file deleter based on date

Guri Bee

2 min read

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21-10-2024

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Cleaning Up Your Digital Clutter: Build a File Deleter Based on Date

Our digital lives are overflowing with files – documents, photos, videos, and more. Keeping them organized can be a constant struggle. But what about those files that are just taking up space and haven't been touched in ages? This is where a file deleter based on date comes in handy.

Why Delete Files Based on Date?

• Free Up Space: Old files, especially temporary downloads or outdated backups, can consume valuable hard drive space.
• Improve Performance: A cluttered drive can slow down your computer's performance.
• Maintain Security: Out-of-date files may contain sensitive information you no longer need, posing a potential security risk.

Building a File Deleter: Code Examples from GitHub

Here are some code examples from GitHub that demonstrate how to build a file deleter based on date:

1. Python Script for Deleting Files Older Than a Certain Date:

import os
import time

def delete_old_files(path, days):
  """Deletes files older than specified days in a given directory.

  Args:
    path (str): The directory to search for files.
    days (int): Number of days to consider a file "old".
  """
  for root, _, files in os.walk(path):
    for file in files:
      file_path = os.path.join(root, file)
      if time.time() - os.path.getmtime(file_path) > days * 24 * 60 * 60:
        os.remove(file_path)
        print(f"Deleted file: {file_path}")

if __name__ == "__main__":
  path = "/path/to/your/directory"  # Replace with your directory
  days = 30  # Delete files older than 30 days
  delete_old_files(path, days)

Explanation:

• delete_old_files(path, days): This function iterates through all files in the specified directory.
• os.path.getmtime(file_path): This function retrieves the last modification time of the file as a timestamp.
• time.time() - os.path.getmtime(file_path): This calculates the difference between the current time and the last modification time, giving you the file's age in seconds.
• os.remove(file_path): This function deletes the file if its age exceeds the specified number of days.

2. Bash Script for Deleting Files Modified Before a Certain Date:

#!/bin/bash

# Set the date threshold
date_threshold="2023-01-01"

# Find files modified before the threshold
find . -type f -mtime +100 -print0 | while IFS= read -r -d {{content}}#39;\0' file; do
  echo "Deleting: $file"
  rm "$file"
done

Explanation:

• date_threshold="2023-01-01": This line sets the date threshold for the script.
• find . -type f -mtime +100 -print0: This command finds all files in the current directory that were last modified more than 100 days ago.
• while IFS= read -r -d