Remove all but newest two files (Not a duplicate post)

Shell Programming and Scripting
1 
TARGET_DIR='/media/andy/MAXTOR_SDB1/Ubuntu_Mate_18.04/'
REGEX='[0-9]{4}-[0-9]{2}-[0-9]{2}_[0-9]{2}:[0-9]{2}'   # regular expression that match to: date '+%Y-%m-%d_%H:%M'
LATEST_FILE="$(ls "$TARGET_DIR" | egrep "^${REGEX}$" | tail -1)"

find "$TARGET_DIR" ! -name "$LATEST_FILE" -type f -regextype egrep -regex ".*/${REGEX}$" -exec rm -f {} +
# not working find "$TARGET_DIR" ! -name "$LATEST_FILE" -type f -regextype egrep -regex ".*/${REGEX}$" -print -f {} +

The REGEX and find statement is complicated and I do not understand much of what is going on behind the scenes.

I would like to modify it so it deletes these type of files from the next dir.

Ubuntu_Scripts_2018-08-22-20-00.zip

/media/andy/MAXTOR_SDB1/Ubuntu_Mate_18.04/Script_Backups/

2

try this:

REGEX='[0-9]{4}-[0-9]{2}-[0-9]{2}-[0-9]{2}-[0-9]{2}[.]zip'
3

Misread then wrong answer, i apologize :o

Regards
Peasant

4

This isn't deleting any files.

#!/bin/bash
TARGET_DIR='/media/andy/MAXTOR_SDB1/Ubuntu_Mate_18.04/Script_Backups/'
REGEX='[0-9]{4}-[0-9]{2}-[0-9]{2}-[0-9]{2}-[0-9]{2}[.]zip'
LATEST_FILE="$(ls "$TARGET_DIR" | egrep "^${REGEX}$" | tail -1)"

find "$TARGET_DIR" ! -name "$LATEST_FILE" -type f -regextype egrep -regex ".*/${REGEX}$" -exec rm -f {} +
5

you need to work with the REGEX to match your file spec(s):

#!/bin/bash
TARGET_DIR='/media/andy/MAXTOR_SDB1/Ubuntu_Mate_18.04/Script_Backups/'
REGEX='Ubuntu_Scripts_[0-9]{4}-[0-9]{2}-[0-9]{2}-[0-9]{2}-[0-9]{2}[.]zip'
LATEST_FILE="$(ls "$TARGET_DIR" | egrep "${REGEX}$" | tail -1)"

find "$TARGET_DIR" ! -name "$LATEST_FILE" -type f -regextype egrep -regex ".*/${REGEX}$" -exec rm -f {} +
6

Ok. How do I find out about those
[0-9]{4} parts?

I would be glad to read up, but don't know where to look.

7

start with man egrep looking at the REGULAR EXPRESSIONS chapter.

8

Thanks. This works.

# http://www.cs.columbia.edu/~tal/3261/fall07/handout/egrep_mini-tutorial.htm

#REGEX='[0-9]{4}-[0-9]{2}-[0-9]{2}_[0-9]{2}:[0-9]{2}'   # regular expression that match to: date '+%Y-%m-%d_%H:%M'

#!/bin/bash
TARGET_DIR='/media/andy/MAXTOR_SDB1/Ubuntu_Mate_18.04/Script_Backups/'
REGEX='Ubuntu_Scripts_[0-9]{4}-[0-9]{2}-[0-9]{2}-[0-9]{2}-[0-9]{2}[.]zip' # Ubuntu_Scripts_2018-08-23-10-00.zip

LATEST_FILE="$(ls "$TARGET_DIR" | egrep "^${REGEX}$" | tail -1)"

find "$TARGET_DIR" ! -name "$LATEST_FILE" -type f -regextype egrep -regex ".*/${REGEX}$" -exec rm -f {} +