} ;# globRec
======

(Invocation without arguments verified works with 8.6.)
([PL]: invocation without arguments verified works with 8.6.)
TC 2004-11-23: I couldn't get either of the above functions to do what I
wanted, which was to recursively list all directories and use a filespec.  My
Tcl hack (lightly tested on 8.3 and 8.5) of [MG]'s code, which seems to do all
his was intended to do also.  Modified to also eliminate leading ./s. Modified
to support filenames with spaces in them.

Note: you may need to replace `[file join] $dir $x` with simply `$x`. I had to.

======
proc globRec {{dir .} {filespec *} {types {b c f l p s}}} {
    set files [glob -nocomplain -types $types -dir $dir -- $filespec]
    foreach x [glob -nocomplain -types {d} -dir $dir -- *] {
        set files [concat $files [globRec [file join $dir $x] $filespec $types]]
    }
    set filelist {}
    foreach x $files {
        while {[string range $x 0 1] eq {./}} {
            regsub ./ $x {} x
        }
        lappend filelist $x
    }
    return $filelist;
};# globRec
======

(Invocation without arguments verified works with 8.6.)
([PL]: invocation without arguments verified works with 8.6.)
----

[jys]: I wanted a recursive glob that would take the same options as glob, so I
wrote this wrapper. I don't know if it works 100% with all options though, and
it currently gets tripped up by glob spitting the dummy when it can't look
inside a directory (generally 'cause of permissions).

======
proc rglob {args} {
    # This code requires -join and -nocomplain. We also remove the -types option, and then manually apply a filter at the end.
    set args [linsert $args 0 -nocomplain -join]
    if {[set types_index [lsearch -exact $args -types]] != -1} {
        set types [lindex $args [expr {$types_index+1}]]
        set args [lreplace $args $types_index [expr {$types_index+1}]]
    }
    
    # Get inital matches.
    set matches [glob {*}$args]
    
    # Keep adding * wildcards to search through subdirectories until there are no more levels of directories to search.
    while {[llength [glob -types d {*}[lreplace $args end end *]]] > 0} {
        set args [linsert $args end-1 *]
        lappend matches {*}[glob {*}$args]
    }
    
    # Filter matches with -types option.
    if {[info exists types]} {
        set matches [glob -nocomplain -types $types {*}$matches]}
    return $matches
}
======

(Hangs Tcl 8.6 (made no attempt to find cause of problem).)
([PL]: hangs Tcl 8.6 (made no attempt to find cause of problem).)

<<discussion>>findfile

customized to quickly find the first instance of a file in a given path.

======
proc findfile { dir fname } {
    if {
        [llength [set x [glob -nocomplain -dir $dir $fname]]]
    } {
        return [lindex $x 0]
    } else {
        foreach i [glob -nocomplain -type d -dir $dir *] {
            if {
                $i != $dir &&
                [llength [set x [findfile $i $fname]]]
            } {
                return $x
            }
        }
    }
}
======

(Verified works with 8.6.)
([PL]: verified works with 8.6.)

<<discussion>>listTree

the full path name of all descendants. It embeds glob in a recursive call; a
directory with no descendants is the base case.

======
proc listTree {rootdir_} {
# Precondition: rootdir_ is valid path 
    set currentnodes [glob -nocomplain -directory $rootdir_ -types d *]
    if {[llength $currentnodes] <= 0} {
    # Base case: the current dir is a leaf, write out the leaf 
        puts $rootdir_
        return
    } else {
                # write out the current node 
        puts $rootdir_
                # Recurse over all dirs at this level
        foreach node $currentnodes {
            listTree $node
        }
    }
}

listTree [pwd]
======

(Verified works with 8.6 (and is surprisingly quick).)
([PL]: verified works with 8.6 (and is surprisingly quick).)
(Original command author): That this isn't a Tcl built-in (or if it is, why is it is such a well-kept
secret) strikes me as odd. 

I remember reading something about a pre-defined limit on depth of recursion in
Tcl, so this code is not guaranteed for arbitrarily deep file structures.

