The find command: the options ‘-mindepth’ conflicts with the action ‘-prune’

find

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?

Best Answer

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

Analyzing a find

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.

Related Solutions

Execute on the basename of a find command

Try the execdir option for find: it executes the command you specify in the directory of the file, using only its basename as the argument

From what I gather, you want to create "a" and "b" in the "main" directory. We can do that by combining $PWD and the -execdir option. Have a look at the solution below. (The && find … ls parts are for output only, so you can see the effects. You'll want to use the command before the &&.)

First, I set up the testing environment:

-----[ 15:40:17 ] (!6293) [ :-) ] janmoesen@mail ~/stack 
$ mkdir test && touch test/{a,b} && find . -exec ls -dalF {} +
drwxr-xr-x 3 janmoesen janmoesen 4096 2012-05-31 15:40 ./
drwxr-xr-x 2 janmoesen janmoesen 4096 2012-05-31 15:40 ./test/
-rw-r--r-- 1 janmoesen janmoesen    0 2012-05-31 15:40 ./test/a
-rw-r--r-- 1 janmoesen janmoesen    0 2012-05-31 15:40 ./test/b

This is what happens when you use a simple -exec — the original files are touched:

-----[ 15:40:30 ] (!6294) [ :-) ] janmoesen@mail ~/stack 
$ find test -type f -exec touch {} \; && find . -exec ls -dalF {} +
drwxr-xr-x 3 janmoesen janmoesen 4096 2012-05-31 15:40 ./
drwxr-xr-x 2 janmoesen janmoesen 4096 2012-05-31 15:40 ./test/
-rw-r--r-- 1 janmoesen janmoesen    0 2012-05-31 15:40 ./test/a
-rw-r--r-- 1 janmoesen janmoesen    0 2012-05-31 15:40 ./test/b

However, if we combine $PWD with the argument placeholder {} and use -execdir, we achieve what (I think) you want:

-----[ 15:40:57 ] (!6295) [ :-) ] janmoesen@mail ~/stack 
$ find test -type f -execdir touch "$PWD/{}" \; && find . -exec ls -dalF {} +
drwxr-xr-x 3 janmoesen janmoesen 4096 2012-05-31 15:41 ./
-rw-r--r-- 1 janmoesen janmoesen    0 2012-05-31 15:41 ./a
-rw-r--r-- 1 janmoesen janmoesen    0 2012-05-31 15:41 ./b
drwxr-xr-x 2 janmoesen janmoesen 4096 2012-05-31 15:40 ./test/
-rw-r--r-- 1 janmoesen janmoesen    0 2012-05-31 15:40 ./test/a
-rw-r--r-- 1 janmoesen janmoesen    0 2012-05-31 15:40 ./test/b

Exclude directory in find

find . -name 'foo-exclude-me' -prune -o -name 'foo*' -print

With no -print, the implicit default action applies to every match, even pruned ones. The explicit -print applies only under the specified conditions, which are -name 'foo*' only in the else branch of -name 'foo-exclude-me'.

Generally speaking, use an explicit -print whenever you're doing something more complex than a conjunction of predicates.

Your second attempt with ! -path './foo-exclude-me/*' didn't work because ./foo-exclude-me doesn't match ./foo-exclude-me/* (no trailing /). Adding ! -path ./foo-exclude-me would work.

Best Answer

Analyzing a find

Related Solutions

Execute on the basename of a find command

Exclude directory in find

Related Question