Re: Recursive globbing

[Peter Stephenson <pws@xxxxxxx>]

Vincent Lefevre wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> Is there any difference between *.tex and **.tex ?

No, and in fact they are documented to be the same.  Hence...

> If there's none,
> how about having improved recursive globbing, where ** not followed
> by a slash would mean **/* (ditto for *** -> ***/*)?

I can't see any problem with this, unless people are habitually using
double stars in the place of single stars, for example to avoid having
to prune patterns.  I doubt it, but are they?

Index: Src/glob.c
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvsroot/zsh/zsh/Src/glob.c,v
retrieving revision 1.33
diff -u -r1.33 glob.c
--- Src/glob.c	6 Apr 2004 17:45:47 -0000	1.33
+++ Src/glob.c	14 May 2004 10:50:20 -0000
@@ -639,14 +639,21 @@
     char *str;
     int compflags = gf_noglobdots ? (PAT_FILE|PAT_NOGLD) : PAT_FILE;
 
-    if (instr[0] == Star && instr[1] == Star &&
-        (instr[2] == '/' || (instr[2] == Star && instr[3] == '/'))) {
+    if (instr[0] == Star && instr[1] == Star) {
 	/* Match any number of directories. */
 	int follow;
 
 	/* with three stars, follow symbolic links */
 	follow = (instr[2] == Star);
-	instr += (3 + follow);
+        if (instr[2] == '/' || (instr[2] == Star && instr[3] == '/')) {
+	    instr += (3 + follow);
+	} else {
+	    /*
+	     * Make **(|[^/\*]*) or ***(|[^/]) equivalent to
+	     * **[/]*(...) or ***[/]*(...), respectively.
+	     */
+	    instr += 1 + follow;
+	}
 
 	/* Now get the next path component if there is one. */
 	l1 = (Complist) zhalloc(sizeof *l1);
Index: Doc/Zsh/expn.yo
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvsroot/zsh/zsh/Doc/Zsh/expn.yo,v
retrieving revision 1.49
diff -u -r1.49 expn.yo
--- Doc/Zsh/expn.yo	6 Apr 2004 09:26:50 -0000	1.49
+++ Doc/Zsh/expn.yo	14 May 2004 10:50:21 -0000
@@ -1590,9 +1590,12 @@
 does a recursive directory search for files named `tt(bar)' (potentially
 including the file `tt(bar)' in the current directory).  This form does not
 follow symbolic links; the alternative form `tt(***/)' does, but is
-otherwise identical.  Neither of these can be combined with other forms of
-globbing within the same path segment; in that case, the `tt(*)'
-operators revert to their usual effect.
+otherwise identical.
+
+As a further shorthand, `tt(**)' or `tt(***)' followed by anything other
+than a `tt(/)' are treated the same way as `tt(**/*)' and `tt(***/*)',
+respectively.  Hence `tt(**.c)' is equivalent to `tt(**/*.c)' and so to
+`tt((*/)#*.c)'.
 subsect(Glob Qualifiers)
 cindex(globbing, qualifiers)
 cindex(qualifiers, globbing)

-- 
Peter Stephenson <pws@xxxxxxx>                  Software Engineer
CSR Ltd., Science Park, Milton Road,
Cambridge, CB4 0WH, UK                          Tel: +44 (0)1223 692070


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