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ls command - strange error - arg list too long

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# 1  
Old 08-21-2009
ls command - strange error - arg list too long
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..
# 2  
Old 08-21-2009
Probably too many files in the directory for ls to handle. Try:

Code:
echo *.pdf | wc -w

# 3  
Old 08-21-2009
great.....
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/..
# 4  
Old 08-21-2009
Code:
find -maxdepth 1 -name "*.pdf" -print

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

Last edited by Leo Gutierrez; 08-21-2009 at 03:46 PM..
# 5  
Old 08-21-2009
Quote:
Originally Posted by techmoris
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..

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.
Code:
printf *.pdf | wc -l

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