Logout script - delete a file

Shell Programming and Scripting
1

Good evening you scripting guru's!

I have the following script to delete a file on logout of a Mac :

find  . �name com.apple.sidebarlists.plist �exec  rm  -f {} \;

It works fine in terminal and when logging out. However, it takes forever to run the script at logout...A minute and a half.

Is there a way to just run the command and targeting the current directory it is contained in? What would the syntax be to search the directory Library/Preferences?

Thanks,
AG

2

perhaps you could try:

nohup find . -name "com.apple.sidebarlists.plist" �exec rm -f {} \; &
3

If you already know the file's name and location, why don't you just remove it :confused:

4

Deleting is the easy part....
History of this:
We run an AD environment with MACs running 10.3.9 and 10.4.11

The com.apple.sidebarlists.plist sets up differently when logging onto either OS. So, when you go back and forth between OS's - A volume error occurs. Apple has confirmed this issue.

Their suggestion was to write a script to delete the file at logout.

The script above actually works, but thier is a lag time when logging out.

I tried the nohup command, but so far it hasn't worked for a user connected to the server.

Using the (find . -name) searches through all files on the drive before hitting the correct file to delete. (SLOW)

I have tried find ./Library in the sh but it only works in terminal and will not work when logging out.

Is there a variable in which I can put into the script that will go directly to the file and delete it?

Thanks for any suggestions.

AG

5

You need to give absolute path in the find command, like

find /var/lib -name 'NAME'

It seems like, it takes time for searching in many places to delete, so you can use absolute path, and let us know.

Also, there is a useful option -xdev in "find", which will be of great use to you if you have multiple filesystems and wasting time in other places.

6

What is the absolute pathname of: Library/Preferences ?

7

Is the file stored in different locations between the osx versions?

sw_vers -productVersion will give you the major minor and patch level.

OSXVER=`sw_vers -productVersion | awk -F. '{print $1 "." $2}'`

I use the above variable to run different script stuff against different osx versions. Since they all seem to be different and require specific scripts for each one :rolleyes:

8

find ~ . -name com.apple.sidebarlists.plist -exec rm -f {} \;

The above worked- the ~ helped to search only the users folder. Note: these are users' on the network that connect to Mac server.

Now- for the logon script...I need to also delete the file at logon..The initial script works at logon but slowly- it eventually gets to the home folder to delete, but need it faster.
Any suggestions? I will post once I figure out the solution today.

Thanks....AG

---------- Post updated at 11:20 PM ---------- Previous update was at 06:41 AM ----------

any way to run the script in the background so the user does not have to wait for it to process?

Thanks

9

check out the

nohup ... &

construction earlier in this thread

10

Hi

This should work

find ~ . .name com.apple.sidebarlists.plist .exec rm -f {} \; &

11

So I am basically running this ..

Login.sh

/Library/Directory/login1.sh &

Login1.sh

find ~ . -name com.apple.sidebarlists.plist -exec rm -f {} \;

This does not hang up on login, however, after system logon, it will take 30 seconds to delete the file....I need it done immediately after logon..I cannot have a delay.
Any thoughts?

12

When using & - how can you stop it from processing..You need to go into terminal for it to complete..

13

Can you execute a rm command within a script to speed up the process?

Can the file be locked at login, how do you free it up to delete?