glob
/glob/, *not* /glohb/ To expand wild card characters in a path name.
In Unix the file name wild cards are:
* = zero or more characters (E.g. {UN*X})
? = any single character
[] any of the enclosed characters
{} indicate alternation of comma-separated alternatives, thus
foo{baz,qux} would expand to "foobaz" or "fooqux". This
syntax generates a list of all possible expansions, rather
than matching one.
These have become sufficiently pervasive that hackers use them in written
English, especially in electronic mail or Usenet
news on technical topics. E.g. "He said his name was
[KC]arl" (expresses ambiguity). "I don't read
talk.politics.*" (any of the talk.politics subgroups
on Usenet). Other examples are given under the entry
for X. Note that glob patterns are similar, but not
identical, to those used in regexps.
"glob" was a subprogram that expanded wild cards in archaic pre-Bourne versions
of the Unix shell.
(1997-07-16)
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