ls command - strange error - arg list too long

techmoris · August 21, 2009, 1:48pm

I am running a shell script which has the following command

ls *.pdf | wc -l

error: arg list too long

Please post your thoughts on this..

peterro · August 21, 2009, 2:03pm

Probably too many files in the directory for ls to handle. Try:

echo *.pdf | wc -w

techmoris · August 21, 2009, 2:08pm

This worked...

---------- Post updated at 02:08 PM ---------- Previous update was at 02:03 PM ----------

ls *.pdf > pdflist.txt

1.pdf
2.pdf
3.pdf
--
--

I have hundreds of pdf's in a directory and I want them in a pdflist.txt having one pdf in one line..can you guide me on this/..

Leo_Gutierrez · August 21, 2009, 2:25pm

find -maxdepth 1 -name "*.pdf" -print

find -maxdepth 1 -name "*.pdf" -print | wc -l

cfajohnson · August 21, 2009, 2:42pm

There's no need for ls, and because it's an external command, its line length is limited to the system's maximum; printf is (usually) a shell builtin, and its line length is therefore limited only by memory.

printf *.pdf | wc -l