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Glob

Fast file pattern matching tool that works with any codebase size using glob syntax.

Common Properties​

  • Name - The custom name of the node.
  • Color - The custom color of the node.
  • Delay Before (sec) - Waits in seconds before executing the node.
  • Delay After (sec) - Waits in seconds after executing node.
  • Continue On Error - Automation will continue regardless of any error. The default value is false.

Inputs​

  • Pattern - string - Glob pattern to match files against, e.g., **/*.js, src/**/*.{ts,tsx} (required).
  • Path - string - Directory to search in (optional, defaults to current working directory).

Options​

  • Max Results - int - Maximum number of results to return (default: 1000).
  • Include Hidden - bool - Include hidden files and directories (default: false).
  • Follow Symlinks - bool - Follow symbolic links (default: false).

Outputs​

  • Matches - array - Array of matching file paths sorted by modification time (newest first). Each match includes:
    • path - Absolute path to the file
    • name - File name
    • size - File size in bytes
    • modTime - Last modification time (ISO 8601)
    • isDir - Whether this is a directory
  • Count - int - Number of matching files found.
  • Truncated - bool - Whether results were truncated due to max limit.

How It Works​

The Glob node matches files and directories using glob patterns. When executed, the node:

  1. Validates the glob pattern
  2. Determines the search path (uses current directory if not specified)
  3. Walks the directory tree recursively
  4. For each file/directory:
    • Checks hidden file filter
    • Checks symlink settings
    • Matches against the glob pattern
    • Collects matching entries up to max results
  5. Sorts matches by modification time (newest first)
  6. Returns detailed file information for each match

Requirements​

  • Valid glob pattern
  • Read access to search directory
  • Executable permissions on directories to traverse

Error Handling​

The node will return specific errors in the following cases:

  • Missing pattern - "Pattern is required"
  • Empty pattern - "Pattern cannot be empty"
  • Path access error - "Cannot get current directory: {{error}}"
  • Invalid path - "Cannot resolve path: {{error}}"
  • Path not found - "Path not found: {{path}}"
  • Path not a directory - "Path must be a directory"
  • Invalid pattern - "Invalid glob pattern: {{error}}"
  • Search error - "Error searching files: {{error}}"

Usage Examples​

Find All JavaScript Files​

Pattern: **/*.js
Path: /home/user/project

Find TypeScript and TSX Files​

Pattern: **/*.{ts,tsx}
Path: /home/user/src
Include Hidden: false

Find Configuration Files​

Pattern: **/*.{json,yaml,yml}
Path: /home/user/app
Max Results: 100

Find Files in Specific Directory​

Pattern: src/components/*.tsx
Path: /home/user/project

Find All Python Test Files​

Pattern: **/*test*.py
Path: /home/user/tests

Find Recent Files​

Pattern: **/*.log
Path: /var/logs
Max Results: 10

Results are sorted by modification time, so this returns the 10 most recent log files.

Glob Pattern Syntax​

Wildcards​

  • * - Matches any characters except path separator (/)
  • ** - Matches any characters including path separators (recursive)
  • ? - Matches exactly one character
  • [abc] - Matches any character in the set
  • [a-z] - Matches any character in the range
  • {a,b} - Matches either pattern a or pattern b

Examples​

  • *.js - All .js files in current directory
  • **/*.js - All .js files recursively
  • src/**/*.test.js - All test.js files under src/
  • *.{js,ts} - All .js and .ts files in current directory
  • **/*.{json,yaml,yml} - All JSON and YAML files recursively
  • [A-Z]*.txt - Files starting with uppercase letter
  • file?.log - file1.log, fileA.log, but not file10.log

Usage Notes​

  • Pattern matching uses forward slashes (/) regardless of OS
  • Hidden files/directories (starting with .) are skipped by default
  • Symlinks are not followed by default (prevents infinite loops)
  • Results are always sorted by modification time (newest first)
  • The search stops when max results is reached
  • Truncated flag indicates if more matches exist beyond the limit
  • All returned paths are absolute paths
  • Directories can also match if pattern allows
  • Pattern is matched against relative path from search root

Common Use Cases​

Code Analysis​

Find all source files of specific types for analysis.

Build Systems​

Locate files that need to be compiled or processed.

Testing​

Find all test files matching a pattern.

Documentation​

Collect all documentation files (MD, TXT, etc.).

Configuration Management​

Find configuration files across the project.

Asset Management​

Locate image, CSS, or other asset files.

Best Practices​

  • Use specific patterns to reduce search time
  • Set appropriate max results based on expected matches
  • Avoid overly broad patterns like **/* on large directories
  • Use file extensions to narrow results
  • Enable Include Hidden only when needed
  • Be cautious with Follow Symlinks to avoid loops
  • Check Truncated flag to know if results are incomplete
  • Use with Grep to search file contents after finding files

Performance Tips​

  • Glob is optimized for speed - use it instead of shell ls or find
  • Pattern compilation is cached
  • Search stops immediately when max results is reached
  • Hidden file filtering happens during walk (not post-process)
  • Results are streamed, not collected entirely before sorting

Comparison with Other Nodes​

  • Glob vs Grep: Glob matches file paths; Grep searches file contents
  • Glob vs LS: Glob uses patterns and recurses; LS lists single directory
  • Glob vs Read: Glob finds files; Read reads file content