


fileutil::multi::op(n)    file utilities   fileutil::multi::op(n)


______________________________________________________________________________

NAME
       fileutil::multi::op - Multi-file operation, scatter/gather

SYNOPSIS
       package require Tcl  8.4

       package require fileutil::multi::op  ?0.5.3?

       package require wip  ?1.0?

       ::fileutil::multi::op ?opName? ?word...?

       opName option ?arg arg ...?

       $opName do ?word...?

       into directory

       in directory

       to directory

       from directory

       not pattern

       for pattern

       exclude pattern

       but

       except

       as name

       recursive

       recursively

       copy

       move

       remove

       expand

       invoke cmdprefix

       reset




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fileutil::multi::op(n)    file utilities   fileutil::multi::op(n)


       (

       )

       cd directory

       up

       for-windows

       for-win

       for-unix

       the pattern

       the-set varname

       -> varname

       strict

       !strict

       files

       links

       directories

       dirs

       all

       state?

       as?

       excluded?

       from?

       into?

       operation?

       recursive?

       strict?

       type?

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fileutil::multi::op(n)    file utilities   fileutil::multi::op(n)


DESCRIPTION
       This package provides objects which are able to perform actions on mul-
       tiple files selected by glob patterns.

       At the core is a domain specific language allowing the easy  specifica-
       tion  of multi-file copy and/or move and/or deletion operations. Alter-
       nate names would be scatter/gather processor, or maybe even  assembler.

CLASS API
       The main command of the package is:

       ::fileutil::multi::op ?opName? ?word...?
              The  command  creates  a new multi-file operation object with an
              associated global Tcl command whose name is opName.   This  com-
              mand can be used to invoke the various possible file operations.
              It has the following general form:

              opName option ?arg arg ...?
                     Option and the args determine the exact behavior  of  the
                     command.

       If the string %AUTO% is used as the opName then the package will gener-
       ate a unique name on its own.

       If one or more words are specified they are interpreted as  an  initial
       set  of  file commands to execute. I.e. the method do of the newly con-
       structed object is implicitly invoked using the words as its arguments.



OBJECT API
       The following methods are possible for multi-file operation objects:

       $opName do ?word...?
              This  method  interprets the specified words as file commands to
              execute. See the section FILE API for the set of acceptable com-
              mands, their syntax, and semantics.

              The  result  of  the  method is the result generated by the last
              file command it executed.


FILE API
       Both object constructor and method do take a list of words  and  inter-
       pret  them  as file commands to execute. The names were chosen to allow
       the construction of operations as sentences in  near-natural  language.
       Most  of  the commands influence just the state of the object, i.e. are
       simply providing the configuration used by the command  triggering  the
       actual action.

       into directory
              Specifies the destination directory for operations.





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       in directory
              Alias for into.

       to directory
              Alias for into.

       from directory
              Specifies the source directory for operations.

       not pattern
              Specifies a glob pattern for paths to be excluded from the oper-
              ation.

       for pattern
              Alias for not.

       exclude pattern
              Alias for not.

       but    Has no arguments of its own, but looks  ahead  in  the  list  of
              words  and  executes  all not commands immediately following it.
              This allows the construction of  "but  not"  and  "but  exclude"
              clauses  for  a  more natural sounding specification of excluded
              paths.

       except A semi-alias for but. Has no arguments of  its  own,  but  looks
              ahead in the list of words and executes all for commands immedi-
              ately following it. This allows the construction of "except for"
              clauses  for  a  more natural sounding specification of excluded
              paths.

       as name
              Specifies a new name for the first file handled by  the  current
              operation.  I.e.  for  the  renaming of a single file during the
              operation.

       recursive
              Signals that file expansion should happen in the whole directory
              hierarchy and not just the directory itself.

       recursively
              An alias for recursive.

       copy   Signals  that  the operation is the copying of files from source
              to destination directory per the specified inclusion and  exclu-
              sion patterns.

       move   Signals that the operation is the moving of files from source to
              destination directory per the specified inclusion and  exclusion
              patterns.

       remove Signals that the operation is the removal of files in the desti-
              nation directory per the specified inclusion and exclusion  pat-
              terns.



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       expand Signals  that  there  is no operation but the calculation of the
              set of files from the include and exclude patterns. This  opera-
              tion is not available if the-set is used.

       invoke cmdprefix
              Signals  that the user-specified command prefix cmdprefix is the
              operation to perform. The command  prefix  is  executed  at  the
              global  level and given the source directory, destination direc-
              tory, and set of files (as dictionary  mapping  from  source  to
              destination files), in this order.

       reset  Forces  the  object into the ground state where all parts of the
              configuration have default values.

       (      Saves a copy of the current object state on a stack.