Bob


<<discussion>>

** `pathentry` **
**** `pathentry` ****
[MSW]: [pathentry]: Entry widget/binding set using `glob` to offer quick
auto-completion of paths



**** The DKF star ****
** The DKF star **

======
proc * args {glob -nocomplain *[join $args {}]}
======

[CMCc]: Now try the same kind of composition and extension under /bin/sh :)

[MJ]:  Shouldn't this be:
 
======
proc * args {glob -nocomplain *\{[join $args ,]\}}
======

Because [DKF]'s version doesn't do what I expect it to do with multiple args
(maybe my expectation is wrong) 



**** Unglobbing ****
** Unglobbing **
in [https://groups.google.com/d/msg/comp.lang.tcl/ogIayrQo4Zg/O1-8pa2tnrcJ%|%array unset gotcha], [comp.lang.tcl], 2007-09-13:
in [https://groups.google.com/d/msg/comp.lang.tcl/ogIayrQo4Zg/O1-8pa2tnrcJ%|%array unset gotch], [comp.lang.tcl], 2007-09-13:
======
set bar {x[y]}
set foo($bar) yes
array unset foo $bar
parray foo => foo(x[y]) still exists
======

What's the cure, Doctor? '''Unglob it!'''

======
proc unglob {x} {
    string map {* \\* ? \\? [ \\[ ] \\]} $x
}
======



*** Cross-OS issues ***
** Hidden files **
Even though the proper directory separator character on [Microsoft
**** Hidden files ****

Windows%|%Windows] is `\`, the standard directory separator in Tcl is '/', and
all Tcl file manipulation commands, including `[exec]`, understand it.

On unix and OS X, `glob -types hidden *` returns all files beginning with a period (.), including
`.` and `..`.  On Windows and Classic Mac OS, this returns files that have
their hidden attribute set (and (at least on Windows) ''does not'' list files with names beginning
with a period, except if they have the hidden attribute set).

On Windows, `glob *` returns files beginning with `.`, while On *nix systems,
it does not.

See the discussion of the `-types` option above for a cross-OS way to list all entries in a given
directory.

----

The following attempt works on *nix, but can return duplicates on Windows:

======
lsort [glob -dir $dir {.*,*}]]
======



**** Windows drive globbing ****
** Windows drive globbing **

======
glob -dir c: *
======

will list contents of ''the current working directory on drive C:,'' not the
contents of the root folder on that drive.

To get the latter, add trailing slash to the drive letter:

======
glob -dir c:/ *
======

The described behaviour is consistent with what is seen in '''cmd.exe'''
command shell.

Thanks [PT] for explaining this issue.

[Zipguy] 2013-02-07 - Thanks [kostix] for pointing this out.  I do use windows
(and strongly love/hate it).  I found this very interesting so I tried it. I
was running a program called [ML - Heavily Modified & Improved] using
tclkit-8.5.8.exe, in which mine was the current directory, so I opened a
console window and typed in:

======none
(mine) 3 % glob -dir d: *
======

and what I got was:

<<discussion>>(results)

======none
d:action-demo.tcl d:action.tcl d:awf.kit d:awfgreat.kit d:awf_cfg.ml
d:bindb.bat d:bindb.kit d:bindb.tcl d:bindb.vfs d:bindcbk.tcl d:clipr.kit
d:clipr.vfs d:colorp.dat d:colorp.kit d:dler.kit d:dler.vfs d:eff-font.txt
d:efftcl.kit d:efftcl.vfs d:ezsdx.bat d:ezsdx.kit d:ezsdxc.dat d:ezsdxgreat.kit
d:ezsdxh.dat d:help.dat d:icons d:links.txt d:ml.bat d:ml.kit d:ml.txt
d:mlalpha.kit d:mlgreat.bat d:mlgreat.kit d:mlgreatold.kit d:ml_cfg.ml
{d:ml_cfg.ml.$$$} d:output.html d:output.tcl d:output2.html d:panedwindow.tcl
d:progress.tcl d:progressbar.txt d:res.tcl d:sbf.tcl d:scrollb.tcl d:sdx.kit
d:sdx.vfs d:sdxnew.kit d:sdxold.kit d:t.kit d:t.tcl d:t.vfs d:tclkit-8.5.8.exe
d:tclkit-8.5.9.exe d:tgood.kit d:timeplay d:timeplay.tcl d:timeplay.tcll
d:Tk_coding_styles.txt d:widget d:wsf.kit d:wsf.vfs d:wsfold.kit d:wsfold.tcl
d:wsfold.vfs d:wsforig.tcl d:XSCLOCK.TCL d:yacm.ini d:yacm.kit d:yacm.txt
d:yacm2.kit d:yacmgood.kit d:yacmo.kit d:ypedit.tcl d:zipper.tcl
======

which did surprise me.

