File globbing (wildcards *, ?, []) in Linux CLI - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What does the wildcard * mean in file globbing?

The * wildcard matches zero or more characters in file names. For example, *.txt matches all files ending with .txt.

beginner

How does the ? wildcard work in file globbing?

The ? wildcard matches exactly one character. For example, file?.txt matches file1.txt or fileA.txt but not file12.txt.

beginner

What is the purpose of square brackets [] in file globbing?

Square brackets [] match any one character inside them. For example, file[123].txt matches file1.txt, file2.txt, or file3.txt.

beginner

How would you match all files starting with 'data' and ending with '.csv' using globbing?

Use the pattern data*.csv. The * matches any characters between 'data' and '.csv'.

intermediate

What does the pattern file[!a-c].txt match?

It matches files named file followed by any single character except 'a', 'b', or 'c', then .txt. For example, filed.txt matches but filea.txt does not.

Which wildcard matches exactly one character?

A ?

B {}

C []

D *

The ? wildcard matches exactly one character in file names.

What does the pattern *.sh match?

A All files ending with .sh

B All files starting with .sh

C Files with exactly 3 characters

D Files named * or .sh

*.sh matches any file name that ends with .sh.

How do you match files named file1.txt, file2.txt, or file3.txt but not file4.txt?

A file?.txt

B file[123].txt

C file*.txt

D file[!123].txt

file[123].txt matches files with one character from 1, 2, or 3 after 'file'.

What does the pattern file[!a-c].txt do?

A Matches files starting with filea-c

B Matches files with a, b, or c after file

C Matches files without a, b, or c after file

D Matches files ending with a-c.txt

The ! inside [] negates the set, so it matches any character except a, b, or c.

Which pattern matches all files starting with 'log' and ending with any single character?

A log*

B log[?]

C log[]

D log?

log? matches files starting with 'log' followed by exactly one character.

Explain how the wildcards *, ?, and [] work in file globbing with examples.

Think about how you find files by patterns in a folder.

Describe how to exclude certain characters using file globbing patterns.

It's like saying 'match anything except these letters'.