Pass wildcard array to cp

Question

I need help with passing a wild card array to cp, I know it can be done but cant figure it out,

ive got 3 files all start with the word somefile but have 3 different extensions

there in a folder with a bunch of other files and I just want to copy them to a different location.

I remember is being something like

cp somefile.[py conf dat] /somewhere

but this isn't working

Ive searched the net and can't find it with the keywords i'm using.

Ignacio Vazquez-Abrams · Answer 1 · 2011-09-12 09:09:54Z

up vote 2 down vote accepted

Depending on the shell, you could use brace expansion

cp somefile.{py,conf,dat} /somewhere

answered Sep 12 '11 at 9:09

That done the trick thankyou very much, will accept when su lets me – Stephen Martin Sep 12 '11 at 9:11

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