XPath filename expansion in a Unix shell

Locating files based on file system structure, file properties, and maybe even file contents is a core task of the user interface of operating systems. By adapting XPath's power to the environment of a Unix shell, it is possible to greatly increase the expressive power of the command line language. We present a concept for integrating an XPath view of the file system into a shell, the XPath Shell (XPsh), which can be used to find files based on file attributes and contents in a very flexible way. The syntax of the command line language is backwards compatible with traditional shells, and the new XPath-based expressions can be easily mastered with a little bit of XPath knowledge. Categories and Subject Descriptors: D.4.9 [Operating Systems]: Systems Programs and Utilities -- Command and Control Languages; E.5 [Files]: Organization/Structure General Terms: Design, Languages

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2006
• Where: WWW
• Authors: Kaspar Giger, Erik Wilde
• Keywords: Command Line Language, Internet Technology, WWW 2006, XPath Knowledge, XPath Shell