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(make.info.gz) Wildcards

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 4.4 Using Wildcard Characters in File Names
 ===========================================
 
 A single file name can specify many files using "wildcard characters".
 The wildcard characters in `make' are `*', `?' and `[...]', the same as
 in the Bourne shell.  For example, `*.c' specifies a list of all the
 files (in the working directory) whose names end in `.c'.
 
    The character `~' at the beginning of a file name also has special
 significance.  If alone, or followed by a slash, it represents your home
 directory.  For example `~/bin' expands to `/home/you/bin'.  If the `~'
 is followed by a word, the string represents the home directory of the
 user named by that word.  For example `~john/bin' expands to
 `/home/john/bin'.  On systems which don't have a home directory for
 each user (such as MS-DOS or MS-Windows), this functionality can be
 simulated by setting the environment variable HOME.
 
    Wildcard expansion is performed by `make' automatically in targets
 and in prerequisites.  In commands the shell is responsible for
 wildcard expansion.  In other contexts, wildcard expansion happens only
 if you request it explicitly with the `wildcard' function.
 
    The special significance of a wildcard character can be turned off by
 preceding it with a backslash.  Thus, `foo\*bar' would refer to a
 specific file whose name consists of `foo', an asterisk, and `bar'.
 

Menu

 
* Wildcard Examples           Several examples
* Wildcard Pitfall            Problems to avoid.
* Wildcard Function           How to cause wildcard expansion where
                                   it does not normally take place.
 
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