---
name: "glob.h"
section: "0p"
platform: "linux"
package: "man-pages"
version: "6.19-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/glob.h"
---

# glob.h(0p)

pathname pattern-matching types

## PROLOG

This manual page is part of the POSIX Programmer's Manual. The Linux implementation of this interface may differ (consult the corresponding Linux manual page for details of Linux behavior), or the interface may not be implemented on Linux.

## NAME

glob.h — pathname pattern-matching types

## SYNOPSIS

```
#include <glob.h>
```

## DESCRIPTION

The *\<glob.h\>* header shall define the structures and symbolic constants used by the *glob*() function.

The *\<glob.h\>* header shall define the **glob\_t** structure type, which shall include at least the following members:

```
size_t   gl_pathc Count of paths matched by pattern.
char   **gl_pathv Pointer to a list of matched pathnames.
size_t   gl_offs  Slots to reserve at the beginning of gl_pathv.
```

The *\<glob.h\>* header shall define the **size\_t** type as described in *\<sys/types.h\>*.

The *\<glob.h\>* header shall define the following symbolic constants as values for the *flags* argument:

- GLOB\_APPEND

  Append generated pathnames to those previously obtained.

- GLOB\_DOOFFS

  Specify how many null pointers to add to the beginning of *gl\_pathv*.

- GLOB\_ERR

  Cause *glob*() to return on error.

- GLOB\_MARK

  Each pathname that is a directory that matches *pattern* has a \<slash\> appended.

- GLOB\_NOCHECK

  If *pattern* does not match any pathname, then return a list consisting of only *pattern*.

- GLOB\_NOESCAPE

  Disable backslash escaping.

- GLOB\_NOSORT

  Do not sort the pathnames returned.

The *\<glob.h\>* header shall define the following symbolic constants as error return values:

- GLOB\_ABORTED

  The scan was stopped because GLOB\_ERR was set or (\**errfunc*)() returned non-zero.

- GLOB\_NOMATCH

  The pattern does not match any existing pathname, and GLOB\_NOCHECK was not set in *flags*.

- GLOB\_NOSPACE

  An attempt to allocate memory failed.

The following shall be declared as functions and may also be defined as macros. Function prototypes shall be provided.

```
int  glob(const char *restrict, int, int(*)(const char *, int),
         glob_t *restrict);
void globfree(glob_t *);
```

*The following sections are informative.*

## APPLICATION USAGE

None.

## RATIONALE

None.

## FUTURE DIRECTIONS

None.

## SEE ALSO

***\<sys\_types.h\>***

The System Interfaces volume of POSIX.1‐2017, *glob()*

## COPYRIGHT

Portions of this text are reprinted and reproduced in electronic form from IEEE Std 1003.1-2017, Standard for Information Technology -- Portable Operating System Interface (POSIX), The Open Group Base Specifications Issue 7, 2018 Edition, Copyright (C) 2018 by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc and The Open Group. In the event of any discrepancy between this version and the original IEEE and The Open Group Standard, the original IEEE and The Open Group Standard is the referee document. The original Standard can be obtained online at http://www.opengroup.org/unix/online.html .

Any typographical or formatting errors that appear in this page are most likely to have been introduced during the conversion of the source files to man page format. To report such errors, see https://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/reporting\_bugs.html .