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# fileutil::multi::op(n) 0.5.3 tcllib "file utilities"

## 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
- (
- )
- 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?

## Description

This package provides objects which are able to perform actions on multiple files selected by glob patterns.

At the core is a domain specific language allowing the easy specification of multi-file copy and/or move and/or deletion operations. Alternate 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 command 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 generate 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 constructed 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 commands, 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 interpret 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.

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 operation.

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 immediately 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 exclusion 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 destination directory per the specified inclusion and exclusion patterns.

expand

  Signals that there is no operation but the calculation of the set of files from the include and exclude patterns. This operation 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 directory, 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 pattern, and is also the active element, i.e. the command which actually performs the specified operation. All the other commands 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 commands 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 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 specified 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 dictionary 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.

  strict

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

  type

    Current path type limiter. Set by either files, directories, 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         \\
    	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 executed. 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 Trackers. 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