Special characters in file names

Jinouchi · 07-25-2009, 10:45 AM

Ok, I feel really dumb, I thought I know how to do this, but it's not working. I'm trying to make some filenames with some odd characters in them (I'm renaming tracks from Linkin Park's Reanimation album - If you've heard this CD you'll know where my problem is

).

Example:

Code:

$ mv track06.cdda.wav '06_P5hng_Me_Aw*y'
mv: cannot move `track06.cdda.wav' to a subdirectory of itself, `06_P5hng_Me_Aw*y'

I've also tried using the escaping method (using a "\" before the asterisk) but that yielded the same result. Tried this with different filenames with different special chars and none of them have worked... What am I missing?

jdkaye · 07-25-2009, 11:06 AM

Code:

jdkaye@Attila:~$ mkdir "test*name"
jdkaye@Attila:~$ cd "test*name"
jdkaye@Attila:~/test*name$ pwd
/home/jdkaye/test*name
jdkaye@Attila:~/test*name$

There you go.
cheers,
jdk

Jinouchi · 07-25-2009, 11:08 AM

Already tried the double quotes...

Code:

$ mkdir "test*dir"
mkdir: cannot create directory `test*dir': Invalid argument

jdkaye · 07-25-2009, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jinouchi

Already tried the double quotes...

Code:

$ mkdir "test*dir"
mkdir: cannot create directory `test*dir': Invalid argument

Very strange indeed. And we're both using Debian (although I'm in Squeeze). I'm doing this from Konsole using bash, what about you?

Code:

jdkaye@Attila:~$ mkdir "test*dir"
jdkaye@Attila:~$ cd "test*dir"
jdkaye@Attila:~/test*dir$ pwd
/home/jdkaye/test*dir

Even with the identical folder name it works. I also tried doing with the backslash (\) and that works too.
cheers,
jdk

Jinouchi · 07-25-2009, 11:22 AM

I'm using "Terminal" (Gnome).

...Well, that IS interesting. I switched to the virtual console (I think that's what you call it - by pressing Ctrl+alt+F[2]) and I tried it and it worked just fine. I guess I'll just use that from now on. I prefer that over a GUI terminal anyway...

jdkaye · 07-25-2009, 11:25 AM

Maybe the gnome terminal has some weird configuration. I use kde myself so I can't test it for you.
cheers,
jdk

Jinouchi · 07-25-2009, 11:30 AM

OH, I just figured it out. I was trying to create the original file on a FAT32 external HDD. The reason it worked the second time, "test*dir", is because I was in my home dir, and therefore on an ext3 filesystem. I realized this when I went back to the virtual terminal and tried the original file again and it still didn't work.

/Facepalm. Oh well, problem solved =)

jdkaye · 07-25-2009, 11:48 AM

Live and learn

jdk