Script to delete files older than x days?

  • I want to delete files in a folder older than 14 days. I have this code shown below. Does this look correct? Also, can I run this code in Visual Basic to test? Thanks.

    Function Main()

    Dim objFSO, objFolder, objFile, colFiles, DaysBack

    Set objFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")

    Set objFolder = objFSO.getfolder("C:\Temp")

    Set colFiles = objFolder.Files

    Set DaysBack = 14

    If colFiles.Count > 0 Then

       For Each objFile In colFiles

           If DateValue(objfile.dateCreated) < DateValue(Now - DaysBack) Then

                objFSO.DeleteFile objFile

             End If

       Next

    End If

           

    End Function

  • That looks great.

    You can copy dummy files to a test directory with different create dates. Then copy this code into a .VBS file (notepad, save as txt and rename .vbs). Just run the file and see the results... Make sure you the the right info for the directory b4 the test.

  • Thanks Remi. Found a link right here on this site too for anyone else.

    http://www.sqlservercentral.com/columnists/hji/usingvbscripttoautomatetasks.asp

    Pat

  • Below is how we do it.  A control file tells the VBS script which folders to examine

    Dim filesys, metabackfolder, fil, filecoll, filist, ext, VFile, VerStr, intDaysOld

    intDaysOld = 30

    Set filesys = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")

    Set VFile = filesys.OpenTextFile("C:\Applications\XXXX\Scripts\Control.ini", 1, False)

    While VFile.AtEndOfStream <> True

     VerStr = Trim(VFile.readline)

      if (VerStr <> "[Path]" And VerStr <> "[Backup]" And VerStr <> "") then

      Set metabackfolder = filesys.GetFolder(VerStr) 

      Set filecoll = metabackfolder.Files

      For Each fil in filecoll

       if InStr(1, fil.name, ".txt.", 1) or InStr(1, fil.name, ".log", 1) then

        If datediff("d", fil.DateLastModified, Date()) > cInt(intDaysOld) then

         'WScript.Echo("Will delete " & fil.name)

         fil.delete

        end if

       End If

      Next

     end if

    Wend

    VFile.Close



    Good Hunting!

    AJ Ahrens


    webmaster@kritter.net

  • and yet another way. get the values from whatever and just call the sub. Don't forget to add the success constant to the main function. I've always been partial to datediff.

     

    'Strict

    Option Explicit

    Function Main()

     DeleteOlderFiles "c:\temp", 1

    End Function

    Sub DeleteOlderFiles(strFolder, intDays)

     Dim objFile

     With CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")

      For each objFile in .GetFolder(strFolder).Files

       If datediff("d",objFile.DateCreated, Now) > intDays _

       Then .DeleteFile objFile

      Next

     End With

    End Sub

     

     

     

  • I'd definately use the datediff function to determine if the date changes. It's the most reliable way to check for differences in dates, a function that is specifically written for the task. I use it in my clean up script.


    Julian Kuiters
    juliankuiters.id.au

  • Not sure if this would matter in your environment, but I usually use the files DateLastModified property and not the DateCreated property.

    Some methods of File copies will retain the Create Date on the destination device and only update the Modified Date.  I would much rather delete less than more if the data is critical. 

    As an added note, DateDiff can return actual days of difference between files; where as a comparison of a ( Now - 14 ) will retain the time portion of the date returned by the Now function.

    -Mike Gercevich

  • In today SQLServerCentra.com news

    http://www.sqlservercentral.com/columnists/hji/usingvbscripttoautomatetasks.asp

  • ok people can any one know how to do this in c#...

    thankx

    amal


    Kindest Regards,

    Amal Fernando
    94-0717-318631 http://spaces.msn.com/members/amalatsliit/

  • ok people can any one know how to do this in c#...

    thankx

    amal


    Kindest Regards,

    Amal Fernando
    94-0717-318631 http://spaces.msn.com/members/amalatsliit/

  • Thanks for all the great responses. I love the SQL community! Here's how my script looks now. It's basically checking for files older than a month that begin with "qury" and end with the two extensions listed below. One other thing I need to do is to write a log file listing the files that were deleted and their delete date. Does anyone have any tips on that? Thanks again.

