Managing System Files
Using Wildcards
Wildcards allow you to substitute symbols (* or ?) for text patterns while using file and directory
commands. The asterisk (*) takes the place of multiple characters and the question mark character (?)
takes the place of single characters. More than one wildcard can be used within a single text string.
Multiple Characters
An asterisk (*) is used as a wildcard for multiple characters in a text pattern. The following command will
list all entries in the current directory that end with the .log extension:
-> ls *.log
Listing Directory /flash:
-rw
64000 Sep 21 19:49 swlog1.log
-rw
64000 Aug 12 19:06 swlog2.log
The following command lists all entries in the current directory that contain the i character.
-> ls *i*
Listing Directory /flash:
drw
2048 Aug 21 17:49 certified/
drw
2048 Aug 12 18:51 working/
-rw
31 Jul 29
drw
2048 Jul 28 12:17 switch/
Single Characters
The question mark (?) is used as a wildcard for a single character in a text pattern. The following
command will locate all entries containing swlog followed by any single character and the .log extension.
-> ls swlog?.log
Listing Directory /flash:
-rw
64000 Jul 21 19:49 swlog1.log
-rw
64000 Aug 12 19:06 swlog2.log
The single and multiple character wildcards can be used in combination. The following command lists all
entries containing the letter i followed by any two single characters.
-> ls *i??
Listing Directory /flash:
drw
2048 Aug 12 18:51 working/
OmniSwitch 6250/6450 Switch Management Guide
2001 policy.cfg
May 2012
File and Directory Management
page 1-7