If the file structure is like this:
/a/p/c/d... /c/a/c/g/f/... /a/c/d/e/... ... And I want to do this:
find -mindepth 3 -type d -name p -prune -or -name c -print
However, this command will not prune the 'p' directory and the first line will included. I know it's actually not a conflict. But how to prune 'p' with the mindepth applied?
With both FreeBSD and GNU find (which are some of the few implementations that support -mindepth), your -prune would only prune the p directories that are at depth 3 or deeper. Both the FreeBSD and GNU find documentation make it quite clear (here GNU documentation):
-- Option: -mindepth levels Do not apply any tests or actions at levels less than LEVELS (a non-negative integer). `-mindepth 1' means process all files except the command line arguments.
You could always do it the standard way instead:
LC_ALL=C find . -type d -name p -prune -o -path './*/*/*' -name c -print (-mindepth and -or are not standard find predicates, omitting the directory(s) is not standard either).
Or in this case, simply:
LC_ALL=C find . -name p -prune -o -path './*/*/c' -print (no point for -type d, -prune would not have any effect on any other type of file and here non-directory files named p are rejected by -path './*/*/c' anyway).
Or with rawhide:
rh -m3 -e '"p" && prune || "c"' (with rh, as opposed to find, -mindepth only affects what's reported, not the tests that are made).
Or with zsh:
setopt extendedglob print -rC1 -- ^p/^p/(^p/)#c(ND) though the first two ^p follow symlinks to directories. An alternative that wouldn't:
setopt extendedglob print -rC1 -- (^p/)#c~^*/*/*(ND) That is c files inside any number (#) of non-p directories, except (~) where the path would not (^) have at least 3 path components.
-o instead of -or? -or is the same as -o but not POSIX compliance. I think I would do it this way:
find -mindepth 3 -type d ! -path '*/p/*' -name c -print Based on @StephaneChazelas' feedback I believe this method would eliminate the extraneous searching into any /p/ directories:
find -mindepth 3 -type d -path '*/p/*' -prune -o -name c -print To compare find commands you can add the debug switch -D search so that you can see how a particular find would perform vs. another.
I ran @StephaneChazelas' command vs. mine to see where the differences were. The 2 commands are run and their output is run into an sdiff below:
$ sdiff \ <(find -D search -mindepth 3 -type d -path '*/p/*' -prune -o -name c -print 2>&1) \ <(find -D search -type d -name p -prune -o -path './*/*/*' -name c -print 2>&1) consider_visiting (early): `.': fts_info=FTS_D , fts_level= 0 consider_visiting (early): `.': fts_info=FTS_D , fts_level= 0 consider_visiting (late): `.': fts_info=FTS_D , isdir=1 ignor | consider_visiting (late): `.': fts_info=FTS_D , isdir=1 ignor consider_visiting (early): `./a': fts_info=FTS_D , fts_level= consider_visiting (early): `./a': fts_info=FTS_D , fts_level= consider_visiting (late): `./a': fts_info=FTS_D , isdir=1 ign | consider_visiting (late): `./a': fts_info=FTS_D , isdir=1 ign consider_visiting (early): `./a/c': fts_info=FTS_D , fts_leve consider_visiting (early): `./a/c': fts_info=FTS_D , fts_leve consider_visiting (late): `./a/c': fts_info=FTS_D , isdir=1 i | consider_visiting (late): `./a/c': fts_info=FTS_D , isdir=1 i consider_visiting (early): `./a/c/d': fts_info=FTS_D , fts_le consider_visiting (early): `./a/c/d': fts_info=FTS_D , fts_le consider_visiting (late): `./a/c/d': fts_info=FTS_D , isdir=1 consider_visiting (late): `./a/c/d': fts_info=FTS_D , isdir=1 consider_visiting (early): `./a/c/d/e': fts_info=FTS_D , fts_ consider_visiting (early): `./a/c/d/e': fts_info=FTS_D , fts_ consider_visiting (late): `./a/c/d/e': fts_info=FTS_D , isdir consider_visiting (late): `./a/c/d/e': fts_info=FTS_D , isdir consider_visiting (early): `./a/c/d/e': fts_info=FTS_DP, fts_ consider_visiting (early): `./a/c/d/e': fts_info=FTS_DP, fts_ consider_visiting (late): `./a/c/d/e': fts_info=FTS_DP, isdir consider_visiting (late): `./a/c/d/e': fts_info=FTS_DP, isdir consider_visiting (early): `./a/c/d': fts_info=FTS_DP, fts_le consider_visiting (early): `./a/c/d': fts_info=FTS_DP, fts_le consider_visiting (late): `./a/c/d': fts_info=FTS_DP, isdir=1 consider_visiting (late): `./a/c/d': fts_info=FTS_DP, isdir=1 consider_visiting (early): `./a/c': fts_info=FTS_DP, fts_leve consider_visiting (early): `./a/c': fts_info=FTS_DP, fts_leve consider_visiting (late): `./a/c': fts_info=FTS_DP, isdir=1 i consider_visiting (late): `./a/c': fts_info=FTS_DP, isdir=1 i consider_visiting (early): `./a/p': fts_info=FTS_D , fts_leve consider_visiting (early): `./a/p': fts_info=FTS_D , fts_leve consider_visiting (late): `./a/p': fts_info=FTS_D , isdir=1 i | consider_visiting (late): `./a/p': fts_info=FTS_D , isdir=1 i consider_visiting (early): `./a/p/c': fts_info=FTS_D , fts_le | consider_visiting (early): `./a/p': fts_info=FTS_DP, fts_leve consider_visiting (late): `./a/p/c': fts_info=FTS_D , isdir=1 < consider_visiting (early): `./a/p/c': fts_info=FTS_DP, fts_le < consider_visiting (late): `./a/p/c': fts_info=FTS_DP, isdir=1 < consider_visiting (early): `./a/p': fts_info=FTS_DP, fts_leve < consider_visiting (late): `./a/p': fts_info=FTS_DP, isdir=1 i consider_visiting (late): `./a/p': fts_info=FTS_DP, isdir=1 i consider_visiting (early): `./a': fts_info=FTS_DP, fts_level= consider_visiting (early): `./a': fts_info=FTS_DP, fts_level= consider_visiting (late): `./a': fts_info=FTS_DP, isdir=1 ign consider_visiting (late): `./a': fts_info=FTS_DP, isdir=1 ign consider_visiting (early): `./c': fts_info=FTS_D , fts_level= consider_visiting (early): `./c': fts_info=FTS_D , fts_level= consider_visiting (late): `./c': fts_info=FTS_D , isdir=1 ign | consider_visiting (late): `./c': fts_info=FTS_D , isdir=1 ign consider_visiting (early): `./c/a': fts_info=FTS_D , fts_leve consider_visiting (early): `./c/a': fts_info=FTS_D , fts_leve consider_visiting (late): `./c/a': fts_info=FTS_D , isdir=1 i | consider_visiting (late): `./c/a': fts_info=FTS_D , isdir=1 i consider_visiting (early): `./c/a/c': fts_info=FTS_D , fts_le consider_visiting (early): `./c/a/c': fts_info=FTS_D , fts_le consider_visiting (late): `./c/a/c': fts_info=FTS_D , isdir=1 consider_visiting (late): `./c/a/c': fts_info=FTS_D , isdir=1 consider_visiting (early): `./c/a/c/g': fts_info=FTS_D , fts_ consider_visiting (early): `./c/a/c/g': fts_info=FTS_D , fts_ consider_visiting (late): `./c/a/c/g': fts_info=FTS_D , isdir consider_visiting (late): `./c/a/c/g': fts_info=FTS_D , isdir consider_visiting (early): `./c/a/c/g/f': fts_info=FTS_D , ft consider_visiting (early): `./c/a/c/g/f': fts_info=FTS_D , ft consider_visiting (late): `./c/a/c/g/f': fts_info=FTS_D , isd consider_visiting (late): `./c/a/c/g/f': fts_info=FTS_D , isd consider_visiting (early): `./c/a/c/g/f': fts_info=FTS_DP, ft consider_visiting (early): `./c/a/c/g/f': fts_info=FTS_DP, ft consider_visiting (late): `./c/a/c/g/f': fts_info=FTS_DP, isd consider_visiting (late): `./c/a/c/g/f': fts_info=FTS_DP, isd consider_visiting (early): `./c/a/c/g': fts_info=FTS_DP, fts_ consider_visiting (early): `./c/a/c/g': fts_info=FTS_DP, fts_ consider_visiting (late): `./c/a/c/g': fts_info=FTS_DP, isdir consider_visiting (late): `./c/a/c/g': fts_info=FTS_DP, isdir consider_visiting (early): `./c/a/c': fts_info=FTS_DP, fts_le consider_visiting (early): `./c/a/c': fts_info=FTS_DP, fts_le consider_visiting (late): `./c/a/c': fts_info=FTS_DP, isdir=1 consider_visiting (late): `./c/a/c': fts_info=FTS_DP, isdir=1 consider_visiting (early): `./c/a': fts_info=FTS_DP, fts_leve consider_visiting (early): `./c/a': fts_info=FTS_DP, fts_leve consider_visiting (late): `./c/a': fts_info=FTS_DP, isdir=1 i consider_visiting (late): `./c/a': fts_info=FTS_DP, isdir=1 i consider_visiting (early): `./c': fts_info=FTS_DP, fts_level= consider_visiting (early): `./c': fts_info=FTS_DP, fts_level= consider_visiting (late): `./c': fts_info=FTS_DP, isdir=1 ign consider_visiting (late): `./c': fts_info=FTS_DP, isdir=1 ign consider_visiting (early): `.': fts_info=FTS_DP, fts_level= 0 consider_visiting (early): `.': fts_info=FTS_DP, fts_level= 0 consider_visiting (late): `.': fts_info=FTS_DP, isdir=1 ignor consider_visiting (late): `.': fts_info=FTS_DP, isdir=1 ignor ./c/a/c ./c/a/c If you notice, there's a gap in Stephane's approach that mine doesn't have. Even with the prune. I think this shows that his method is avoiding extra work in walking into directories that it should otherwise be ignoring.
find to descend into the p directories though. -prune can't prune in this situation, filtering maybe the only option left. find -mindepth 3 -type d -path '*/p/*' -prune -o -name c -print. According to the man page of find:
-prune True; if the file is a directory, do not descend into it. If -depth is given, false; no effect. So in your particular case I would do something like:
find a/* -mindepth 2 -type f -print But of course there is not always such an easy solution.
dandeare files, not directories?