Linux – How to apply CHMOD command to any file with a specific name recursively in Linux

bashcommand-line-interfacelinuxUbuntu

I need to know how to apply a CHMOD command to only files that have a specific name recursively?

chmod 755 -R filename

Something like above but it should apply to any filename that exists in any sub folders.

Best Answer

This will find all files named filename, recursively from the current directory, and pass them to chmod.

find -name filename | xargs chmod 755

See the manpages for find and xargs for more advanced options. In particular, look at the -print0 flag and corresponding -0 to xargs if you get errors about files with spaces in the name.

Related Solutions

Linux – Copying a large directory tree locally? cp or rsync

I would use rsync as it means that if it is interrupted for any reason, then you can restart it easily with very little cost. And being rsync, it can even restart part way through a large file. As others mention, it can exclude files easily. The simplest way to preserve most things is to use the -a flag – ‘archive.’ So:

rsync -a source dest

Although UID/GID and symlinks are preserved by -a (see -lpgo), your question implies you might want a full copy of the filesystem information; and -a doesn't include hard-links, extended attributes, or ACLs (on Linux) or the above nor resource forks (on OS X.) Thus, for a robust copy of a filesystem, you'll need to include those flags:

rsync -aHAX source dest # Linux
rsync -aHE source dest  # OS X

The default cp will start again, though the -u flag will "copy only when the SOURCE file is newer than the destination file or when the destination file is missing". And the -a (archive) flag will be recursive, not recopy files if you have to restart and preserve permissions. So:

cp -au source dest

Linux – How to exclude a folder when performing file operations i.e. cp, mv, rm and chown etc. in Linux

Inverse Globbing:
You want an inverse match of a glob, I would do it like the following:

You can do an inverse match with a newer bash if you enable extended globbing. For example, to match everything that doesn't have foo or bar in the name:

shopt -s extglob
echo !(*foo*|*bar*)

Or just everything that doesn't have foo:

shopt -s extglob
echo !(*foo*)

Find:
You could also use find (this is the most robust option I think), and use ! to negate a match, and then run the command with xargs -0:

find . ! -iname 'foo' -print0 | xargs -0 echo

Simple:
Just mv the folder somewhere else, do what you need to do, and put it back :-)

Best Answer

Related Solutions

Linux – Copying a large directory tree locally? cp or rsync

Linux – How to exclude a folder when performing file operations i.e. cp, mv, rm and chown etc. in Linux

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