Test whether a glob has any matches in bash

Question

If I want to check for the existence of a single file, I can test for it using test -e filename or [ -e filename ].

Supposing I have a glob

Answer 1

Bash specific solution:

compgen -G ""

Escape the pattern or it'll get pre-expanded into matches.

Exit status is:

• 1 for no-match,
• 0 for 'one or more matches'

stdout is a list of files matching the glob.
I think this is the best option in terms of conciseness and minimizing potential side effects.

UPDATE: Example usage requested.

if compgen -G "/tmp/someFiles*" > /dev/null; then
    echo "Some files exist."
fi