TIP: Delete Files with Caution

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TIP: Delete Files with Caution

Posted by Jason on Tuesday April 03, @06:39PM
from the What-Have-I-Done dept.
If you would like to delete a directory and all of it's sub-directories and files, use the rm command with the -rf flags.

But be careful!
The rm -rf command sequence is a deadly cocktail. Always explicitly change to the directory you want to delete, or you my accidentally hit the Enter key half way through typing the full path. If that happens, your files and directories will disappear quicker than you can say - oops!

The -rf flags represent:
   -r is for recursive (delete all files and directories)
   -f is for force (do not prompt me, just delete them)

Example:
If you are feeling guilty about downloading all those Metallica mp3s - and I know you are =;-), you can delete them instantly.

Assuming that all your metallica mp3 files are in the sub-directory metallica of your mp3s directory:

   Login: jason
   Password: **********

   $ cd /usr/home/jason/mp3s
   $ rm -rf metallica

If you would like to learn more about the rm command and its flags try the man pages.

man rm

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