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Using find with grep, one can locate files that match a pattern:

# find | grep error
./solr-modifiedSolr4/SolrPhpClient/phpdocs/errors.html
./error_log
./includes/classes/error_log

However, using find alone the first file is not found:

# find . -name error*
./error_log
./includes/classes/error_log

Why doesn't find locate the errors.html file when not used with grep? How is find used to show this file as well?

Gilles 'SO- stop being evil'
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dotancohen
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1 Answers1

42

You need to quote your argument error* because the shell expands it. So what you're actually running now is find -name error_log, because that's what the shell can expand it to (there's a file named error_log in your current directory).

find . -name 'error*'

Is the correct invocation for your use case.

phunehehe
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Dennis Kaarsemaker
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    an altenative writing is find -name error\* - one key less to press ;) this has the same effect, the * gets passed as an literate asterisk to the find command and is not expanded by your shell – zhenech Nov 11 '12 at 11:14
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    When having trouble with the shell (how it interprets your command-line and passes all arguments and parameters to the actual command), re-run the command prepending it with the echo command. So, if you'd run echo find . -name error* it would have outputted find . -name error_log – Carlos Campderrós Nov 12 '12 at 10:01