How to use the command locate (with examples)

The ’locate’ command is used to quickly find filenames on a system. It searches through a pre-built database, which is updated periodically, to locate files based on patterns or exact filenames. It is a useful tool for searching for files without having to navigate through directories manually.

Use case 1: Look for pattern in the database

Code:

locate pattern

Motivation:

This use case is helpful when you want to find files with a specific pattern in their names quickly. Instead of manually searching through directories, the ’locate’ command does a fast search using the pre-built database.

Explanation:

• ’locate’ is the command itself.
• ‘pattern’ is the string or pattern you want to search for.

Example output:

If you want to find all files containing the word ’example’ in their names, you can use the following command:

locate example

Output:

/home/user/example.txt
/home/user/docs/example_folder

Use case 2: Look for a file by its exact filename

Code:

locate '*/filename'

Motivation:

Sometimes, you know the exact filename you are looking for but don’t remember the full path. This use case allows you to locate the file by its name, irrespective of its location.

Explanation:

• ’locate’ is the command itself.
• ‘/filename’ is the pattern to search for. The asterisk () is a wildcard that matches any characters before and after the given filename.

Example output:

If you want to find a file named ’example.txt’, you can use the following command:

locate '*/example.txt'

Output:

/home/user/example.txt

Use case 3: Recompute the database

Code:

sudo updatedb

Motivation:

The ’locate’ command uses a pre-built database to search for files. This database is updated periodically. If you want to find files that have been recently added to the system and are not yet included in the database, you need to recompute the database.

Explanation:

• ‘sudo’ is used to execute the command as a superuser or root.
• ‘updatedb’ is the command to recompute the database used by ’locate’.

Example output:

Recomputing the database with the following command:

sudo updatedb

Output:

No output is displayed, but the database is recomputed, enabling ’locate’ to find recently added files.

Conclusion:

In this article, we explored the various use cases of the ’locate’ command. This command is a fast and efficient way to search for files based on patterns or exact filenames. Whether you are searching for specific files or need to update the search database, the ’locate’ command provides a convenient solution.