Find Files by Date in Linux: A Comprehensive Guide

When working with files on a Linux system, being able to find specific files based on their date can be a crucial task. In this article, we will explore how to use the `find` and `xargs` commands to locate files by date in Linux.

One of the most important things to remember when using `find` is that it treats whitespace as the end of a filename. This means that files with spaces in their names may not be processed correctly. To overcome this issue, we can use the `-0` argument with `xargs`, which tells it not to treat whitespace as the end of a filename.

The command `/ -name '*.page' -type f -print0 | xargs -0 tar -cvzf page_` is an example of how to use `find` and `xargs` together. This command starts in the current directory, searching for files with the name '*.page'. The `-name` argument specifies the search string, and the `-type f` argument tells `find` to only consider files (not directories). The `print0` argument tells `find` not to treat whitespace as the end of a filename.

Once we have located the files using `find`, we can use `xargs` to perform some action on them. In this case, we are using `tar` to create an archive file of the found files. The `-cvzf` arguments tell `tar` to create a compressed archive file in the current directory.

Using `find` with `xargs` allows us to perform actions on the files that are found, which can be useful for tasks such as archiving or backing up files. This approach is almost the same as using straightforward piping, but it has the advantage of being able to handle unexpected differences between shell expansions and file name globbing.

In summary, finding files by date in Linux can be achieved using the `find` and `xargs` commands. By understanding how to use these commands together, you can perform a wide range of tasks on your files, from archiving to backing up and more.

Find files by date linux