RMW

Section: Misc. Reference Manual Pages (1)
Updated: April 2021
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NAME

rmw - remove files, safely

SYNOPSIS

rmw [OPTION]... FILE...

DESCRIPTION

rmw is a safe-delete utility that sends files to your "Desktop" trash (or a completely separate folder). It can also restore files and permanently delete files that were rmw'ed more than a certain (configurable) number of days ago.

RESTORING FILES

There are different ways to restore a file, or multiple files.

Use the -s option to show a list of files that can be restored.

Use the -u option to restore the file(s) that were last removed by rmw.

Use the -z (or --restore) option and specify the path to them in in the <WASTE>/files folder (wildcards ok). e.g. 'rmw -z ~/.local/share/Waste/files/foo*'.

PURGING

If purging is 'on', rmw will permanently delete files from the folders specified in the configuration file after 'x' number of days. Purging can be disabled by using 'purge_after = 0' in configuration file. rmw will only check once per day if it's time to purge (use -g to check more often). Add the line 'force_required' in your rmw configuration file to require -f (--force) to enable purge.

OPTIONS

-c --config filename

Use an alternate configuration file.

-f --force

Allow rmw to purge files in the background.

-g[N_DAYS] --purge[=N_DAYS]

If purging is enabled, rmw will permanently delete files from the folders specified in the configuration file after 'x' number of days. By default, purging is disabled ('purge_after' is set to '0' in the configuration file). To enable, use a value greater than '0' (Example: If '45' is specified, rmw will permanently delete files that have been in the waste (or trash) for more than 45 days.

The value of 'purge_after' can be temporarily overridden by using -g [N_DAYS] or --purge[=NDAYS] (Examples: -g90, --purge=90).

The time of the last automatic purge check is stored in `purge-time`, located in $HOME/.local/share/rmw (or $XDG_DATA_HOME/rmw).

-e --empty

completely empty (purge) all waste folders.

-r, -R, --recursive

option used for compatibility with rm (recursive operation is enabled by default)

-h --help

Display a help screen and exit.

-l --list

List waste directories.

-o --orphaned

Check for orphaned files (for maintenance tasks).

-s --select

Displays a list to select files to restore.

-u --undo-last

Undo last safe removal.

-m --most-recent-list

list most recently rmw'ed files

-v --verbose

Print extra information on the output.

-w --warranty

Display warranty information and exit.

-V --version

Display version and licensing information and exit.

-z --restore pattern

Restore files matching pattern.

DIRECTORIES

The program's configuration file is stored in ~/.config/. The data files are written to ~/.local/share/rmw/. By default, the safe-removed files are stored in ~/.local/share/Waste/.

LICENCE

This program is published under the terms of the GNU General Public License, version 2 or any later version, as published by the Free Software Foundation.

AUTHOR

Written by Andy Alt, with contributions from others.