On Fri, Jun 24, 2022 at 07:02:35AM +0000, Andrew M.A. Cater wrote: > There are a couple of useful habits to get into when removing things: > > There's an > > rm -i > Use the pwd command to check where you are in the > filesystem. (It may be short for "print working > directory"). > If you are deleting one file - change to the directory it is in, check that > it exists there first with the > > ls -al [filename] > > command. Since the file is in the current directory,you can use the > > rm ./[filename] > > [That's a period and a forward slash - limiting you to a file in the current > directory] > > Try and avoid using rm -rf and forced removal. The one exception is that > you have to remove a non-empty directory with -rf. If you first try -r > and it fails, that's a clue that you are actually about to delete a > directory. > > Again, if it's a single directory, change directories to the directory > that it is in and use the ./ The last suggestion, and it's the simplest: > > rm [filename] -rf ... > If you need to be doubly sure rm [filename] -irf will put in the interactive > prompt again. > > Some of this is learnt the hard way from administering one machine that > other people relied on :)
All good suggestions, along with making backups. I list the files first: ls some-pattern then add a pipe to rm: ls some-pattern | rm or ls some-pattern | rm -rf I know the OP said they weren't asking advice, but I can't help putting in my two bits :-) cheers, > With every good wish, as ever, > -- Joel Roth