Using the plocate command (with examples)

1: Looking for patterns in the database

Code:

plocate pattern

Motivation: The motivation behind this use case is to quickly find filenames that match a specific pattern. By using the plocate command with a pattern argument, we can search through the database of filenames to locate any matches. This is useful when we are unsure of the exact filename but have a general idea of what it might be.

Explanation: The pattern argument in the command represents the pattern or keyword that we want to search for. It can be any combination of characters that we suspect might be present in the filenames we are looking for. The plocate command will then search through the database of filenames and return any matches that fit the pattern.

Example Output: Suppose we want to find all files that are related to the word “documentation”. We can use the following command:

plocate documentation

The output might look like this:

/usr/share/doc/package1/documentation.txt
/usr/doc/package2/user_guide/documentation.pdf
...

The output will display all filenames that contain the word “documentation” in the path or filename.

2: Looking for a file by its exact filename

Code:

plocate */filename

Motivation: The motivation behind this use case is to quickly locate a specific file by its exact filename. By using the plocate command with the file’s exact filename as an argument, we can search through the database and find the file without knowing its exact path. This is useful when we only have the filename and want to locate it quickly.

Explanation: The */filename argument in the command represents the exact filename we are searching for. The */ part is a wildcard character that allows the plocate command to search for the filename in any directory. By specifying the exact filename, we can locate the file in the database without having to know its full path.

Example Output: Suppose we want to locate a file named “image.jpg” on our system. We can use the following command:

plocate */image.jpg

The output might look like this:

/home/user/images/image.jpg
/var/www/html/images/image.jpg
...

The output will display all locations where the file “image.jpg” is found in the database. We can then use this information to access or manipulate the file as needed.

By using the plocate command with these different use cases, we can quickly and efficiently find filenames on our system based on patterns or exact filenames. This command is especially useful when dealing with large databases or when we don’t have the exact filename or path information.