NAME
aefind - search for files in directory hierarchy
SYNOPSIS
aefind [ option... ] path... expression
aefind -Help
aefind -VERSion
DESCRIPTION
The aefind command is used to search the combined directory tree of a
change and its project. It is intentionally similar to find (1),
however it unifies the directory stack of a change and its branch
baseline, and the branch’s ancestors’ baselines if any.
For each file found in the directory tree, the given expression is
evaluated from left to right, according to the rules of precedence (see
the section on OPERATORS, below), only until the outcome is known, at
which point aefind moves on to the next file name.
If no directory is named on the command line, the current directory is
assumed.
Files which have been removed from the project, even if they somehow
remain in the directory tree, will not be reported.
OPTIONS
The following options are understood:
-BaseLine
This option may be used to specify that the project baseline is
the subject of the command.
-BAse_RElative
This option may be used to cause relative filenames to be
considered relative to the base of the source tree. See
aeuconf(5) for the corresponding user preference.
-CUrrent_RElative
This option may be used to cause relative filenames to be
considered relative to the current directory. This is usually
the default. See aeuconf(5) for the corresponding user
preference.
-Change number
This option may be used to specify a particular change within a
project. See aegis(1) for a complete description of this
option.
-Help
This option may be used to obtain more information about how to
use the aefind program.
-Project name
This option may be used to select the project of interest.
When no -Project option is specified, the AEGIS_PROJECT
environment variable is consulted. If that does not exist, the
user’s $HOME/.aegisrc file is examined for a default project
field (see aeuconf(5) for more information). If that does not
exist, when the user is only working on changes within a single
project, the project name defaults to that project. Otherwise,
it is an error.
-Resolve
This option may be used to request that filenames be absolute
paths, referring to the fully resolved file name. This is the
default.
-No_Resolve
This option may be used to request that filenames be base
relative names, relative to the root of the “stacked” directory
tree.
-Verbose
This option may be used to request that the expression be
printed again on the standard output. This is the expression
as understood by aefind, to assist you in ensuring that you and
the command agree. The expression is fully parenthesized, and
all implicit operators made explicit. Where possible, constant
expressions will have been folded.
See also aegis(1) for options common to all aegis commands.
All options may be abbreviated; the abbreviation is documented as the
upper case letters, all lower case letters and underscores (_) are
optional. You must use consecutive sequences of optional letters.
All options are case insensitive, you may type them in upper case or
lower case or a combination of both, case is not important.
For example: the arguments "-project, "-PROJ" and "-p" are all
interpreted to mean the -Project option. The argument "-prj" will not
be understood, because consecutive optional characters were not
supplied.
Options and other command line arguments may be mixed arbitrarily on
the command line, after the function selectors.
The GNU long option names are understood. Since all option names for
aefind are long, this means ignoring the extra leading ’-’. The
"--option=value" convention is also understood.
EXPRESSIONS
The expression is made up of basic elements, tests (which return a true
or false value), and actions (which have side effects and return a true
or false value), all separated by operators.
BASIC ELEMENTS
{} The value of this expression is the file name of the file
currently being considered. The value is affected the the
-Resolve option.
{-} The value of this expression is the file name of the file
currently being considered, relative to the base of the
directory stack.
{+} The value of this expression is the absolute path of the file
currently being considered.
number Numbers may be specified directly, for use with other tests and
operators. In the style of C, they may be hexadecimal with a
“0x” prefix, octal with a “0” prefix, or decimal otherwise.
string Strings may be specified directly, for use with other tests and
operators. If the string contains shell meta-characters, you
may need to quote it.
-FAlse The value of this expression is always false.
-NOW The value of this expression is the current time, at the start
of execution.
-TRue The value of this expression is always true.
OPERATORS
The -and operator is assumed where the operator is omitted. You will
need to quote many of the operators, to protect them from
interpretation by the shell. Each operator must be a separate command
line argument.
( expr )
Force precedence.
+ expr Unary plus. Is is an error if the argument cannot be coerced
to a number.
- expr Unary minus. Result is the numeric negative of the argument.
Is is an error if the argument cannot be coerced to a number.
! expr Logical negation of the sense of the expression. Is is an
error if the argument cannot be coerced to a boolean.
Synonym: -Not
~ expr Bitwise not of the argument. Is is an error if the argument
cannot be coerced to an integer.
expr1 * expr2
This operation multiplies the two values. Is is an error if
the arguments cannot be coerced to numbers.
expr1 / expr2
This operation divides the argument value by the second. Is is
an error if the arguments cannot be coerced to numbers. Is is
an error if the second argument is zero.
expr1 % expr2
This operation produces the remainder of the division of the
first argument by the argument. Is is an error if the
arguments cannot be coerced to numbers. Is is an error if the
second argument is zero.
expr1 ~ expr2
Is is an error if the arguments cannot be coerced to strings.
