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I have a file named +13x18_DSC_0800.JPG on a linux server (Please don't ask me how it got there as I have no idea how it got there). I wish to rename it to 13x18_DSC_0800.JPG. However I have not been able to. When I try to copy it I get ;

# cp \+13x18_DSC_0800.JPG asd.JPG
  cp: cannot stat `+13x18_DSC_0800.JPG': No such file or directory

Here is some more inforamtion ;

#ll
 -rwxrwxrwx  1 ftpuser renko 2798985 2011-10-14 01:12  +13x18_DSC_0800.JPG*

I really don't know what is wrong other than that the plus sign is killing some script. Some more information ;

#uname -a
Linux server-1 2.6.38-8-server #42-Ubuntu SMP Mon Apr 11 03:49:04 UTC 2011 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

Any help would be awesome...

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4 Answers

up vote 3 down vote accepted

Often this means there are some non-printing characters in the filename, which you can't see because they're non-printing.

Try ls -la > /tmp/foo then vi -b /tmp/foo to look at all the text.

If that's the case, the easiest way is to handle it via glob, try echo *13x18_DSC_0800* to verify that the glob matches that file (and only that file), then you can do mv *13x18_DSC_0800* newname.jpeg to rename it.

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Or ls -la | cat -vT – Janne Pikkarainen Dec 5 '11 at 10:33
@MadHatter I got a "-rwxrwxrwx 1 ftpuser renko 2798985 2011-10-14 01:12 +13x18_DSC_0800.JPG -rwxrwxrwx 1 ftpuser renko 2567144 2011-10-14 01:12 +13x18_DSC_0848.JPG " – JohnRoach Dec 5 '11 at 10:40
@MadHatter Although I haven't been able to resolve this issue without using the joker card i.e. "". Here is the solution I have been able to find ; #cp *DSC_0800 13x18_DSC_0800.JPG #rm + This seems to do the trick... I still wonder why I couldn't do it without using the * .... Since you reminded me of the * you get the bonus! – JohnRoach Dec 5 '11 at 10:49
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up vote 1 down vote

Use

cp "+13x18_DSC_0800.JPG" 13x18_DSC_0800.JPG
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Sorry but no cigar you get a : "cp: cannot stat `+13x18_DSC_0800.JPG': No such file or directory" error – JohnRoach Dec 5 '11 at 10:35
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up vote 0 down vote

stupid and simple solution if you want to get rid of just one file - use midnight commander :D

but + sign at the beginning shouldn't be a problem at all ... 

    $ touch +13x18_DSC_0800.JPG
    $ mv +13x18_DSC_0800.JPG test.jpg
    $ rm test.jpg

works for me ...

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[edited] actually it did not work... the test.jpg turned out to be a 0 byte file... – JohnRoach Dec 5 '11 at 10:36
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touch does create an empty file with that name if it does not exist. i was presenting this as an example of it working. – Fox Dec 5 '11 at 10:42
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up vote 0 down vote

For me

    cp +13x18_DSC_0800.JPG 13x18_DSC_0800.JPG

worked like charm, without any escaping.

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