Re: Deleting a whole subtree in the IFS quickly and easily?

[Scott Klement <klemscot@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hello,

> to get rid of files below test, leaving test alone. By default the rm
> command only removes files, not directories. Also deleting a directory
> that isn't empty generates errors (as your CPFA0AC above). Using the -f
> (force) option (as 'rm -r -f' or combined as 'rm -rf') will force
> directories to be deleted along with files.

Actually, the -r (rather than the -f) switch is what deletes directories.

The -f switch tells rm not to prompt the user for confirmation or return
error if it can't find/delete something.

Personally, I'd be more inclined to recommend "rm -r test/*" and then
check for failure, rather than "rm -rf test/*" where you'll never know if
it failed.