.. highlight:: xml
.. index:: delete

.. _delete:

``delete``
----------

This task deletes files and directories on the device. All files and directories matching the ``include`` regexp pattern are deleted.

Run this task in "dry run" mode first to determine what is actually going to be deleted.

Attributes/Options
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

.. list-table ::
   :widths: 20 80 8
   :header-rows: 1

   * - Name
     - Description
     - Required  
   * - include
     - Regular expression pattern defining what files and directories to delete.

       The match is done against the entire path of a file, including the filesystem (e.g., ``local:/``). Note that the filesystem is separated by a single slash, i.e., the pattern ``local://.*xsd`` will not match anything.
       
       You cannot delete the root of the filesystem, though it is possible to delete everything under the root with the pattern ``local:/(?!ondisk$).*``. Replace "ondisk" with the mountpoint of your disk array if it is not the default. 
     - Yes
   * - matchRequired
     - If set to ``true``, fail if no files matched the ``include`` pattern. 

       Defaults to ``true``. 
     - No
   * - dryRun    
     - If set to ``true``, print the files and directories that will be deleted but don't make any changes to the device.
     
       Defaults to ``false``.
     - No
     
Examples
^^^^^^^^

Delete all "\*.xsd" files from "local:/":

.. code-block:: bat

   dpbuddy delete -include="local:/.*\.xsd"

.. code-block:: xml    

   <dp:delete include="local:/.*\.xsd" />

You can find more examples under ``samples`` in your distribution or `online <http://myarch.com/dpbuddy-examples-files/>`_.