Re: Inconsistency in find ... -name ...

[Andrew DeFaria <Andrew at DeFaria dot com>]

Eric Blake wrote:
> > Using find, I didn't protect spec in -name (-name 'spec') in a couple of
> > instances but they still worked, viz-a-viz:
> > $ find /home/lowella -type f -name *.h
> > /home/lowella/CVSROOT/src/newlib/doc/ansidecl.h
> > ...
> > whereas a couple of others didn't work, viz-a-viz:
> > $ find /home/lowella -type f -name *.txt
> > find: paths must precede expression
> > Usage: find [-H] [-L] [-P] [path...] [expression]
> echo is your friend. Try:
>
> $ echo /home/lowella -type f -name *.h
>
> And notice that since there are no .h files in the current
> directory, the shell passes the glob through unchanged
> to find. You can also do 'shopt -s nullglob' to change that.
I've wondered about this. Does bash special case the find command then? 
Which other commands does is special case like this?
--
Don't tell anyone, but duct tape is The Force. It has a dark side, and a 
light side, and it binds the Universe together.


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