---
name: "CURLOPT_WILDCARDMATCH"
section: "3"
platform: "linux"
package: "curl"
version: "8.23.0-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux", "macos"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/CURLOPT_WILDCARDMATCH"
---

# CURLOPT\_WILDCARDMATCH(3)

directory wildcard transfers

## NAME

CURLOPT\_WILDCARDMATCH - directory wildcard transfers

## SYNOPSIS

```
#include <curl/curl.h>
CURLcode curl_easy_setopt(CURL *handle, CURLOPT_WILDCARDMATCH, long onoff);
```

## DESCRIPTION

Set *onoff* to 1 if you want to transfer multiple files according to a filename pattern. The pattern can be specified as part of the *[CURLOPT\_URL(3)](/CURLOPT_URL/3.md)* option, using an **fnmatch**-like pattern (Shell Pattern Matching) in the last part of URL (filename).

By default, libcurl uses its internal wildcard matching implementation. You can provide your own matching function by the *[CURLOPT\_FNMATCH\_FUNCTION(3)](/CURLOPT_FNMATCH_FUNCTION/3.md)* option.

A brief introduction of its syntax follows:

- \* - ASTERISK

  ```
  ftp://example.com/some/path/*.txt
  ```

  matches all *.txt* files in the root directory. Only two asterisks are allowed within the same pattern string.

- ? - QUESTION MARK

  Question mark matches any (exactly one) character.

  ```
  ftp://example.com/some/path/photo?.jpg
  ```

- \[ - BRACKET EXPRESSION

  The left bracket opens a bracket expression. The question mark and asterisk have no special meaning in a bracket expression. Each bracket expression ends by the right bracket and matches exactly one character. Some examples follow:

  **\[a-zA-Z0-9\]** or **\[f-gF-G\]** - character interval

  **\[abc\]** - character enumeration

  **\[^abc\]** or **\[!abc\]** - negation

  **\[\[:name:\]\]** class expression. Supported classes are **alnum**,**lower**, **space**, **alpha**, **digit**, **print**, **upper**, **blank**, **graph**, **xdigit**.

  **\[\]\[-!^\]** - special case - matches only '-', '\]', '\[', '!' or '^'. These characters have no special purpose.

  **\[\[\]\]** - escape syntax. Matches '\[', '\]' or 'e'.

  Using the rules above, a filename pattern can be constructed:

  ```
  ftp://example.com/some/path/[a-z[:upper:]\\].jpg
  ```

## PROTOCOLS

This functionality affects ftp only

## EXAMPLE

```
extern long begin_cb(struct curl_fileinfo *, void *, int);
extern long end_cb(void *ptr);
int main(void)
{
  CURL *curl = curl_easy_init();
  if(curl) {
    /* turn on wildcard matching */
    curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_WILDCARDMATCH, 1L);
    /* callback is called before download of concrete file started */
    curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_CHUNK_BGN_FUNCTION, begin_cb);
    /* callback is called after data from the file have been transferred */
    curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_CHUNK_END_FUNCTION, end_cb);
    /* See more on https://curl.se/libcurl/c/ftp-wildcard.html */
  }
}
```

## AVAILABILITY

Added in curl 7.21.0

## RETURN VALUE

*[curl\_easy\_setopt(3)](/curl_easy_setopt/3.md)* returns a CURLcode indicating success or error.

CURLE\_OK (0) means everything was OK, non-zero means an error occurred, see *[libcurl-errors(3)](/libcurl-errors/3.md)*.

## SEE ALSO

[**CURLOPT\_CHUNK\_BGN\_FUNCTION**(3)](/CURLOPT_CHUNK_BGN_FUNCTION/3.md), [**CURLOPT\_CHUNK\_END\_FUNCTION**(3)](/CURLOPT_CHUNK_END_FUNCTION/3.md), [**CURLOPT\_FNMATCH\_FUNCTION**(3)](/CURLOPT_FNMATCH_FUNCTION/3.md), [**CURLOPT\_URL**(3)](/CURLOPT_URL/3.md)