GNU bug report logs - #45432
Use both --include and --exclude at the same time

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Message #5 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: "Fred .Flintstone" <eldmannen <at> gmail.com>
To: bug-grep <at> gnu.org
Subject: Use both --include and --exclude at the same time
Date: Fri, 25 Dec 2020 14:17:32 +0100

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

Hi,

It seems --exclude does nothing when --include is used. It would be useful
to be able to use both together, in order to do things such as recusively
grepping files of a certain file extension while excluding certain
directories.

Example:
$ grep --recursive --include="*.cs" --exclude="*/tests/*"

[Message part 2 (text/html, inline)]

Message #8 received at 45432 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Jim Meyering <jim <at> meyering.net>
To: "Fred .Flintstone" <eldmannen <at> gmail.com>
Cc: 45432 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#45432: Use both --include and --exclude at the same time
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 2021 09:55:48 -0800

tags 45432 moreinfo
stop

On Fri, Dec 25, 2020 at 8:57 AM Fred .Flintstone <eldmannen <at> gmail.com> wrote:
> It seems --exclude does nothing when --include is used. It would be useful
> to be able to use both together, in order to do things such as recusively
> grepping files of a certain file extension while excluding certain
> directories.
>
> Example:
> $ grep --recursive --include="*.cs" --exclude="*/tests/*"

Can you provide a complete example showing a malfunction?
You've probably already read this from "info grep", but see also
the description of --exclude there:

‘--include=GLOB’
     Search only files whose name matches GLOB, using wildcard matching
     as described under ‘--exclude’.  If contradictory ‘--include’ and
     ‘--exclude’ options are given, the last matching one wins.  If no
     ‘--include’ or ‘--exclude’ options match, a file is included unless
     the first such option is ‘--include’.

Message #11 received at 45432 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Norihiro Tanaka <noritnk <at> kcn.ne.jp>
To: Jim Meyering <jim <at> meyering.net>
Cc: "Fred .Flintstone" <eldmannen <at> gmail.com>, 45432 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#45432: Use both --include and --exclude at the same time
Date: Tue, 05 Jan 2021 22:27:30 +0900

On Mon, 4 Jan 2021 09:55:48 -0800
Jim Meyering <jim <at> meyering.net> wrote:

> tags 45432 moreinfo
> stop
> 
> On Fri, Dec 25, 2020 at 8:57 AM Fred .Flintstone <eldmannen <at> gmail.com> wrote:
> > It seems --exclude does nothing when --include is used. It would be useful
> > to be able to use both together, in order to do things such as recusively
> > grepping files of a certain file extension while excluding certain
> > directories.
> >
> > Example:
> > $ grep --recursive --include="*.cs" --exclude="*/tests/*"
> 
> Can you provide a complete example showing a malfunction?
> You've probably already read this from "info grep", but see also
> the description of --exclude there:
> 
> ‘--include=GLOB’
>      Search only files whose name matches GLOB, using wildcard matching
>      as described under ‘--exclude’.  If contradictory ‘--include’ and
>      ‘--exclude’ options are given, the last matching one wins.  If no
>      ‘--include’ or ‘--exclude’ options match, a file is included unless
>      the first such option is ‘--include’.

I understand as he requests "AND" condition.

$ mkdir a b
$ touch a/x.a a/x.b b/x.a b/x.b
$ for file in */*; do echo x >$file; done

Current result:
$ grep --recursive '--include=*.a' '--exclude=b/*' x .
./b/x.a:x
./a/x.a:x

Request from him:
$ grep --recursive '--include=*.a' '--exclude=b/*' x .
./a/x.a:x

It means "*.a expept b/*"

Message #14 received at 45432 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: "Fred .Flintstone" <eldmannen <at> gmail.com>
To: Norihiro Tanaka <noritnk <at> kcn.ne.jp>
Cc: Jim Meyering <jim <at> meyering.net>, 45432 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#45432: Use both --include and --exclude at the same time
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 2021 21:12:09 +0100

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

Yes, I meant like Tanaka said, I want BOTH to include AND exclude.
So I can include only a file extension, and exclude certain directories
such as directories containing unit tests and integration tests.

