[net.unix] Warning about rm

jerryp@tektools.UUCP (Jerry Peek) (07/29/86)

[Moved from net.unix-wizards...]

In article <79@wanginst.UUCP>, tupper@wanginst.UUCP (John Tupper) writes:
> Today I ran the following command:
> 	rm -r /student/tupper/.dead/.*
> The shell expanded my wild card to include /student/tupper/.dead/.
> and (this is the important part -->) /student/tupper/.dead/.. (that's
> "dot-dot")!

For just that reason, I've gotten in the habit of using
	.??*
instead of just
	.*
One problem:  .??* doesn't match things with names like .x -- but I
usually don't use names that short, anyhow.

To match all files and directories, try (with csh only):
	{*,.??*}
as in:
	rm -r /student/tupper/.dead/{*,.??*}

--Jerry Peek, Tektronix, Inc.
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