It did come back with all of these files (which was expected), which were on
the proper drive, namely d:, in the proper directory, namely mine (or more
precisely "D:\dl\dcl\mine\"), but, it did prefix all of them with the "d:"
(which was unexpected).  For example, "d:tclkit-8.5.9.exe" which is there and
"{d:ml_cfg.ml.$$$}" which it did enclose in curly brackets, which I do
understand (in case they have spaces or special characters in them).

Anyway, I decided to try a more complex version, which would list the directory
above the current one (which is kind of dangerous if it doesn't exist, unknown)
like this:

======none
(mine) 5 % glob -dir d:../ *
======

and (lo and behold,) it did produce this:

======none
d:../caps d:../desktop d:../ezsdx d:../ezsdx.kit d:../ezsdxc.dat d:../ezsdxgreat.kit 
d:../ezsdxh.dat d:../fd d:../freepdf d:../freepdflogoweeebxd.jpg d:../freewrap6.2 
d:../irfanview_screenshot_1.jpg d:../irfanview_screenshot_2.jpg d:../irfanview_step1.jpg 
d:../irfanview_step2.jpg d:../irfanview_step3.jpg d:../jasspa-mechm-ms-win32-20091011.zip 
d:../mine d:../ml d:../ml.kit d:../ml124d_procw_colors.jpg d:../ml124d_screen.jpg 
d:../ml124d_screen_rightclick_meni.jpg d:../ml124d_status_line.jpg d:../ml124d_toolbar.jpg 
d:../mlgreat.kit d:../mlgreatold.kit d:../sdx.kit d:../sdxe.dat d:../sdxnew.kit d:../sdxold.kit  
d:../setup-jasspame-20091011.exe d:../stock d:../t.kit d:../tclkit-8.5.8-win32-x86_64.exe 
d:../tclkit852.exe d:../tgood.kit d:../tgoodold.kit d:../viewIcons.kit
======

which did work but provided a prefix of "d:../" rather than the previous
command which provided a prefix of  "d:" which does make sense also.

======none
(mine) 7 % glob -dir d:../../ *
======

and this

======none
d:../../@tcl d:../../bas d:../../browser d:../../dcl d:../../dler
d:../../editor d:../../flv d:../../fonts d:../../games d:../../good
d:../../html d:../../img d:../../mid d:../../misc d:../../nc d:../../new
d:../../new2 d:../../new3 d:../../new4 d:../../new5 d:../../zip
======

But more importantly, should I write a proc to strip out the "d:"'s (or
"d:../"'s) in front of them, or use a better undocumented glob option?

Yes, I did read (and re-read) all about glob for "ActiveState ActiveTcl
8.4.19.5.294332" (which was produced in Feb 11, 2011) which may mean it has
been documented in a later version.

<<discussion>>

[MG] Add the `-tails` option to [glob].



*** Version issues ***
** Stale links **
(Also see "Trailing `/`" above.)
[RS]: 

**** Stale links ****


'''Stale links:''' ''glob'' in older (pre Tcl 8.4a4) versions of Tcl has a
funny behavior (seen on Solaris 5.5.1) with symbolic links that don't point to
an existing file:

======none
% exec ln -s /does/not/exist stalelink
% glob stalelink
no files matched glob pattern "stalelink"
% glob stalelink*
stalelink
======

If the pattern is not wildcarded, it tries to follow the link; otherwise it
just returns the link's name itself. Hmm...



**** Tilde paths ****
** Tilde paths **
specially by [glob]'', but shouldn't that have been done to avoid a security
problem with ~ expansion ? e.g:

======
foreach file [glob *] {
    file delete -force $file
}
======

where [glob] returns a file beginning with a ~ ?

[Vince] writes: for historical reasons the code above is considered
wrong/buggy.  You should write `file delete -force ./$file`.  This is perhaps
something that should be changed in the future, but it might well break some
old code.  There is even a bug report or patch somewhere on sf about this, I
think (probably closed now).



% glob -path c:/winwdows/*.exe
alloc: invalid block: 10018A34: 24 e8
======


----
** See Also **

   [Directory recursion]:   

   [glob forwards compatibility]:   how to to override the older [[glob]] command.

   [glob and VFS]:   issues with [VFS]