find2perl
Convert find command to Perl code
SYNOPSIS
find2perl [find-arguments]
PARAMETERS
find-arguments
Arguments passed to the underlying find
command. This is any valid arguments available to the find command.
DESCRIPTION
The find2perl
command is a utility included with Perl that transforms the output of the find
command into Perl code.
It essentially translates file paths found by find
into a Perl program that can then process these files based on specified criteria. This allows for powerful and flexible file manipulation using Perl's extensive text processing and system administration capabilities.
The generated Perl code contains a loop that iterates through the files found by find
, allowing you to perform operations on each file, such as renaming, deleting, or modifying their content.
This command simplifies the integration of find results into Perl scripts, avoiding the need to parse command line output. The produced Perl code is printed to standard output.
CAVEATS
find2perl relies on the correct operation of the find
command. Make sure find
is working properly before attempting to translate its output to Perl code.
The generated code requires a Perl interpreter to run. Make sure it is installed.
The generated Perl code may need modification for specific tasks. This is a translation command and the user is expected to adapt the result for their specific problem.
<B>EXAMPLE</B>
To find all .txt files in the current directory and print their names:find . -name '*.txt' | find2perl
The above will generate a Perl script, that you would need to execute by redirecting its output to a file and then executing it using `perl filename.pl`.
A better approach would be: find2perl . -name '*.txt' -print
<B>SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS</B>
Always review the generated Perl code carefully before executing it, especially if the input to find
comes from an untrusted source. Unsanitized filenames could lead to command injection vulnerabilities.
HISTORY
find2perl
was created to bridge the gap between the powerful file searching capabilities of the find
command and the flexible scripting environment of Perl.
It was designed to simplify the process of automating file management tasks that require both file system traversal and complex processing logic.
Over time, it has become a standard utility in Perl distributions, widely used by system administrators and developers to automate file operations.