del-cli

What is del-cli?

The del-cli package is a command-line tool for deleting files and directories using glob patterns. It is a convenient wrapper around the 'del' module, making it easy to use from the command line.

What are del-cli's main functionalities?

Delete files

This feature allows you to delete a specific file by providing its path.

del-cli 'path/to/file.txt'

Delete directories

This feature allows you to delete an entire directory and its contents by providing the directory path.

del-cli 'path/to/directory'

Use glob patterns

This feature allows you to use glob patterns to delete multiple files that match the pattern. For example, this command deletes all .txt files in the specified directory.

del-cli 'path/to/files/*.txt'

Force delete

This feature allows you to forcefully delete files or directories that are normally protected. Use with caution.

del-cli 'path/to/file.txt' --force

Dry run

This feature allows you to perform a dry run, showing which files would be deleted without actually deleting them. This is useful for testing your glob patterns.

del-cli 'path/to/files/*.txt' --dry-run

Other packages similar to del-cli

rimraf

Rimraf is a deep deletion module for node (like `rm -rf`). It is more focused on being a programmatic solution rather than a CLI tool, but it can be used from the command line as well. Rimraf is very robust and handles edge cases like long paths on Windows.

trash-cli

Trash-cli is a command-line tool that moves files and directories to the trash instead of permanently deleting them. This can be safer as it allows for recovery of accidentally deleted files. It is a good alternative if you want a safer deletion process.

shx

Shx is a wrapper around ShellJS Unix commands, providing cross-platform compatibility for shell commands. It includes a `rm` command that can be used to delete files and directories. Shx is useful if you need a broader set of shell commands in addition to deletion.

README

del-cli

Delete files and directories

Useful for use in build scripts and automated things.

Note that this does permanent deletion. See trash-cli for something safer.

Install

npm install --global del-cli

Usage

$ del --help

  Usage
    $ del <path|glob> …

  Options
    --force, -f    Allow deleting the current working directory and outside
    --dry-run, -d  List what would be deleted instead of deleting
    --verbose, -v  Display the absolute path of files and directories as they are deleted

  Examples
    $ del unicorn.png rainbow.png
    $ del "*.png" "!unicorn.png"

:warning: Windows users: Since $ del is already a builtin command on Windows, you need to use $ del-cli there.

Comparison

Benefits over rimraf CLI: Supports globbing (even on Windows), safer by default as it doesn't allow deleting parent directories, and has a dry-run mode.

Benefits over rm -rf: Cross-platform, safer by default as it doesn't allow deleting parent directories, and has a dry-run mode.

Related

• del - API for this package
• trash-cli - Move files and directories to the trash
• make-dir-cli - Make directories and their parents if needed