GNU Info

(python2.1-lib.info)glob

---

Next: fnmatch Prev: errno Up: Generic Operating System Services

---

Enter node , (file) or (file)node

UNIX style pathname pattern expansion
=====================================

UNIX shell style pathname pattern expansion.

The `glob' module finds all the pathnames matching a specified pattern
according to the rules used by the UNIX shell.  No tilde expansion is
done, but `*', `?', and character ranges expressed with `[]' will be
correctly matched.  This is done by using the `os.listdir()' and
`fnmatch.fnmatch()' functions in concert, and not by actually invoking
a subshell.  (For tilde and shell variable expansion, use
`os.path.expanduser()' and `os.path.expandvars()'.)

`glob(pathname)'
     Returns a possibly-empty list of path names that match PATHNAME,
     which must be a string containing a path specification.  PATHNAME
     can be either absolute (like `/usr/src/Python-1.5/Makefile') or
     relative (like `../../Tools/*/*.gif'), and can contain shell-style
     wildcards.

For example, consider a directory containing only the following files:
`1.gif', `2.txt', and `card.gif'.  `glob()' will produce the following
results.  Notice how any leading components of the path are preserved.

     >>> import glob
     >>> glob.glob('./[0-9].*')
     ['./1.gif', './2.txt']
     >>> glob.glob('*.gif')
     ['1.gif', 'card.gif']
     >>> glob.glob('?.gif')
     ['1.gif']

See also:
     Note: fnmatch Shell-style filename (not path) expansion