       )      Takes the state at the top of the state stack and  restores  it,
              i.e. makes it the new current object state.

       cd directory
              Changes the destination directory to the sub-directory directory
              of the current destination.

       up     Changes the destination directory to the parent directory of the
              current destination.

       for-windows
              Checks  that  Windows is the current platform. Aborts processing
              if not.

       for-win
              An alias for for-windows.

       for-unix
              Checks that Unix is the current platform. Aborts  processing  if
              not.

       the pattern
              This  command  specifies the files to operate on per a glob pat-
              tern, and is also the active element,  i.e.  the  command  which
              actually  performs  the  specified operation. All the other com-
              mands only modified the object state to set  the  operation  up,
              but di nothing else.

              To  allow  for  a more natural sounding syntax this command also
              looks ahead in the list of words looks and executes several com-
              mands   immediately  following  it  before  performing  its  own
              actions.  These commands are as, but, exclude, except, from, and
              into (and aliases). That way these commands act like qualifiers,
              and still take effect as if they had been  written  before  this
              command.

              After  the  operation  has  been  performed the object state the
              exclude patterns and the alias name, if specified, are reset  to



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fileutil::multi::op(n)    file utilities   fileutil::multi::op(n)


              their default values (i.e. empty), but nothing else.

       the-set varname
              Like  the,  however  the  set  of  files to use is not specified
              implicitly per a glob pattern, but contained and loaded from the
              specified  variable.  The  operation  expand is not available if
              this command is used.

       -> varname
              Saves the set of files from the last expansion into  the  speci-
              fied variable.

       strict Make  file expansion and definition of destination directory (in
              and aliases) strict, i.e. report errors for missing directories,
              and empty expansion.

       !strict
              Complement  of  strict. A missing destination directory or empty
              expansion are not reported as errors.

       files  Limit the search to files. Default is to accept  every  type  of
              path.

       links  Limit  the  search to symbolic links. Default is to accept every
              type of path.

       directories
              Limit the search to directories. Default is to accept every type
              of path.

       dirs   An alias for directories.

       all    Accept all types of paths (default).

       state? Returns  the current state of the object as dictionary. The dic-
              tionary keys and their meanings are:

              as     Last setting made by as.

              excluded
                     List of currently known exclusion patterns.

              from   Current source directory, set by from.

              into   Current destination directory, set by into (and aliases).

              operation
                     Current  operation to perform, set by copy, move, remove,
                     expand, or invoke.

              recursive
                     Current recursion  status.  Set/unset  by  recursive  and
                     !recursive.




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fileutil::multi::op(n)    file utilities   fileutil::multi::op(n)


              strict Current strictness. Set/unset by strict and !strict.

              type   Current  path type limiter. Set by either files, directo-
                     ries, links, or all.

       as?    Returns the current alias name.

       excluded?
              Returns the current set of exclusion patterns.

       from?  Returns the current source directory.

       into?  Returns the current destination directory.

       operation?
              Returns the current operation to perform.

       recursive?
              Returns the current recursion status.

       strict?
              Returns the current strictness.

       type?  Returns the current path type limiter.


EXAMPLES
       The following examples assume that the variable F contains a  reference
       to a multi-file operation object.

           $F do copy                       \\
            the  *.dll                    \\
            from c:/TDK/PrivateOpenSSL/bin \\
            to   [installdir_of tls]


           $F do move      \\
            the  *       \\
            from /sources \\
            into /scratch  \\
            but not *.html

           # Alternatively use 'except for *.html'.


           $F do           \\
            move         \\
            the  index    \\
            from /sources  \\
            into /scratch   \\
            as   pkgIndex.tcl


           $F do         \\



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fileutil::multi::op(n)    file utilities   fileutil::multi::op(n)


            remove     \\
            the *.txt  \\
            in /scratch

       Note  that  the  fact  that  most commands just modify the object state
       allows us to use more off  forms  as  specifications  instead  of  just
       nearly-natural  language  sentences.  For example the second example in
       this section can re-arranged into:

           $F do            \\
            from /sources \\
            into /scratch  \\
            but not *.html \\
            move           \\
            the  *

       and the result is not only still a valid specification, but even  stays
       relatively readable.

       Further  note  that  the  information  collected  by  the commands but,
       except, and as is automatically reset after the associated the was exe-
       cuted.  However  no  other  state is reset in that manner, allowing the
       user to avoid repetitions of unchanging information.  For  example  the
       second  and  third examples of this section can be merged and rewritten
       into the equivalent:

       $F do                   \\
           move                 \\
           the  *                \\
           from /sources          \\
           into /scratch           \\
           but not *.html not index \\
           the  index               \\
           as   pkgIndex.tcl


BUGS, IDEAS, FEEDBACK
       This document, and the package it describes, will  undoubtedly  contain
       bugs  and  other problems.  Please report such in the category fileutil
       of       the       Tcllib       SF       Trackers       [http://source-
       forge.net/tracker/?group_id=12883].   Please  also report any ideas for
       enhancements you may have for either package and/or documentation.

KEYWORDS
       copy, file utilities, move, multi-file, remove

CATEGORY
       Programming tools









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