Is is an error if the first argument is not a valid pattern.
The first argument is the pattern, and the second is the string
The result is true if the pattern matches, and false if it does
not. This operation performs a shell file pattern comparison.
to be compared.
expr1 + expr2
This operation adds the two values. Is is an error if the
values cannot be coerced to numbers.
expr1 - expr2
This operation subtracts the second values from the first. Is
is an error if the values cannot be coerced to numbers.
expr1 ## expr2
This operation concatenates the arguments. Is is an error if
the arguments cannot be coerced to strings. (Note: this is not
the same as the : operator of the expr(1) command.)
expr1 << expr2
Shift the first argument left by the number of bits specified
by the second argument. The left argument is treated as an
unsigned number. Is is an error if the values cannot be
coerced to numbers.
expr1 >> expr2
Shift the first argument right by the number of bits specified
by the second argument. The left argument is treated as an
unsigned number. Is is an error if the values cannot be
coerced to numbers.
expr1 < expr2
Compare the values and produce true if the first value is less
than the second value, false otherwise. If both values can be
coerced to numbers, the comparison is numeric; if both values
can be coerced to strings, the comparison is lexicographic;
otherwise is it an error.
expr1 <= expr2
Compare the values and produce true if the first value is less
than or equal to the second value, false otherwise. If both
values can be coerced to numbers, the comparison is numeric; if
both values can be coerced to strings, the comparison is
lexicographic; otherwise is it an error.
expr1 > expr2
Compare the values and produce true if the first value is
greater than the second value, false otherwise. If both values
can be coerced to numbers, the comparison is numeric; if both
values can be coerced to strings, the comparison is
lexicographic; otherwise is it an error.
expr1 >= expr2
Compare the values and produce true if the first value is
greater than or equal to the second value, false otherwise. If
both values can be coerced to numbers, the comparison is
numeric; if both values can be coerced to strings, the
comparison is lexicographic; otherwise is it an error.
expr1 == expr2
Compare the values and produce true if the first value is equal
to the second value, false otherwise. If both values can be
coerced to numbers, the comparison is numeric; if both values
can be coerced to strings, the comparison is lexicographic;
otherwise is it an error.
expr1 != expr2
Compare the values and produce true if the first value is not
equal to the second value, false otherwise. If both values can
be coerced to numbers, the comparison is numeric; if both
values can be coerced to strings, the comparison is
lexicographic; otherwise is it an error.
expr1 & expr2
This operation produces the bitwise-and of the two values. Is
is an error if the values cannot be coerced to numbers.
expr1 | expr2
This operation produces the bitwise-or of the two values. Is
is an error if the values cannot be coerced to numbers.
expr1 && expr2
Result is true if both expressions are true. Short circuit
evaluation is used, and so expr2 is not evaluated if expr1 is
false. Is is an error if the arguments cannot be coerced to
booleans.
Synonym: -And
expr1 expr2
Logical and (implied). Result is true if both expressions are
true. Short circuit evaluation is used, and so expr2 is not
evaluated if expr1 is false. Please note that implicit
operator plays merry hell with operator precedence, because
there is no operator. If you are getting odd results, use
explicit operators.
expr1 || expr2
Result is true if either expression is true. Short circuit
evaluation is used, and so expr2 is not evaluated if expr1 is
true. Is is an error if the arguments cannot be coerced to
booleans.
Synonym: -Or
expr1 ? expr2 : expr3
The value of this expression is expr2 if expr1 is true, and
expr3 otherwise. The expr1 is always evaluated, but only one
of expr2 or expr3 will be evaluated. It is an error if the
value of expr1 cannot be coerced to boolean.
expr1 , expr2
Both expr1 and expr2 are always evaluated. The value of expr1
is discarded; the value of the expression is the value of
expr2.
Operators have precedence as described by the following table, highest
to lowest:
+----------------------------+
| Operator Direction |
+----------------------------+
|(unary) + - ~ ! ← |
|* / % ~ → |
|+ - : → |
|<< >> → |
|< <= > >= → |
|== != → |
|& → |
|^ → |
|| → |
|&& → |
||| → |
|? : → |
|, → |
+----------------------------+
FUNCTIONS
There are a number of built-in functions which may be used in the
expression. Functions may be invoked using a syntax similar to C
functions.
name ( arguments )
You need to leave spaces around the parentheses so that they are
separate command line arguments.
atime This function may be used to determine the last-accessed-time
of a file. It takes one argument.
basename
This function returns the basename of the string argument
passed to it. It takes one argument.
ctime This function may be used to determine the last-change-time of
an inode. It takes one argument.
execute This function may be used to execute a command. The arguments
are assembled into the command to be executed. Use the special
“{}” argument to insert the name of the current file. The
function returns true of the command’s exist status is zero.
