UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

If I execute the following line of code:

echo "*"

I get a list of files in the current directory.

What if all I wanted to do was display the asterisk itself? What does the code have to look like so all I get is an asterisk?

Thanks ahead of time for your assistance

---------- Post updated at 09:56 AM ---------- Previous update was at 09:51 AM ----------

Got my own answer:

echo *
and
echo "*"

Will list the contents of the current directory

echo '*'

Will display the single Asterisk

check out

Code:

set -o noglob
set +o noglob

Turning the * into files names is called globbing.

Code:

set -f

also does work

You say you're using ksh, but using the Korn shell (or any POSIX conforming shell), neither echo "*" nor echo '*' should expand an asterisk to a list of filenames; both of these should just print an asterisk. What operating system are you using?