lexec.md

lexec

Purpose

Locate executables

Syntax

Unix

Syntax: lexec [--verbose] pattern ...

Note that the pattern is a Python-style regular expression, not bash:

• The regular expressions are not anchored unless you use the ^ or $ metacharacters
• The asterisk metacharacter repeats the expression that precedes the asterisk
• etc.

Windoze only

Syntax: lexec [--verbose] [-s] pattern ...

Options and arguments

Option	Description	Default
-s or --system	Windoze only option: Search in system directories as well as non-system directories. See the note for a definition of system directories and explanation.	Do not search in system directories
-v	Enable verbose debugging	Debugging is not enabled

Example

Here's an example that uses my flow tool on Linux:

[mrbruno@bruno-meerkat ~]$ lexec git | flow
/usr/bin/git-shell                 /usr/bin/sgitopnm                  /usr/bin/git-receive-pack          /usr/bin/git
/usr/bin/git-upload-archive        /usr/bin/git-upload-pack           /home/mrbruno/bin/git-log          /home/mrbruno/bin/gitpush.sh
/home/mrbruno/bin/gitstatus.py     /home/mrbruno/bin/old-git          /home/mrbruno/bin/gitrepos         /home/mrbruno/bin/gitstatus
/home/mrbruno/bin/git-files        /home/mrbruno/bin/git-pushed       /home/mrbruno/bin/isgit            /home/mrbruno/bin/gitdiffs
/home/mrbruno/bin/gitdiff          /home/mrbruno/bin/gitter           /home/mrbruno/bin/gitsubs          /home/mrbruno/bin/gityup.py
/home/mrbruno/bin/git-stale        /home/mrbruno/bin/git-diff         /home/mrbruno/bin/git-pulls        /home/mrbruno/bin/gitbranches.py
/home/mrbruno/bin/gitpulls.sh      /home/mrbruno/bin/git-recent-files /home/mrbruno/bin/git-branches     /home/mrbruno/bin/gitdiff.py
/home/mrbruno/bin/whatgit          /home/mrbruno/bin/git-new-files    /home/mrbruno/bin/gitloggrep       /home/mrbruno/bin/gitpush.py
/home/mrbruno/bin/git-commit-check /home/mrbruno/bin/git-clone        /home/mrbruno/bin/git-extract      /home/mrbruno/bin/git-push
/home/mrbruno/bin/git-cat
[mrbruno@bruno-meerkat ~]$

Yes, I have a lot of files with "git" in the name and not all of them are even in this repo. I might not even use some of them anymore. I'm a packrat!

Notes

• The tool looks for executable files in directories that make up the shell's $PATH environment variable

• No, Windoze is not a misspelling. It is the way I spell the operating system and if you don't like it, tough.

• Windoze system directories are:

  • /c/Windows
  • /c/Program Files

  I found when using the tool on Cygwin and not ignoring these directories took an extraordinary amount of time and I was rarely interested in those files anyway. So by default they are ignored.