    Pat

    Function Main()

     Dim oFSO

     Dim sDirectoryPath

     Dim oFolder

     Dim oFileCollection

     Dim oFile

     

    'Set Variables

     Set oFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")

     sDirectoryPath = "C:\TEMP"

     set oFolder = oFSO.GetFolder(sDirectoryPath)

     set oFileCollection = oFolder.Files

    'Walk through each file in this folder collection.

    'If it is older than 30 days, then delete it.

     For each oFile in oFileCollection

      If DateDiff("d", oFile.DateLastModified, Now) > 30 AND UCASE(LEFT(oFile, 4)) = "qury" AND _

       (UCASE(Right(oFile, 9)) = ".sas7bvew" OR UCASE(Right(oFile, 9)) = ".sas7bdat") Then

       oFile.Delete(True)

      End If

     Next

    'Clean up

     Set oFSO = Nothing

     Set oFolder = Nothing

     Set oFileCollection = Nothing

     Set oFile = Nothing

     Main = DTSTaskExecResult_Success

  • Function Main()

    Dim oFSO

    Dim sDirectoryPath

    Dim oFolder

    Dim oFileCollection

    Dim oFile

    Dim oLog

    Dim iDaysOld

    'Set Variables

    iDaysOld = 30

    Set oFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")

    sDirectoryPath = "C:\TEMP"

    set oFolder = oFSO.GetFolder(sDirectoryPath)

    set oFileCollection = oFolder.Files

    Set oLog = oFSO.OpenTextFile("LogFilePath.log", ForAppending, True /*create if not exists*/)

    'Walk through each file in this folder collection.

    'If it is older than 30 days, then delete it.

    For each oFile in oFileCollection

    If oFile.DateLastModified < (Date() - iDaysOld) AND UCASE(LEFT(oFile, 4)) = "qury" AND _

    (UCASE(Right(oFile, 9)) = ".sas7bvew" OR UCASE(Right(oFile, 9)) = ".sas7bdat") Then

    oFile.Delete(True)

    oLog.WriteLine "File deleted on ..."

    End If

    Next

    'Clean up

    oLog.Close

    Set oLog = Nothing

    Set oFSO = Nothing

    Set oFolder = Nothing

    Set oFileCollection = Nothing

    Set oFile = Nothing

    Main = DTSTaskExecResult_Success

  • Thanks Remi. I'm new to writing vbscript. Does the way I'm checking for the existence of the log file look correct (it seems to work), or should it be placed somewhere else? Thanks.

    -Pat

    Dim oFSO

        Dim sDirectoryPath

        Dim oFolder

        Dim oFileCollection

        Dim oFile

        Dim oLog

       

        Const ForReading = 1

        Const ForWriting = 2

        Const ForAppending = 8

       

    'Set Variables

        Set oFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")

        sDirectoryPath = "C:\TEMP"

        Set oFolder = oFSO.GetFolder(sDirectoryPath)

        Set oFileCollection = oFolder.Files

        Set oLog = oFSO.OpenTextFile("C:\Temp\LogFile.txt", ForAppending, True)

    'Walk through each file in this folder collection.

    'If it is older than 30 days, then delete it.

        For Each oFile In oFileCollection

            If DateDiff("d", oFile.DateLastModified, Now) > 30 And Left(oFile.Name, 4) = "qury" And (UCase(Right(oFile, 9)) = ".SAS7BDAT" Or UCase(Right(oFile, 9)) = ".SAS7BVEW") Then

                If oFSO.FileExists("C:\Temp\LogFile.txt") Then

                oLog.WriteLine oFile.Name & " deleted on " & FormatDateTime(Date, vbShortDate)

                Else

                oFSO.CreateTextFile ("C:\Temp\LogFile.txt")

                oLog.WriteLine oFile.Name & " deleted on " & FormatDateTime(Date, vbShortDate)

                End If

                oFile.Delete (True)

             End If

        Next

    'Clean up

        oLog.Close

        Set oLog = Nothing

        Set oFSO = Nothing

        Set oFolder = Nothing

        Set oFileCollection = Nothing

        Set oFile = Nothing

  • "LogFilePath.log", ForAppending, True /*create if not exists*/

    the 3rd parameter set to true means the the file will be created if it doesn't exists. So you don't need to do the check in the while. Anyways the OpenTextFile method would fail if the file didn't exists and the 3rd parameter would be set to false.

  • Thanks for the help Remi !

    -Pat

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