:mod:`glob` --- Unix style pathname pattern expansion ===================================================== .. module:: glob :synopsis: Unix shell style pathname pattern expansion. **Source code:** :source:`Lib/glob.py` .. index:: single: filenames; pathname expansion -------------- .. index:: single: * (asterisk); in glob-style wildcards single: ? (question mark); in glob-style wildcards single: [] (square brackets); in glob-style wildcards single: ! (exclamation); in glob-style wildcards single: - (minus); in glob-style wildcards single: . (dot); in glob-style wildcards The :mod:`glob` module finds all the pathnames matching a specified pattern according to the rules used by the Unix shell, although results are returned in arbitrary order. No tilde expansion is done, but ``*``, ``?``, and character ranges expressed with ``[]`` will be correctly matched. This is done by using the :func:`os.scandir` and :func:`fnmatch.fnmatch` functions in concert, and not by actually invoking a subshell. Note that files beginning with a dot (``.``) can only be matched by patterns that also start with a dot, unlike :func:`fnmatch.fnmatch` or :func:`pathlib.Path.glob`. (For tilde and shell variable expansion, use :func:`os.path.expanduser` and :func:`os.path.expandvars`.) For a literal match, wrap the meta-characters in brackets. For example, ``'[?]'`` matches the character ``'?'``. The :mod:`glob` module defines the following functions: .. function:: glob(pathname, *, root_dir=None, dir_fd=None, recursive=False, \ include_hidden=False) Return 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 :file:`/usr/src/Python-1.5/Makefile`) or relative (like :file:`../../Tools/\*/\*.gif`), and can contain shell-style wildcards. Broken symlinks are included in the results (as in the shell). Whether or not the results are sorted depends on the file system. If a file that satisfies conditions is removed or added during the call of this function, whether a path name for that file will be included is unspecified. If *root_dir* is not ``None``, it should be a :term:`path-like object` specifying the root directory for searching. It has the same effect on :func:`glob` as changing the current directory before calling it. If *pathname* is relative, the result will contain paths relative to *root_dir*. This function can support :ref:`paths relative to directory descriptors ` with the *dir_fd* parameter. .. index:: single: **; in glob-style wildcards If *recursive* is true, the pattern "``**``" will match any files and zero or more directories, subdirectories and symbolic links to directories. If the pattern is followed by an :data:`os.sep` or :data:`os.altsep` then files will not match. If *include_hidden* is true, "``**``" pattern will match hidden directories. .. audit-event:: glob.glob pathname,recursive glob.glob .. audit-event:: glob.glob/2 pathname,recursive,root_dir,dir_fd glob.glob .. note:: Using the "``**``" pattern in large directory trees may consume an inordinate amount of time. .. versionchanged:: 3.5 Support for recursive globs using "``**``". .. versionchanged:: 3.10 Added the *root_dir* and *dir_fd* parameters. .. versionchanged:: 3.11 Added the *include_hidden* parameter. .. function:: iglob(pathname, *, root_dir=None, dir_fd=None, recursive=False, \ include_hidden=False) Return an :term:`iterator` which yields the same values as :func:`glob` without actually storing them all simultaneously. .. audit-event:: glob.glob pathname,recursive glob.iglob .. audit-event:: glob.glob/2 pathname,recursive,root_dir,dir_fd glob.iglob .. versionchanged:: 3.5 Support for recursive globs using "``**``". .. versionchanged:: 3.10 Added the *root_dir* and *dir_fd* parameters. .. versionchanged:: 3.11 Added the *include_hidden* parameter. .. function:: escape(pathname) Escape all special characters (``'?'``, ``'*'`` and ``'['``). This is useful if you want to match an arbitrary literal string that may have special characters in it. Special characters in drive/UNC sharepoints are not escaped, e.g. on Windows ``escape('//?/c:/Quo vadis?.txt')`` returns ``'//?/c:/Quo vadis[?].txt'``. .. versionadded:: 3.4 .. function:: translate(pathname, *, recursive=False, include_hidden=False, seps=None) Convert the given path specification to a regular expression for use with :func:`re.match`. The path specification can contain shell-style wildcards. For example: >>> import glob, re >>> >>> regex = glob.translate('**/*.txt', recursive=True, include_hidden=True) >>> regex '(?s:(?:.+/)?[^/]*\\.txt)\\Z' >>> reobj = re.compile(regex) >>> reobj.match('foo/bar/baz.txt') Path separators and segments are meaningful to this function, unlike :func:`fnmatch.translate`. By default wildcards do not match path separators, and ``*`` pattern segments match precisely one path segment. If *recursive* is true, the pattern segment "``**``" will match any number of path segments. If "``**``" occurs in any position other than a full pattern segment, :exc:`ValueError` is raised. If *include_hidden* is true, wildcards can match path segments that start with a dot (``.``). A sequence of path separators may be supplied to the *seps* argument. If not given, :data:`os.sep` and :data:`~os.altsep` (if available) are used. .. seealso:: :meth:`pathlib.PurePath.full_match` and :meth:`pathlib.Path.glob` methods, which call this function to implement pattern matching and globbing. .. versionadded:: 3.13 Examples -------- Consider a directory containing the following files: :file:`1.gif`, :file:`2.txt`, :file:`card.gif` and a subdirectory :file:`sub` which contains only the file :file:`3.txt`. :func:`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'] >>> glob.glob('**/*.txt', recursive=True) ['2.txt', 'sub/3.txt'] >>> glob.glob('./**/', recursive=True) ['./', './sub/'] If the directory contains files starting with ``.`` they won't be matched by default. For example, consider a directory containing :file:`card.gif` and :file:`.card.gif`:: >>> import glob >>> glob.glob('*.gif') ['card.gif'] >>> glob.glob('.c*') ['.card.gif'] .. seealso:: The :mod:`fnmatch` module offers shell-style filename (not path) expansion. .. seealso:: The :mod:`pathlib` module offers high-level path objects.