Find files to match a certain criteria the delete them. 5

[stla]

SGI IRIX

I would like to write a small script that would look for backup and text files in a specific directory that are older than 1 day and the delete these files.

Can anyone help me with my script?

This is what I have put together:

find /path/to/directory -name *.bak *.txt -ctime +1 -exec rm {};

However there is something wrong with my script.

Any ideas?

Best regards

 

[columb]

The problem is the -name statement - in short it cant take two patterns.

Try

find /path/to/dir ( -name "*.bak" -o -name "*.txt" ) -chtime +1 -exec rm {} \;

BTW it's more efficient to use

find /path/to/dir ( -name "*.bak" -o -name "*.txt" ) -chtime +1 | xargs rm

as the find opens an instance of rm for every file whereas xargs does them all at once.

On the internet no one knows you're a dog

Columb Healy

 

[PHV]

You have to quote the parens from the shell:

find /path/to/directory -ctime +1 -type f \( -name '*.bak' -o -name '*.txt' \) | xargs rm -f

Hope This Helps, PH.
FAQ219-2884
FAQ181-2886

 

[stefanwagner]

You may use + instead of \; to pass as many arguments as possible to -exec:

find /path/to/dir ( -name "*.bak" -o -name "*.txt" ) -chtime +1 -exec rm {} +

find --version
GNU find Version 4.2.32



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[Annihilannic]

I'd recommend using -mtime (last modified) rather than -ctime (last metadata change/inode update).

Nice one stefan, when did that feature appear? It's not in GNU find 4.1.20[/b] anyway...

Annihilannic.

 

[stefanwagner]

@ annuihilannic: I don't know.
I know it for just a few months.

don't visit my homepage:

http://home.arcor.de/hirnstrom/bewerbung