Tutorials

This section contains learning-oriented lessons that walk through complete examples from start to finish. Start here if you're new to searchpath and want hands-on experience.

Recommended learning path

If you're new to searchpath, follow these tutorials in order:

flowchart LR
    A[First search] --> B[Understanding provenance]
    B --> C[Pattern matching]
    C --> D[Multiple directories]

1. Your first search - Start here to learn the core concepts
2. Understanding provenance - Learn why tracking where files come from matters
3. Pattern matching - Use glob patterns, includes, and excludes
4. Searching several directories - Build config cascades and handle deduplication

Planned tutorials

Your first search

Learn the fundamentals of file discovery with searchpath. Understand first(), SearchPath, and entries.

Understanding provenance

Learn how to use match() and Match objects to track which directory each file came from.

Pattern matching

Use glob patterns to find files by name. Apply include and exclude filters to narrow results.

Searching several directories

Build a config cascade that searches project, user, and system directories. Understand scope names and deduplication.

After completing tutorials

Once you've finished the tutorials, you're ready to:

• Apply your knowledge with how-to guides for specific tasks
• Deepen understanding with explanations of concepts and architecture
• Look up details in the API reference