The methods to retain directories for all files under the Linux system are: 1. Use the rm command to combine the wildcard rm /path/to/directory/ to delete all files and subdirectories. Adding the -f parameter can force deletion, and adding the -d parameter can only match files; 2. Use the find command to achieve more precise control, such as filtering and deleting according to file type, time and other conditions. The command is find /path/to/directory -type f -name ".log" -exec rm {}; Notes include: rm will not delete hidden files, rm -f /path/to/directory/ /path/to/directory/.* to merge and delete. When deleting a large number of files, the parameter list may be too long. You can use find or rsync to replace it. If you want to retain the directory structure, you can delete it first and then recreate the directory. Before execution, it is recommended to use ls or echo to test the wildcard matching situation to avoid mistaken deletion.
On Linux systems, if you want to delete all files in a directory (but keep the directory itself), you can use several different commands to do so. The key is to ensure operational safety and avoid accidentally deleting important data.
Use the rm command to delete all files in the directory
The most common method is to combine wildcards and rm commands. For example:
rm /path/to/directory/*
This command deletes all files and subdirectories in the specified directory. What should be noted is:
-
*is a wildcard, representing "all files and directories" - If you only want to delete normal files without including subdirectories, you can add the
-doption to limit the matching files only - If you do not want to be confirmed one by one, you can add the
-fparameter to force delete it
suggestion:
- It is best to use
ls /path/to/directory/*to view the content you want to delete before deleting - If you are worried about misoperation, you can add
echobefore the command to test whether the wildcard matches correctly.
Use the find command for more precise control
If you only want to delete a specific type of file, or need to filter according to time, size and other conditions, you can use find and rm :
find /path/to/directory -type f -name "*.log" -exec rm {} This way you can delete only the .log file. in:
-
-type fmeans only matches normal files -
-name "*.log"matches the file name ending with.log -
-exec rm {}means performingrmoperation on each file found
This method is more flexible and safer than simply using rm .
Notes and FAQs
Here are some details that are easy to ignore in actual use:
- If there are hidden files in the directory (files starting with
.),rm *above will not delete them. You can userm .[!.]*to process it separately, or merge it into one command:rm -f /path/to/directory/* /path/to/directory/.*
- When deleting a large number of files, you may encounter an error of "the parameter list is too long". At this time, you can consider using
findorrsyncas a substitute - If you want to keep the directory structure but clear everything, you can also delete it first and then recreate the directory:
rm -rf /path/to/directory && mkdir /path/to/directory
Basically that's it
In general, deleting all files in the directory is not complicated, but it is easy to make mistakes due to wildcard or permission issues. The key is to understand the actual scope of each command and do a preview check before execution.
The above is the detailed content of how to delete all files in a directory linux. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!
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