softlink

guru · External Since: Jul 20, 2007 Posts: 9

Hi

I wanted to remove all softlinks in a given directory(ex: linux source
directory).

How this can be done.? can we do it using a shell command or i have to
write piece of code for it.

Regards
Gururaja

Paul Pluzhnikov · External Since: Nov 07, 2004 Posts: 355

guru <guru.naveen RemoveThis @gmail.com> writes:

> I wanted to remove all softlinks in a given directory(ex: linux source
> directory).

If I were you, I'd change my "screen name" from "guru" to something
less ambitious, before asking such a beginner question Smile

> How this can be done.?

find . -type l -print0 | xargs -0 rm -f

Cheers,
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Remove /-nsp/ for email.

Josef Moellers · External Since: Jul 07, 2005 Posts: 389

Paul Pluzhnikov wrote:
> guru <guru.naveen DeleteThis @gmail.com> writes:
>
>
>>I wanted to remove all softlinks in a given directory(ex: linux source
>>directory).
>
>
> If I were you, I'd change my "screen name" from "guru" to something
> less ambitious, before asking such a beginner question Smile

>
>
>>How this can be done.?
>
>
> find . -type l -print0 | xargs -0 rm -f

TMTOWTDI

for file in *
do [ -L "$file" ] && rm -f "$file"
done

Yours also recursively removes all symbolic links in all subdirectories,
add "-maxdepth 0" to the find command. Mine does so only in the current
directory. But then, the OP's question is ambiguous "in a given
directory" vs. "linux source directory".
--
These are my personal views and not those of Fujitsu Siemens Computers!
Josef Möllers (Pinguinpfleger bei FSC)
If failure had no penalty success would not be a prize (T. Pratchett)
Company Details: http://www.fujitsu-siemens.com/imprint.html

ellis · External Since: Apr 02, 2004 Posts: 193

In article <f8s0k9$v1$1@nntp.fujitsu-siemens.com>,
Josef Moellers <josef.moellers.TakeThisOut@fujitsu-siemens.com> wrote:

>TMTOWTDI
>
>for file in *
>do [ -L "$file" ] && rm -f "$file"
>done

That won't work if there are too many files in the
directory.

--
http://www.spinics.net/linux/fedora/fedora-users/

Rainer Weikusat · External Since: Apr 02, 2007 Posts: 105

ellis.RemoveThis@no.spam () writes:
> In article <f8s0k9$v1$1@nntp.fujitsu-siemens.com>,
> Josef Moellers <josef.moellers.RemoveThis@fujitsu-siemens.com> wrote:
>
>>TMTOWTDI
>>
>>for file in *
>>do [ -L "$file" ] && rm -f "$file"
>>done
>
> That won't work if there are too many files in the
> directory.

Assuming the shell uses glob(3), it will not work if there isn't
enough memory available to hold the list of files.

ellis · External Since: Apr 02, 2004 Posts: 193

In article <873az16qeo.fsf RemoveThis @fever.mssgmbh.com>,
Rainer Weikusat <rweikusat RemoveThis @mssgmbh.com> wrote:

>Assuming the shell uses glob(3), it will not work if there isn't
>enough memory available to hold the list of files.

The limit is a lot less than that. That's why find and xargs comes
in handy so often.

--
http://www.spinics.net/lists/kernel/

Rainer Weikusat · External Since: Apr 02, 2007 Posts: 105

ellis DeleteThis @no.spam () writes:
> In article <873az16qeo.fsf DeleteThis @fever.mssgmbh.com>,
> Rainer Weikusat <rweikusat DeleteThis @mssgmbh.com> wrote:
>
>>Assuming the shell uses glob(3), it will not work if there isn't
>>enough memory available to hold the list of files.
>
> The limit is a lot less than that.

It's always 'clever' to waive ones hands and mumble incomprehensible
syllables. This puts someone who may feel inclined to disagree in the
unfortunate position of having to guess at what was actually meant by
particular statement. Nevertheless, I am fairly confident that my
'guess' that you (erronously) see an ARG_MAX involved hear is correct.

According to SUS,

There shall be no limit on the size of any shell command other
than that imposed by the underlying system (memory
constraints, {ARG_MAX}, and so on).

And ARG_MAX shouldn't be relevant for shell for-loops.