All following arguments to find are taken to be arguments to
the command until an argument consisting of ‘;’ is encountered.
The command is executed in the starting directory.
gid This function may be used to determine the gid of a file. It
takes one argument.
inode This function may be used to determine the inode number of a
file. It takes one argument.
mode This function may be used to determine the access mode
(permissions) of a file. It takes one argument.
mtime This function may be used to determine the last-modified-time
of a file. It takes one argument.
print This function may be used to print a value. It takes one
argument. Always returns true.
size This function may be used to determine the size in bytes of a
file. It takes one argument.
type This function may be used to determine the type of a file. It
takes one argument. It returns a string: "block_special",
"character_special", "directory", "file", "named_pipe",
"socket" or "symbolic_link".
uid This function may be used to determine the uid of a file. It
takes one argument.
TESTS
Most tests exist to provide compatibility with find(1).
-Access_Minutes [ relative-operator ] number
True if the current file was accessed exactly number minutes
ago, false otherwise. If a relative operator is given (<, <=,
==, !=, > or >=) a relative comparison will be made, rather
than the implicit equality test. This is not identical to the
similar find(1) test. This is shorthand for the “( now - atime
( {+} )) / 60 relative-operator number” expression.
-Access_Time [ relative-operator ] number
True if the current file was accessed exactly number days ago,
false otherwise. If a relative operator is given (<, <=, ==,
!=, > or >=) a relative comparison will be made, rather than
the implicit equality test. This is not identical to the
similar find(1) test. This is shorthand for the “( now - atime
( {+} )) / 86400 relative-operator number” expression.
-Change_Minutes number
True if the current file’s inode was changed exactly number
minutes ago, false otherwise. If a relative operator is given
(<, <=, ==, !=, > or >=) a relative comparison will be made,
rather than the implicit equality test. This is not identical
to the similar find(1) test. This is shorthand for the “( now
- ctime ( {+} )) / 60 relative-operator number” expression.
-Change_Time number
True if the current file’s inode was changed exactly number
days ago, false otherwise. If a relative operator is given (<,
<=, ==, !=, > or >=) a relative comparison will be made, rather
than the implicit equality test. This is not identical to the
similar find(1) test. This is shorthand for the “( now - ctime
( {+} )) / 86400 relative-operator number” expression.
-Modify_Minutes number
True if the current file was modified exactly number minutes
ago, false otherwise. If a relative operator is given (<, <=,
==, !=, > or >=) a relative comparison will be made, rather
than the implicit equality test. This is not identical to the
similar find(1) test. This is shorthand for the “( now - mtime
( {+} )) / 60 relative-operator number” expression.
-Modify_Time number
True if the current file was modified exactly number days ago,
false otherwise. If a relative operator is given (<, <=, ==,
!=, > or >=) a relative comparison will be made, rather than
the implicit equality test. This is not identical to the
similar find(1) test. This is shorthand for the “( now - mtime
( {+} )) / 86400 relative-operator number” expression.
-Newer filename
True if the current file was modified after the given file.
This is shorthand for the “mtime ( {+} ) > mtime ( filename )”
expression.
-Name pattern
Base of file name (the path with the leading directories
removed) matches shell pattern pattern. This is short-hand for
the “pattern ~ basename ( {} )” expression.
-PAth pattern
File name matches shell pattern pattern. Note that the file
name if affected by the -resolve option. This is short-hand
for the “pattern ~ {}” expression.
-Type string
The file type matches the type given. This is shorthand for
the “type ( {} ) == string” expression. Type names are matched
similar to options:
Block The file is a block special file.
Character The file is a character special file.
Directory The file is a directory.
File The file is a normal file.
Link The file is a symbolic link.
Pipe The file is FIFO (a named pipe).
Socket The file is a UNIX domain socket.
ACTIONS
-print This will print the full file name on the standard output,
followed by a newline. The -Resolve option will affect what is
printed. This is short-hand for the “print ( {} )” expression.
-execute string... ;
The may be used to execute a command. This is short-hand for
the “execute ( string : ... )” expression.
EXIT STATUS
The aefind command will exit with a status of 1 on any error. The
aefind command will only exit with a status of 0 if there are no
errors.
ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
See aegis(1) for a list of environment variables which may affect this
command. See aepconf(5) for the project configuration file’s project_
specific field for how to set environment variables for all commands
executed by Aegis.
COPYRIGHT
aefind version 4.24.3.D001
Copyright (C) 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999,
2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 Peter
Miller
The aefind program comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY; for details use
the ’aefind -VERSion License’ command. This is free software and you
are welcome to redistribute it under certain conditions; for details
use the ’aefind -VERSion License’ command.
AUTHOR
Peter Miller E-Mail: millerp@canb.auug.org.au
/\/\* WWW: http://www.canb.auug.org.au/~millerp/