chmod -R 755 *.cgi - GoFuckYourself.com

HQ · 09-26-2002, 06:58 AM

Why does this command NOT work?

chmod -R 755 *.cgi
chmod: getting attributes of `*.cgi': No such file or directory

I want to recursively change every .cgi file to 755. Is there no way to do a wildcard and recurse at the same time with chmod?

Vendot · 09-26-2002, 07:03 AM

Looks like you need to recurse and wildcard before you chmod the .attribute.

If you chmod the 755 back to 745 it will also.

HQ · 09-26-2002, 07:05 AM

You mean like this?

chmod -R *.cgi 755
chmod: invalid mode string: `*.cgi'

gallerypost · 09-26-2002, 07:36 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by HQ
Why does this command NOT work?

chmod -R 755 *.cgi
chmod: getting attributes of `*.cgi': No such file or directory

I want to recursively change every .cgi file to 755. Is there no way to do a wildcard and recurse at the same time with chmod?

bah... well the thing is that when you give it *.cgi it'll search only for *.cgi files for the chmod...
directories aren't *.cgi so the -R won't help, it won't get into the directories....

that's why it didn't work, but i don't know what should work, i almost have no clue about *nix .... so if you find the answer... please share it with us ;)

HQ · 09-26-2002, 07:38 AM

I think you are right. How do I tell it to recurse a directory (the current directory) and apply the *.cgi wildcard at the same time?

boldy · 09-26-2002, 07:43 AM

HQ · 09-26-2002, 07:46 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by boldy
.

I know that. How do I do both though?

HQ · 09-26-2002, 07:48 AM

[edit]

I was wrong. This command does NOT work.:

chmod -R 755 . *.cgi

It changes ALL files. Same as running this command:

chmod -R 755 .

boldy · 09-26-2002, 07:59 AM

Told u

.

HQ · 09-26-2002, 08:23 AM

Nope, I was wrong. That above command CHANGES ALL FILES just as running "chmod -R 755 ." would do.

FUCK!

HQ · 09-26-2002, 08:26 AM

Anyone know how to do this? If it can not be done, I am going to have to code a script to do this because I have way too many files to manually change.

FuqALot · 09-26-2002, 08:59 AM

Hi,

cd to the directory and type:
find -name '*.cgi' -exec chmod 755 {} \;

Hope this helps.

salsbury · 09-26-2002, 09:07 AM

to summarize, keep this in mind.

your shell is what does the wildcard expansion. so when you type:

chmod -R 755 *.cgi

your shell expands *.cgi to a list of the files in the current directory that end with .cgi . this would also include directories (which are basically files) that happened to be named something.cgi . only after the expansion is done are the arguments actually sent to chmod.

some shells will error out if there are no .cgi files. other shells (better shells) wil just pass '*.cgi' on to the chmod binary. chmod doesn't understand wildcards (most binaries don't, find is an exception) so it would try to change the permissions on a file called '*.cgi'. if that file was a directory it would change them recursively.

fuqalot's post is correct. i'm just clarifying why this happens.

HQ · 09-26-2002, 09:35 AM

Thanks for explaining how it works salsbury, that helps a lot. So wildcards and recursing are exclusive, which is what I thought, I just did not know exactly why.

HQ · 09-26-2002, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by FuqALot
cd to the directory and type:
find -name '*.cgi' -exec chmod 755 {} \;

Oh... and thanks a million, FuqALot, it works.

BTW, the "{}" is the list of files that find returns, right? What is the "\" for?

FuqALot · 09-26-2002, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by HQ

Oh... and thanks a million, FuqALot, it works.

BTW, the "{}" is the list of files that find returns, right?

Yep.

Quote:

What is the "\" for?

The \; just terminates the command (-exec option), so it 'tells' the -exec line has ended.

HQ · 09-26-2002, 10:52 AM

Excellent. Thanks again.

09-26-2002, 06:58 AM	#1
HQ Confirmed User Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 3,539	*chmod -R 755 .cgi** Why does this command NOT work? chmod -R 755 .cgi chmod: getting attributes of `.cgi': No such file or directory I want to recursively change every .cgi file to 755. Is there no way to do a wildcard and recurse at the same time with chmod?

09-26-2002, 07:03 AM	#2
Vendot Confirmed User Industry Role: Join Date: May 2002 Location: Malaysia Posts: 3,376	Looks like you need to recurse and wildcard before you chmod the .attribute. If you chmod the 755 back to 745 it will also. __________________ "In a Time of Universal Deceit, Telling the Truth is a Revolutionary Act." - George Orwell

09-26-2002, 07:43 AM	#6
boldy Macdaddy coder Industry Role: Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: MacDaddy pimp coder Posts: 2,806	. __________________ MacDaddy Coder. Last edited by boldy; 09-26-2002 at 07:45 AM..

09-26-2002, 07:48 AM	#8
HQ Confirmed User Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 3,539	[edit] I was wrong. This command does NOT work.: chmod -R 755 . .cgi It changes ALL files. Same as running this command: chmod -R 755 . Last edited by HQ; 09-26-2002 at 08:24 AM..*

09-26-2002, 07:59 AM	#9
boldy Macdaddy coder Industry Role: Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: MacDaddy pimp coder Posts: 2,806	Told u . __________________ MacDaddy Coder.

09-26-2002, 07:05 AM	#3
HQ Confirmed User Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 3,539	You mean like this? chmod -R .cgi 755 chmod: invalid mode string: `.cgi'

09-26-2002, 07:38 AM	#5
HQ Confirmed User Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 3,539	I think you are right. How do I tell it to recurse a directory (the current directory) and apply the *.cgi wildcard at the same time?

09-26-2002, 08:23 AM	#10
HQ Confirmed User Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 3,539	Nope, I was wrong. That above command CHANGES ALL FILES just as running "chmod -R 755 ." would do. FUCK!

09-26-2002, 08:26 AM	#11
HQ Confirmed User Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 3,539	Anyone know how to do this? If it can not be done, I am going to have to code a script to do this because I have way too many files to manually change.

09-26-2002, 08:59 AM	#12
FuqALot Confirmed User Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Malibu Posts: 3,817	Hi, cd to the directory and type: find -name '*.cgi' -exec chmod 755 {} \; Hope this helps.

09-26-2002, 09:07 AM	#13
salsbury Confirmed User Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Seattle Posts: 1,070	to summarize, keep this in mind. your shell is what does the wildcard expansion. so when you type: chmod -R 755 .cgi your shell expands .cgi to a list of the files in the current directory that end with .cgi . this would also include directories (which are basically files) that happened to be named something.cgi . only after the expansion is done are the arguments actually sent to chmod. some shells will error out if there are no .cgi files. other shells (better shells) wil just pass '.cgi' on to the chmod binary. chmod doesn't understand wildcards (most binaries don't, find is an exception) so it would try to change the permissions on a file called '.cgi'. if that file was a directory it would change them recursively. fuqalot's post is correct. i'm just clarifying why this happens. __________________

09-26-2002, 09:35 AM	#14
HQ Confirmed User Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 3,539	Thanks for explaining how it works salsbury, that helps a lot. So wildcards and recursing are exclusive, which is what I thought, I just did not know exactly why.

09-26-2002, 10:52 AM	#17
HQ Confirmed User Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 3,539	Excellent. Thanks again.