fdiml - Linux
Overview
fdiml
is a command-line tool for generating index files from an input file list. It is primarily used in conjunction with mlocate
, a file finder utility, to create and update index databases for faster file searches.
Syntax
fdiml [options] [input_files]
Options/Flags
-a
(append): Append to the existing index file instead of overwriting it.-c
(create): Create a new index file if it does not exist.-f
(force): Overwrite the existing index file if it already exists.-i
(ignore): Ignore files that already exist in the index file.-l
(list): List the files that would be added/updated in the index file without making any changes.-m
(metadata): Include file metadata (e.g., size, modification time) in the index file.-p
(path): Specify a custom path for the index file. Default:/var/lib/mlocate/mlocate.db
-t
(test): Test the index file. Verify its integrity without making any changes.-v
(verbose): Enable verbose output.
Examples
Create an index file:
fdiml -c /home/user
Append to an existing index file:
fdiml -a /path/to/input_file_list
Ignore files already in the index file:
fdiml -i /path/to/input_file_list
List files that would be added/updated:
fdiml -l /path/to/input_file_list
Common Issues
- Index file not updated: Ensure that the input file list contains valid paths and that the
mlocate
database is up-to-date. - File not found in search results: Verify that the file exists and is indexed. Also, check the permissions of the index file
/var/lib/mlocate/mlocate.db
.
Integration
fdiml
works in conjunction with mlocate
to build and maintain an index database. Once the index file is generated, mlocate
can be used to search for files based on their names.
Related Commands
mlocate
: File finder utility that uses index files generated byfdiml
.find
: Another command-line tool for searching for files and directories.