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Hi,

in ant files I often see a double star "**" instead of a single star in
patterns given as arguments to some attributes.

Example:
<patternset id="non.test.sources">
Â*Â*<includeÂ*name="**/*.java"/>
</patternset>


Why are two '*' needed,as a single star already matches any number of
characters? Is there a difference with <include name="*/*.java"/>?

Thank you.

Alain Laroche <> scribbled the following:
> Hi,

> in ant files I often see a double star "**" instead of a single star in
> patterns given as arguments to some attributes.

> Example:
> <patternset id="non.test.sources">
> Â*Â*<includeÂ*name="**/*.java"/>
> </patternset>


> Why are two '*' needed,as a single star already matches any number of
> characters? Is there a difference with <include name="*/*.java"/>?

> Thank you.

It's a special trick. "**" isn't parsed as two '*', it's a special token
on its own right, meaning "every subdirectory inside this directory, no
matter how deep in the directory tree".

--
/-- Joona Palaste () ------------- Finland --------\
\-------------------------------------------------------- rules! --------/
"C++ looks like line noise."
- Fred L. Baube III

Joona I Palaste wrote:

> Alain Laroche <> scribbled the following:
>>Why are two '*' needed,as a single star already matches any number of
>>characters? Is there a difference with <include name="*/*.java"/>?
>
> It's a special trick. "**" isn't parsed as two '*', it's a special token
> on its own right, meaning "every subdirectory inside this directory, no
> matter how deep in the directory tree".

And a single * _doesn't_ match just any arbitrary sequence of
characters. In particular, it doesn't match anything that involves
traversing a subdirectory as part of the match.


John Bollinger

Joona I Palaste wrote:

> It's a special trick. "**" isn't parsed as two '*', it's a special token
> on its own right, meaning "every subdirectory inside this directory, no
> matter how deep in the directory tree".
>

Thanks Joona.