How to efficiently search for multiple directory names with one globbing pattern?

[ckennerknecht]

Hi Cake community!

Is there a way to include multiple directory names in one globbing pattern?
So instead of

 var directoriesToDelete = GetDirectories(_folders.src + "/**/obj");
 directoriesToDelete += GetDirectories(_folders.src + "/**/lib");
 directoriesToDelete += GetDirectories(_folders.src + "/**/bin");

I want to write

 var directoriesToDelete = GetDirectories(_folders.src + "/**/(obj|lib|bin)");

I assume this would give a performance increase for a large repository (~150 projects), since the directory tree only would have to be traversed once.

However this syntax produces following exception:

System.ArgumentException: Illegal characters in path.
   at System.IO.LongPathHelper.Normalize(String path, UInt32 maxPathLength, Boolean checkInvalidCharacters, Boolean expandShortPaths)
   at System.IO.Path.NormalizePath(String path, Boolean fullCheck, Int32 maxPathLength, Boolean expandShortPaths)
   at System.IO.Path.GetFullPathInternal(String path)
   at System.IO.DirectoryInfo.Init(String path, Boolean checkHost)
   at Cake.Core.IO.Directory..ctor(DirectoryPath path)
   at Cake.Core.IO.FileSystem.GetDirectory(DirectoryPath path)
   at Cake.Core.IO.Globbing.GlobVisitor.VisitSegment(PathNode node, GlobVisitorContext context)
   at Cake.Core.IO.Globbing.GlobVisitor.VisitRecursiveWildcardSegment(RecursiveWildcardNode node, GlobVisitorContext context)
   at Cake.Core.IO.Globbing.GlobVisitor.VisitSegment(PathNode node, GlobVisitorContext context)
   at Cake.Core.IO.Globbing.GlobVisitor.VisitSegment(PathNode node, GlobVisitorContext context)
   at Cake.Core.IO.Globbing.GlobVisitor.VisitSegment(PathNode node, GlobVisitorContext context)
   at Cake.Core.IO.Globbing.GlobVisitor.VisitSegment(PathNode node, GlobVisitorContext context)
   at Cake.Core.IO.Globbing.GlobVisitor.VisitSegment(PathNode node, GlobVisitorContext context)
   at Cake.Core.IO.Globbing.GlobVisitor.VisitWindowsRoot(WindowsRootNode node, GlobVisitorContext context)
   at Cake.Core.IO.Globbing.GlobVisitor.Walk(GlobNode node, GlobberSettings settings)
   at Cake.Core.IO.Globber.Match(String pattern, GlobberSettings settings)
   at Cake.Common.IO.GlobbingAliases.GetDirectories(ICakeContext context, String pattern)
   at Submission#0.GetDirectories(String pattern) in :line 2390
   at Submission#0.<<Initialize>>b__0_4() in ...
   at Cake.Core.CakeTaskBuilderExtensions.<>c__DisplayClass32_0.<Does>b__0(ICakeContext x)
   at Cake.Core.CakeTask.<Execute>d__43.MoveNext()
   ...

The same globbing syntax does work for globbing files tho, for example:

 var filesToDelete = GetFiles(_folders.src + "/**/*.(suo|csproj.user)");

Am i doing something wrong?
Could unfortunately not find any documentation on supported globbing patterns.

Using .NET Framework Cake 0.38.5

Thanks for your help!

[devlead]

Cake uses brace expansion i.e. {bar,baz}.

[ckennerknecht]

Thank you, that did the trick.

Solution
In my case, where the full directory name is the variable, you have to prepend a '^', otherwise no directories are found:

var directoriesToDelete = GetDirectories(_folders.src + "/**/^{obj,lib,bin}");