Clarify that -e/--extension matches all entry types#1922
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The help text said "Filter by file extension" which led users to expect only files would be matched, but directories with matching extensions (e.g. a.b/) are also returned. Clarify in the CLI help, man page, and README that the filter applies to all entry types. Fixes sharkdp#1693 Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
tmccombs
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Mar 13, 2026
| Filter search results by extension | ||
| .IR ext . | ||
| This option can be used repeatedly to allow for multiple possible file extensions. | ||
| This applies to all entry types, not just files. Use \fB\-\-type\fR to restrict |
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On linux at least, a directory is a file.
tmccombs
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Mar 16, 2026
| .IR ext . | ||
| This option can be used repeatedly to allow for multiple possible file extensions. | ||
| This applies to all entry types, not just files. Use \fB\-\-type\fR to restrict | ||
| the search to specific types. |
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Suggested change
| the search to specific types. | |
| the search to specific types. | |
maybe?
| short = 'e', | ||
| value_name = "ext", | ||
| help = "Filter by file extension", | ||
| help = "Filter by extension (applies to all entry types)", |
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I don't think this is necessary in the short help (output with -h).
I think mentioning this would be fine in the long help (output with --help), which comes from the doc comment above this.
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Summary
Fixes #1693
The help text said "Filter by file extension" which led users to expect only files would be matched. However, directories with matching extensions (e.g.
a.b/) are also returned, which is correct behavior per UNIX convention.Updated the help text to "Filter by extension (applies to all entry types)" in:
--typeto restrict)Test plan