Thank you so much... that is exactly what I needed.

---------- Post updated at 03:02 PM ---------- Previous update was at 10:06 AM ----------

Thanks for the reply Alister... I've read it, and have a bit more of a clue, but the phrase given expression is what is confusing me. In the context of the find statement:

Code:

find /home/xxxxxxxx -type d \( -iwholename "/home/xxxxxxxx/Backup/.system" \) -prune -o -type f -perm -o+w -print

I'm really confused about that term given expression. It appears there are two expressions, one for include and one for exclude.

It appears that the order of processing is: -prune \(-type d \( -iwholename "/home/xxxxxxxx/Backup/.system" \) \), where the directory to prune comes before the prune statement rather than after it. Yet -type f -perm -o+w is processed Left to Right as I would normally expect.

I now understand that I can add to the pruned directories by adding as many -o -iwholename "/path/to/exclude" inside the brackets.

I'm still at a bit of a loss as to the correct way to add additional conditions to the find (i.e. modified within the last 10 days for example, or owned by user yyyyyyy).

Also does the "prune" expression need to be the first, or can the order of statement be reordered?

I'm in awe of the power and flexibility of (*)nix, (not many software systems from the 1970s are still in popular use) but the learning curve is steep and man pages are usually just for "a reminder" as they often include enough context for a newbe.

Any tips/input/reference to a good tutorial would be appreciated.

Thanks