`find`

Search files, directories and text by name, content, type, extension, depth and case.

FilesVersion 1.2.2Stable

lil-terminal

pwd/sandboxdir 1 . -Fconfig/ data/ logs/ src/ tmp/find data -F -p \sandboxsandbox/data/find data -d -p \sandboxsandbox/data/find -txt -p \sandbox\datasandbox/data/sample.txt

Overview

find combines simple filters instead of multiplying commands: type, extension, depth, case, content search and starting path can be composed to answer a precise filesystem question.

Narrow a search step by step

Build searches from broad to narrow: choose name or text search, then add path, type, extension, depth and case filters.

Syntax

lil-terminal

find [query] [-f|-F|-d] [-h|-t] [-e <ext>] [-c] [-p <path>]

Reference

find <query>

search names recursively in the current directory

find -q <query>

search for a query beginning with -

-f

search files only

-F | -d

search directories only

-h

search the current directory only

-t

search inside text files

-e <ext>

limit files by extension; tar.gz is supported

-php

short form for -e php

-c

use case-sensitive matching

-p <path>

start in another directory

find -e txt

show all files having this extension (query optional)

find -txt

show all files having this extension (query optional)

Working with results

find -e txt (or find -txt) lists all TXT files without a search phrase. find sample -e txt finds TXT filenames containing “sample”. Content search with -t still requires text.

Safety and limits

Use -p to start elsewhere and -h to search only that directory. -f cannot be combined with -F/-d. Result and scan limits protect shared hosting; symbolic links to directories are not traversed.

Interactive sandbox preview

Run the prepared examples directly on the page. Their results are prebuilt and shown in the browser; no terminal command is executed on the server.

Search names recursively in the current directory

Install and manage

Install the current compatible version. Choose Base for the complete feature set or Minimum for the reduced package; use upgrade to update a module that is already installed.

Base and Minimum are two packages of the same current module release, not separate command versions.

Base package

Install the complete package with local command reference and every published mode.

install find

Minimum package

Install the reduced package. Local reference is omitted; help <cmd> -i opens the current server reference.

install find -m

Exact public version

Install exactly this published version.

install find -v 1.2.2

Check or update

Ask upgrade to check compatibility and replace the installed block only when needed.

upgrade find

Remove module

Remove the extension block while leaving the core and unrelated modules intact.

install find -u

Examples

Examples are copyable command lines, not actions executed by this website. Review paths, permissions and destructive flags before running them on a real project.

Search names recursively in the current directory

find app -p \sandbox\config

sandbox/config/app.conf
sandbox/config/app.ini
sandbox/config/app.ini.enc
sandbox/config/app.json
sandbox/config/app.properties
sandbox/config/app.toml
sandbox/config/app.xml
sandbox/config/app.yml

Search for a query beginning with -

find -q "-draft" -p \sandbox\tmp

No matches

Search files only

find app -f -p \sandbox\config

sandbox/config/app.conf
sandbox/config/app.ini
sandbox/config/app.ini.enc
sandbox/config/app.json
sandbox/config/app.properties
sandbox/config/app.toml
sandbox/config/app.xml
sandbox/config/app.yml

Search directories only

find data -F -p \sandbox

sandbox/data/

Search directories only

find data -d -p \sandbox

sandbox/data/

Search the current directory only

find app -h -p \sandbox\config

sandbox/config/app.conf
sandbox/config/app.ini
sandbox/config/app.ini.enc
sandbox/config/app.json
sandbox/config/app.properties
sandbox/config/app.toml
sandbox/config/app.xml
sandbox/config/app.yml

Search inside text files

find "timeout" -t -p \sandbox\logs

sandbox/logs/errors.log

Limit files by extension; tar.gz is supported

find -e txt -p \sandbox\data

sandbox/data/sample.txt

Short form for -e php

find Calculator -php -p \sandbox\src

sandbox/src/Calculator.php

Use case-sensitive matching

find SAMPLE -c -p \sandbox\data

No matches

Start in another directory

find app -p \sandbox\config -f

sandbox/config/app.conf
sandbox/config/app.ini
sandbox/config/app.ini.enc
sandbox/config/app.json
sandbox/config/app.properties
sandbox/config/app.toml
sandbox/config/app.xml
sandbox/config/app.yml

Show all files having this extension (query optional)

find -e txt -p \sandbox\tmp

sandbox/tmp/README.txt
sandbox/tmp/current.txt
sandbox/tmp/draft.txt
sandbox/tmp/new.txt

Show all files having this extension (query optional)

find -txt -p \sandbox\data

sandbox/data/sample.txt

Find · sample

find sample -e txt -p \sandbox\data

sandbox/data/sample.txt

Limit files by extension; tar.gz is supported

find -e tar.gz -p \sandbox\my

No matches

Search files only

find app -f -F -p \sandbox\config

Choose files or directories, not both

Start in another directory

find foo -p \sandbox\does-not-exist

Search directory not found

File used in this example: `sandbox/src/Calculator.php`

The example uses a file or directory from the protected /sandbox/ documentation workspace.

<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

final class Calculator
{
    public static function add(int $left, int $right): int
    {
        return $left + $right;
    }
}

Current public release

v1.2.22026-10-31

Extension-only search

find -e txt and find -txt list matching extensions without requiring a separate name query.

# Version history

find