Re: Recommendations for a Windows file delete utility

[Richard Schoen <Richard.Schoen@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Let's hope nobody else has to maintain that BAT file script.

All those switches give me a headache.

So this is actually logging what it deletes. I think....

Regards,
Richard Schoen
Director of Document Management
e. richard.schoen@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
p. 952.486.6802
w. helpsystems.com

----------------------------------------------------------------------

message: 1
date: Wed, 24 Oct 2018 13:38:40 -0400
from: mlazarus <mlazarus@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
subject: Re: [PCTECH] Recommendations for a Windows file delete
        utility

Hi Gary,

  After a little break from that task, I ended up with basically the approach you recommended.  It includes logging and some rudimentary error checking of parms.

  Thanks all for the varied suggestions.

  -mark
_____________

DelFiles.bat
------------
@ECHO ON
@REM _______________________________________________________
@REM  Delete files in given path that are older than x days.
@REM _______________________________________________________
@REM  Parm 1: Number of days equal or older than to delete.
@REM  Parm 2: Path to look in.
@REM  Parm 3: Should be either TEST or DELETE.
@REM          If Parm 3 is not DELETE, only the log entries are output.
  The actual delete is not done.
@REM  Parm 4: Specifies whether to recurse subdirectories. Allowable
values: RECURSE or NORECURSE.
@REM  Notes: Folders are not inspected for age, they are skipped.
@REM       - The path (parm 2) should be enclosed in double quotes, in
case there are embedded blanks.
@REM _______________________________________________________

SET DELFILESLOG=DelFiles.log

IF %1x==x GOTO ERROR1
IF %2x==x GOTO ERROR2

SET RECURSE=
IF /I %4.==RECURSE. SET RECURSE=/S


echo ***___ DELFILES started: %date% %time%: %3 mode: %2 %4 ___*** >> %DELFILESLOG%

@REM This run is to output to the log.
forfiles /P %2 %RECURSE% /D -%1 /C "cmd /c if @isdir==FALSE echo @fdate
0x09 @path is at least %1 days old" >> %DELFILESLOG%

echo ***___ DELFILES   ended: %date% %time%: %3 mode: %2 %4 ___*** >>
%DELFILESLOG%
echo . >> %DELFILESLOG%

IF /I %3. NEQ DELETE. GOTO END
@REM This run is to do the actual delete.
forfiles /P %2 %RECURSE% /D -%1 /C "cmd /c if @isdir==FALSE DEL @path"

GOTO END
::__________________________________________________

:ERROR1
PAUSE Number of days old (*GE) is mandatory.
GOTO END

:ERROR2
PAUSE Path to look in is mandatory.
GOTO END

:END
EXIT
__________

Here's the driver batch file:
DelFilesDriver.bat
------------------
@Rem _______________________________________________________
@Rem  Delete files in given path that are older than x days - driver.
@Rem _______________________________________________________
@REM  Parm 1: Number of days equal or older than to delete.
@REM  Parm 2: Path to look in.
@REM  Parm 3: Should be either TEST or DELETE.
@REM          If Parm 3 is not DELETE, only the log entries are output.
  The actual delete is not done.
@REM  Parm 4: Specifies whether to recurse subdirectories. Allowable
values: RECURSE or NORECURSE.
@Rem _______________________________________________________

start /B /WAIT DelFiles 183  "\MyDir\Dir1\ARCHIVE"    DELETE NORECURSE
start /B /WAIT DelFiles 060  "\MyDir\Dir2\ARCHIVE"    DELETE NORECURSE
start /B /WAIT DelFiles 030  "\MyDir\Dir3\ARCHIVE"    DELETE NORECURSE



On 9/30/2018 4:28 PM, Gary Kuznitz wrote:
> You can also use this:
> forfiles /p "C:\what\ever" /s /m *.* /D -<number of
> days>  /C "cmd /c del @path"
>
>   @PATH is the full path, including name.     Note that if
> you want files OLDER than 10 days, you need to specify -d "-10". -ve
> means "older than", +ve means "newer than". You can also specify
> DDMMYY or -DDMMYY format as the parameter to -d.
>
>   If you are using Windows 7, you can separate @PATH with just the
> path, and @FILE with just the file name.
> Then you can use @PATH\@FILE for the del command.
>
> This syntax works on Win Server 2008: forfiles /P "C:\Mysql_backup" /S
> /M *.sql /D -30 /C "cmd /c del @PATH"
>
> Enjoy,
>
> Gary
>
> On 29 Sep 2018 at 21:41, mlazarus (mlazarus
> <pctech@xxxxxxxxxxxx>) commented about [PCTECH] Recommendations for a
> Windows file delet:
>
>
> >    I am looking for recommendations for a file delete utility to be
> > run on a Windows server.  The delete criteria would be the age of the files
> > within a list of folders.   Each folder might have a different retention
> > value.  It would need to run via the Windows scheduler.
> >
> >    A nice to have feature would be the ability to move to a different
> > folder instead of deleting, but not required.  TIA.
> >
> >    -mark