---
name: "File::DosGlob"
section: "3p"
platform: "openbsd"
package: "man"
version: "8.0-current-20261101"
release: "OpenBSD 8.0-current (2026-11-01)"
platforms: ["openbsd"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/File::DosGlob"
---

# File::DosGlob(3p)

DOS like globbing and then some

## NAME

File::DosGlob - DOS like globbing and then some

## SYNOPSIS

```
    require 5.004;
    # override CORE::glob in current package
    use File::DosGlob 'glob';
    # override CORE::glob in ALL packages (use with extreme caution!)
    use File::DosGlob 'GLOBAL_glob';
    @perlfiles = glob  "..\\pe?l/*.p?";
    print <..\\pe?l/*.p?>;
    # from the command line (overrides only in main::)
    > perl -MFile::DosGlob=glob -e "print <../pe*/*p?>"
```

## DESCRIPTION

A module that implements DOS-like globbing with a few enhancements. It is largely compatible with perlglob.exe (the M$ setargv.obj version) in all but one respect--it understands wildcards in directory components.

For example, `"<..\\l*b\\file/*glob.p?>"` will work as expected (in that it will find something like '..\\lib\\File/DosGlob.pm' alright). Note that all path components are case-insensitive, and that backslashes and forward slashes are both accepted, and preserved. You may have to double the backslashes if you are putting them in literally, due to double-quotish parsing of the pattern by perl.

Spaces in the argument delimit distinct patterns, so `"glob('*.exe *.dll')"` globs all filenames that end in `".exe"` or `".dll"`.  If you want to put in literal spaces in the glob pattern, you can escape them with either double quotes, or backslashes. e.g. `"glob('c:/"Program Files"/*/*.dll')"`, or `"glob('c:/Program\ Files/*/*.dll')"`.  The argument is tokenized using `Text::ParseWords::parse_line()`, so see Text::ParseWords for details of the quoting rules used.

Extending it to csh patterns is left as an exercise to the reader.

## EXPORTS (by request only)

**glob()**

## BUGS

Should probably be built into the core, and needs to stop pandering to DOS habits.  Needs a dose of optimization too.

## AUTHOR

Gurusamy Sarathy \<gsar@activestate.com\>

## HISTORY

- •

  Support for globally overriding **glob()** (GSAR 3-JUN-98)

- •

  Scalar context, independent iterator context fixes (GSAR 15-SEP-97)

- •

  A few dir-vs-file optimizations result in glob importation being 10 times faster than using perlglob.exe, and using perlglob.bat is only twice as slow as perlglob.exe (GSAR 28-MAY-97)

- •

  Several cleanups prompted by lack of compatible perlglob.exe under Borland (GSAR 27-MAY-97)

- •

  Initial version (GSAR 20-FEB-97)

## SEE ALSO

perl

perlglob.bat

Text::ParseWords