[bug #51711] non-helping error output with find

[anonymous]

URL:
  <http://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?51711>

                 Summary: non-helping error output with find
                 Project: findutils
            Submitted by: None
            Submitted on: Wed 09 Aug 2017 11:12:29 PM UTC
                Category: find
                Severity: 3 - Normal
              Item Group: None
                  Status: None
                 Privacy: Public
             Assigned to: None
         Originator Name: kalle
        Originator Email: address@hidden
             Open/Closed: Open
         Discussion Lock: Any
                 Release: 4.4.2
           Fixed Release: None

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Details:

address@hidden ~/Downloads $ ls
2017-07-29_Entwurf-Berichtsteil-Lebensstile.pdf
Ant Videos
blockadesw.jpg
blockbunt.jpg
DSC1316.jpg
faustklein.JPG
fax.pdf
notanugget.jpg
todktter1.jpg
todktter2.jpg
Widerstand-gegen-Wiesenhof-Part-1.pdf

address@hidden ~/Downloads $ LANG=C find . -name fax* bloc*
find: paths must precede expression: blockadesw.jpg
Usage: find [-H] [-L] [-P] [-Olevel] [-D help|tree|search|stat|rates|opt|exec]
[path...] [expression]

This was, what I got by typing two patterns into find-command. The answer
"paths must precede expression" didn't help me any further in understanding
the problem, since my path "." was preceding the expression "-name fax*
bloc*". 
How could one know, that options like "-name" can only have one name? 
Invoking "man find", it says at the bottom of the page:

"NON-BUGS
       $ find . -name *.c -print
       find: paths must precede expression
       Usage: find [-H] [-L] [-P] [-Olevel] [-D
help|tree|search|stat|rates|opt|exec] [path...] [expression]

       This happens because *.c has been expanded by the shell resulting in
find actually receiving a command line like this:

       find . -name bigram.c code.c frcode.c locate.c -print

       That command is of course not going to work.  Instead of doing things
this way, you should enclose the pattern in quotes or escape the wildcard:
       $ find . -name \*.c -print"

Here it assumes, that "of course" this will not work. No more explanation.
This is not enough.

Furthermore I don't understand why it gave out to me the file
"blockadesw.jpg". Obviously, it is the first file, to match a pattern.

My version is findutils 4.4.2

thanks,
kalle




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