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authorBernhard Voelker <mail@bernhard-voelker.de>2019-10-19 18:30:49 +0200
committerBernhard Voelker <mail@bernhard-voelker.de>2020-08-14 00:09:13 +0200
commitb9ddd2bca1032fccbb6435b1e176af6f7a7485df (patch)
treea5b6ae62efe0c35c1105ac11d874bf5d77018193
parent2faa781ec9dae1b2d11d934cacdc8ce265799e0b (diff)
downloadfindutils-b9ddd2bca10.tar.gz
doc: enhance description of tests accepting numeric arguments in find.1
* find/find.1 (TESTS): Improve the description of tests accepting a numeric argument that they match "less than, more than or exactly" the given 'n', thus helping the user to remind to use '-n', '+n' or a bare 'n' (as decribed at the top). * doc/find.texi (section find Expressions): Move section from chapter "Introduction" to "Finding Files". The description about the general syntax of a find expression fits more naturally there, including the already existing part about numeric arguments. * NEWS: Mention the change. Suggested in https://sv.gnu.org/bugs/?57025 .
-rw-r--r--NEWS2
-rw-r--r--doc/find.texi45
-rw-r--r--find/find.144
3 files changed, 55 insertions, 36 deletions
diff --git a/NEWS b/NEWS
index ac7bbda..5f74193 100644
--- a/NEWS
+++ b/NEWS
@@ -21,6 +21,8 @@ FINDUTILS_4_3_3-1 back in 2007.
#58205: find.1: clarify double dash '--' option
+#57025: doc: enhance description of tests accepting numeric arguments in find.1
+
#54730: Add additional valuable example of find -quit
#48135: Fix testsuite error on Hurd and BSD related to ln
diff --git a/doc/find.texi b/doc/find.texi
index 45b86fe..4dde015 100644
--- a/doc/find.texi
+++ b/doc/find.texi
@@ -144,7 +144,6 @@ check the GNU FTP site.
@menu
* Scope::
* Overview::
-* find Expressions::
@end menu
@node Scope
@@ -278,6 +277,29 @@ word @samp{typedef}.
xargs grep typedef < file-list
@end example
+@node Finding Files
+@chapter Finding Files
+
+By default, @code{find} prints to the standard output the names of the
+files that match the given criteria. @xref{Actions}, for how to get
+more information about the matching files.
+
+
+@menu
+* find Expressions::
+* Name::
+* Links::
+* Time::
+* Size::
+* Type::
+* Owner::
+* Mode Bits::
+* Contents::
+* Directories::
+* Filesystems::
+* Combining Primaries With Operators::
+@end menu
+
@node find Expressions
@section @code{find} Expressions
@@ -334,27 +356,6 @@ for less than @var{n},
for exactly @var{n}.
@end table
-@node Finding Files
-@chapter Finding Files
-
-By default, @code{find} prints to the standard output the names of the
-files that match the given criteria. @xref{Actions}, for how to get
-more information about the matching files.
-
-
-@menu
-* Name::
-* Links::
-* Time::
-* Size::
-* Type::
-* Owner::
-* Mode Bits::
-* Contents::
-* Directories::
-* Filesystems::
-* Combining Primaries With Operators::
-@end menu
@node Name
@section Name
diff --git a/find/find.1 b/find/find.1
index 6bc3d1a..4589515 100644
--- a/find/find.1
+++ b/find/find.1
@@ -601,7 +601,17 @@ system call fails for it), an error message is issued, and
.B find
exits with a nonzero status.
.P
-Numeric arguments can be specified as
+A numeric argument \fIn\fR can be specified to tests (like
+.BR \-amin ,
+.BR \-mtime ,
+.BR \-gid ,
+.BR \-inum ,
+.BR \-links ,
+.BR \-size ,
+.BR \-uid
+and
+.BR \-used )
+as
.IP \fI+n\fP
for greater than
.IR n ,
@@ -612,8 +622,11 @@ for less than
for exactly
.IR n .
.
+.P
+Supported tests:
+
.IP "\-amin \fIn\fR"
-File was last accessed \fIn\fR minutes ago.
+File was last accessed less than, more than or exactly \fIn\fR minutes ago.
.IP "\-anewer \fIreference\fR"
Time of the last access of the current file is more recent than that
@@ -626,7 +639,7 @@ option is in effect, then the time of the last data modification of the file
it points to is always used.
.IP "\-atime \fIn\fR"
-File was last accessed
+File was last accessed less than, more than or exactly
.IR n *24
hours ago.
When find figures out how many 24-hour periods ago the file
@@ -638,7 +651,8 @@ a file has to have been accessed at least
days ago.
.IP "\-cmin \fIn\fR"
-File's status was last changed \fIn\fR minutes ago.
+File's status was last changed less than, more than or exactly \fIn\fR minutes
+ago.
.IP "\-cnewer \fIreference\fR"
Time of the last status change of the current file is more recent than that
@@ -651,7 +665,7 @@ option is in effect, then the time of the last data modification of the file
it points to is always used.
.IP "\-ctime \fIn\fR"
-File's status was last changed
+File's status was last changed less than, more than or exactly
.IR n *24
hours ago.
See the comments for
@@ -694,7 +708,7 @@ is: ufs, 4.2, 4.3, nfs, tmp, mfs, S51K, S52K. You can use
with the %F directive to see the types of your filesystems.
.IP "\-gid \fIn\fR"
-File's numeric group ID is
+File's numeric group ID is less than, more than or exactly
.IR n .
.IP "\-group \fIgname\fR"
@@ -721,7 +735,7 @@ patterns `fo*' and `F??' match the file names `Foo', `FOO', `foo',
The pattern `*foo*` will also match a file called '.foobar'.
.IP "\-inum \fIn\fR"
-File has inode number
+File has inode number smaller than, greater than or exactly
.IR n .
It is normally easier to use the
.B \-samefile
@@ -742,7 +756,7 @@ See \-ipath. This alternative is less portable than
.BR \-ipath .
.IP "\-links \fIn\fR"
-File has \fIn\fR hard links.
+File has less than, more than or exactly \fIn\fR hard links.
.IP "\-lname \fIpattern\fR"
File is a symbolic link whose contents match shell pattern
@@ -756,10 +770,11 @@ option is in effect, this test returns false unless the symbolic link
is broken.
.IP "\-mmin \fIn\fR"
-File's data was last modified \fIn\fR minutes ago.
+File's data was last modified less than, more than or exactly \fIn\fR minutes
+ago.
.IP "\-mtime \fIn\fR"
-File's data was last modified
+File's data was last modified less than, more than or exactly
.IR n *24
hours ago.
See the comments for
@@ -961,8 +976,8 @@ When
is in effect, this can include symbolic links.
.IP "\-size \fIn\fR[cwbkMG]"
-File uses \fIn\fP units of space, rounding up. The following suffixes
-can be used:
+File uses less than, more than or exactly \fIn\fP units of space, rounding up.
+The following suffixes can be used:
.RS
.IP `b'
for 512-byte blocks (this is the default if no suffix is used)
@@ -1035,11 +1050,12 @@ door (Solaris)
To search for more than one type at once, you can supply the combined list of
type letters separated by a comma `,' (GNU extension).
.IP "\-uid \fIn\fR"
-File's numeric user ID is
+File's numeric user ID is less than, more than or exactly
.IR n .
.IP "\-used \fIn\fR"
-File was last accessed \fIn\fR days after its status was last changed.
+File was last accessed less than, more than or exactly \fIn\fR days after its
+status was last changed.
.IP "\-user \fIuname\fR"
File is owned by user \fIuname\fR (numeric user ID allowed).