36 lines
1.8 KiB
Markdown
36 lines
1.8 KiB
Markdown
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# The `rm` command
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`rm` which stands for "remove" is a command used to remove *(delete)* specific files. It can also be used to remove directories by using the appropriate flag.
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### Example:
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```
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rm filename.txt
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```
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### Syntax
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```
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rm [OPTION] [FILE|DIRECTORY]
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```
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### Flags and their Functionalities:
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|Short Flag|Long Flag|Description|
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|:---|:---|:---|
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|`-f`|`--force`|Ignore nonexistance of files or directories, never prompt|
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|`-i`|<center>-</center>|Prompt before every removal|
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|`-I`|<center>-</center>|Prompt once before removal of more than 3 files, or when removing recursively|
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|`-d`|`--dir`|remove empty directories|
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|`-v`|`--verbose`|explain what is being done|
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|`-r` or `-R`|`--recursive`|remove directories and their contents recursively|
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|<center>-</center>|`--help`|Display help then exit|
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|<center>-</center>|`--version`|First, Print version Information, Then exit|
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|<center>-</center>|`--no-preserve-root`|do not treat `/` specially|
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|<center>-</center>|`-preserve-root[=all]`|do not remove `/` (default) <br>with 'all', reject any command line argument on a separate device from its parent|
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|<center>-</center>|`--interactive[=WHEN]`|prompt according to WHEN, never, once `-I`, or always `-i`, without WHEN, prompt always|
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|<center>-</center>|` --one-file-system`|when removing a hierarchy recursively, skip any directory that is on a file system different from that of the corresponding command line argument0|
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***IMPORTANT NOTICE:***
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1. `rm` doesn't remove directories by default, so use `-r`, `-R`, `--recursive` options to remove each listed directory, along with all of its contents.
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2. To remove a file whose name starts with `-` such as `-foo`, use one of the following commands:
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- `rm -- -foo`
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- `rm ./-foo`
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3. To ensure that files/directories being deleted are truly unrecoverable, consider using the `shred` command.
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