🌐 Globbing (Wildcard Matching)

Globbing enables pattern matching in filenames and paths using wildcards like *, ?, and [...].

🧭 Supported Patterns

Pattern	Matches
*	Zero or more characters
?	Exactly one character
[abc]	Any one of listed characters
[a-z]	Any lowercase letter
[^abc]	Any character except those listed

Examples:

ls *.txt           # All .txt files
ls file?.log       # file1.log, fileA.log
ls [a-c]*.sh       # Files starting with a, b, or c ending in .sh

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🧪 Practical Uses

Match hidden files:

ls .*              # Includes .bashrc, .gitconfig, ..

Exclude certain files:

ls !(temp).txt     # Requires extglob enabled in bash

Combine with other commands:

rm *.tmp
cp backup/*.conf .
find . -name "*.bak" -delete

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🧠 Differences Between Shells

Not all shells support advanced patterns equally:

Feature	sh	bash	zsh	ksh
Basic globbing	✅	✅	✅	✅
Extended globs	❌	✅	✅	✅
Recursive glob	❌	❌	✅	❌

Enable extended globbing in bash:

shopt -s extglob

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🧾 Summary

• Globbing simplifies batch processing of files.
• Be aware of shell-specific limitations.
• Always quote variables that might contain glob patterns.
• Use carefully to avoid unintended matches.

👉 Continue to: Scripts and Shebang