Finally, I succeeded; with a --exclude-from= pointing to a file containing:
+ /tmp
+ /tmp/*.conf
- *
Lessons:
- when U want only a few files, first include these files, then exclude
everything else
- include directories too.
- run the command without exclude-from, to spot where root is located:
in my case, etc was part of the root, which I didnt take into account.
- '- *' excludes directories too
But well, Im still unhappy.
When we read a program, written for a von-neuman machine (I mean: one
processor, one process, one thread), we have a way to foresee what it
does: in the head, or with paper or a board if too intricate, run the
program "by hand", step by step, as if single stepping with a
debugger.
I think we need here a method to represent how the files flow is
processed by rules.
Imbaud Pierre wrote:> Maybe I am tired. I have been reading man page, and these messages, and
> the website, I just dont understand how include/exclude works.
>
> Is there a decent tutorial on the subject, I missed, for some reason?
>
> all I want is to take /var/tmp/*.conf files. I dont want to recurse down
> thru directories (but, for reasons hard to explain, I must have the
> recursive option on)
>
> Reminds me when I tried to understand the find -prune option. I never
> succeeded.
>
> Or should I proceed empirically, preparing directories, and trying
> combination?
>
> And please tell me, those who master the include/exclude technique: how
> long did it take to reach full understanding?
>