Rm all files without prompt

Although by default it can remove files only but rm command can also be used to delete directories using certain options a less known fact to beginners. The ls shows that originally there are three files. Then we use the rm command to delete a. Finally, the deletion of a,txt is verified by listing the content again using ls command. To understand this option first make a file un-writable i.

Now, try to delete this file using rm. You will see a prompt whether you want to remove the file or not. The point is the system asks you before deleting a un-writable file. The use of -f option will delete the file directly without the prompt message.

So, again create a file and remove the write permission and now use the command. Interactive means if will ask for confirmation to delete the file which is not the case by default. What shell? Flippin heck - NO. And believe me, and some point, now or later, it WILL be empty.

I suggest you experiment with Turn- ON dots hidden files set dotglob shopt -s dotglob Turn- OFF dots unset dotglob shopt -u dotglob This method worked exactly as I wished for a copy command that was missing the hidden directories. From man page Find is your friend. Assuming the directory in question is. If you do not want to delete the directory itself, then you may just recreate it afterwards, or use find. Qian Chen Qian Chen 4 4 gold badges 6 6 silver badges 17 17 bronze badges.

Because this gives the same warnings that the user in the question wants to avoid. Oh my bad. But this is the shortest one line to get the thing done. Thanks for contributing an answer to this question. You can improve the helpfulness of this and any other answers you provide in the future by including what each peice of the commands you have used do.

You will be aware that ls -la outputs quite a lot of things that are not filenames. Trying to delete drwxr-xr-x will likely fail, and a string like -rw-r--r-- would be taken as a set of options by rm. Additionally, this would fail to delete anything that has spaces, tabs or newlines in their names. Kevdog 3, 18 18 gold badges 39 39 silver badges 61 61 bronze badges. Sign up or log in Sign up using Google. Sign up using Facebook.

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Featured on Meta. It operates on only one file at a time; it does not operate on directories; its behavior is not modified by any command line options. It does one thing and one thing only: calls the unlink system call on a single file. The version of rm used by most versions of Linux GNU rm has all the options and niceties listed above: safety checks, interactive prompting, conditional deletion, recursive operation.

It is similar to unlink in that it makes the unlink system call, but it may also call unlinkat if a specified pathname is relative rather than absolute. Remove the file myfile. If the file is write-protected, you are prompted to confirm you want it deleted.

You will not be prompted, even if the file is write-protected; if rm can delete the file, it will. Remove all files in the working directory. If it is write-protected, you will be prompted before rm removes it.

Attempt to remove every file in the working directory, but prompt before each file to confirm. Remove every file in the working directory; prompt for confirmation if more than three files are being deleted.

Remove the directory mydirectory , and any files and directories it contains. If a file or directory that rm tries to delete is write-protected, you are prompted to make sure you want it deleted.