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bashshellunixfind

How to go to each directory and execute a command?

How do I write a bash script that goes through each directory inside a parent_directory and executes a command in each directory.

The directory structure is as follows:

parent_directory (name could be anything - doesnt follow a pattern)

  • 001 (directory names follow this pattern)
    • 0001.txt (filenames follow this pattern)
    • 0002.txt
    • 0003.txt
  • 002
    • 0001.txt
    • 0002.txt
    • 0003.txt
    • 0004.txt
  • 003
    • 0001.txt

the number of directories is unknown.

Solution

  • You can do the following, when your current directory is parent_directory:

    for d in [0-9][0-9][0-9]
do
    ( cd "$d" && your-command-here )
done

    The ( and ) create a subshell, so the current directory isn't changed in the main script.