How to Delete Files Using Wildcards with tar
The tar command is a powerful tool for archiving and extracting files. It can be used to create, extract, list, and manipulate archive files. Sometimes, you might need to delete specific files within a tar archive. Wildcards offer a convenient way to target and delete multiple files matching a certain pattern. This article will guide you on how to use wildcards with tar to delete files from archives.
Understanding Wildcards
Wildcards are special characters that can be used to represent multiple characters in a filename. Here are the most commonly used wildcards:
*(asterisk): Matches any sequence of characters, including zero characters.?(question mark): Matches any single character.[abc](character class): Matches any single character from the specified set.
How to Delete Files Using Wildcards with tar
To delete files from a tar archive using wildcards, you'll need to use the --delete option along with the wildcard pattern for the files you want to remove.
Here's the general syntax:
tar --delete --file=archive.tar --wildcards '*.txt'
Let's break down the command:
tar: The command to interact with tar archives.--delete: Specifies that you want to delete files from the archive.--file=archive.tar: Specifies the name of the tar archive.--wildcards: Indicates that wildcards are used in the following pattern.'*.txt': The wildcard pattern to match the files you want to delete. In this case, it will delete all files with the.txtextension.
Example:
Let's say you have an archive called my_backup.tar and you want to delete all files with the .log extension within this archive. You would run the following command:
tar --delete --file=my_backup.tar --wildcards '*.log'
This command will remove all files ending in .log from the my_backup.tar archive.
Important Considerations
- Modifying the Archive: Deleting files from a
tararchive modifies the original archive. Always make a backup of your archive before making any changes. - Extracting and Re-Archiving: An alternative to deleting files directly from the archive is to extract the contents, delete the unwanted files, and then re-archive the remaining files.
--remove: This option is an alternative to--deleteand serves the same purpose of removing files from an archive.
Examples of Wildcards
Here are some examples of how to use wildcards with tar to delete different types of files:
- Delete all files with
.txtand.logextensions:tar --delete --file=archive.tar --wildcards '*.{txt,log}' - Delete all files starting with
temp_:tar --delete --file=archive.tar --wildcards 'temp_*' - Delete files with numbers in their name:
tar --delete --file=archive.tar --wildcards '*[0-9]*' - Delete files with names longer than 10 characters:
tar --delete --file=archive.tar --wildcards '{,*,**}*.{11..}'
Conclusion
Using wildcards with tar gives you a powerful way to selectively delete files from archives. This can save you time and effort when working with large archives. Remember to always back up your archives before making any changes, and experiment with different wildcard patterns to achieve the results you need.