Simple Pattern Syntax

Simple patterns follow a more traditional UNIX command line approach of using command line switches to indicate the nature of the pattern match. When simple patterns are used, the result set unconditionally includes all core file metadata fields. They are described in more detail below.

Simple Pattern syntax

Where you see [patterns] in the command syntax for the find, since and trigger commands, we allow filename patterns that match according the following rules:

• We maintain an inclusion and an exclusion list. As the arguments are processed we'll accumulate them in one or the other. By default they are accumulated into the inclusion list.
• -X causes any subsequent items to be placed into the exclusion list
• -I causes any subsequent items to be placed into the inclusion list
• -- indicates the end of the set of patterns
• -p indicates that the following pattern should use pcre as the expression term. This is reset after generating the next term.
• -P indicates that the following pattern should use ipcre as the expression term and perform a case insensitive match. This is reset after generating the next term.
• If neither -p nor -P were used, the generated term will use match
• ! followed by a space followed by a pattern will negate the sense of the pattern match generating a not term.

Any elements in the inclusion list will match; they are composed together using an "anyof" term.

The inclusion list and exclusion lists are composed using the logic (NOT anyof exclusion) AND (anyof inclusion).

For example:

 '*.c'

Generates a file expression:

["match", "*.c", "wholename"]

A list:

'*.js' '*.css'

["anyof",
  ["match", "*.js", "wholename"],
  ["match", "*.css", "wholename"]
]

An example of how the exclusion list syntax works:

 -X '*.c' -I '*main*'

Generates:

["allof",
  ["not", ["match", "*.c", "wholename"]],
  ["match", "*main*", "wholename"]
]