On Tue, Jan 5, 2021 at 2:27 PM Norihiro Tanaka <noritnk <at> kcn.ne.jp> wrote:

>
> On Mon, 4 Jan 2021 09:55:48 -0800
> Jim Meyering <jim <at> meyering.net> wrote:
>
> > tags 45432 moreinfo
> > stop
> >
> > On Fri, Dec 25, 2020 at 8:57 AM Fred .Flintstone <eldmannen <at> gmail.com>
> wrote:
> > > It seems --exclude does nothing when --include is used. It would be
> useful
> > > to be able to use both together, in order to do things such as
> recusively
> > > grepping files of a certain file extension while excluding certain
> > > directories.
> > >
> > > Example:
> > > $ grep --recursive --include="*.cs" --exclude="*/tests/*"
> >
> > Can you provide a complete example showing a malfunction?
> > You've probably already read this from "info grep", but see also
> > the description of --exclude there:
> >
> > ‘--include=GLOB’
> >      Search only files whose name matches GLOB, using wildcard matching
> >      as described under ‘--exclude’.  If contradictory ‘--include’ and
> >      ‘--exclude’ options are given, the last matching one wins.  If no
> >      ‘--include’ or ‘--exclude’ options match, a file is included unless
> >      the first such option is ‘--include’.
>
> I understand as he requests "AND" condition.
>
> $ mkdir a b
> $ touch a/x.a a/x.b b/x.a b/x.b
> $ for file in */*; do echo x >$file; done
>
> Current result:
> $ grep --recursive '--include=*.a' '--exclude=b/*' x .
> ./b/x.a:x
> ./a/x.a:x
>
> Request from him:
> $ grep --recursive '--include=*.a' '--exclude=b/*' x .
> ./a/x.a:x
>
> It means "*.a expept b/*"
>
>

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Message #17 received at 45432 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Paul Eggert <eggert <at> cs.ucla.edu>
To: "Fred .Flintstone" <eldmannen <at> gmail.com>,
 Norihiro Tanaka <noritnk <at> kcn.ne.jp>
Cc: 45432 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#45432: Use both --include and --exclude at the same time
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 2021 22:16:41 -0800

On 1/6/21 12:12 PM, Fred .Flintstone wrote:
> Yes, I meant like Tanaka said, I want BOTH to include AND exclude.
> So I can include only a file extension, and exclude certain directories
> such as directories containing unit tests and integration tests.

grep -r --include='*.cs' --exclude-dir='tests' PATTERN DIR

Message #20 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: "Paul Jackson" <pj <at> usa.net>
To: bug-grep <at> gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#45432: Use both --include and --exclude at the same time
Date: Thu, 07 Jan 2021 00:51:43 -0600

Being an old school geek, I recommend using the "find" command,
perhaps piped to "xargs grep", to control which files to grep.

The find command has a more general syntax for logically choosing
files, by any property of name, path or stat fields, with possible nested
and, or and not predicates, as needed.

However ... I learned how to use find, xargs and grep long before grep
had any such options as --include and --exclude, so I should probably
be ignored as not contributing to the current discussion.

Carry on ... <chuckle>.

P.S. -- Best use "find -print0" and "xargs -0", in order to avoid some
ancient and regrettable nasty irregularities in how xargs otherwise
handles embedded spaces and unbalanced quotation marks in the
input stream.

See my xargs wrapper for a convenient workaround for this nastiness:
http://thepythoniccow.us/x.c.txt

-- 
                Paul Jackson
                pj <at> usa.net

Message #23 received at 45432 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: "Fred .Flintstone" <eldmannen <at> gmail.com>
To: Paul Eggert <eggert <at> cs.ucla.edu>
Cc: Norihiro Tanaka <noritnk <at> kcn.ne.jp>, 45432 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#45432: Use both --include and --exclude at the same time
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 2021 13:58:42 +0100

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

Thanks!

I didn't know about the --exclude-dir option.

On Thu, Jan 7, 2021 at 7:16 AM Paul Eggert <eggert <at> cs.ucla.edu> wrote:

> On 1/6/21 12:12 PM, Fred .Flintstone wrote:
> > Yes, I meant like Tanaka said, I want BOTH to include AND exclude.
> > So I can include only a file extension, and exclude certain directories
> > such as directories containing unit tests and integration tests.
>
> grep -r --include='*.cs' --exclude-dir='tests' PATTERN DIR
>

[Message part 2 (text/html, inline)]

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