Check if any file exist in a folder when traversing through it

Question

I have this script:

  local_dir="/some/dir1/"

  cd $local_dir
  for i in *.*
  do

    # do something ........
    # [...........]

    rm $i
  done

It throws an error when the folder is empty.

*: No such file or directory
rm: cannot remove '*': No such file or directory

How can I fix that?

score 1 · Answer 1 · answered Jan 08 '19 at 06:06

1

If you want to use your original code, then you just need to check if file exists, using an if condition, i.e.:

local_dir="/some/dir1/"

cd $local_dir
for i in *.*
do
  if [[ -f "$i" ]]
  then
   # do something ........
   # [...........]

   rm $i
  fi
done

answered Jan 08 '19 at 06:06

Prvt_Yadav

2

A simple -f doesn't need doubled [], and don't forget that you'll miss files that don't have a . in them. – stolenmoment Jan 08 '19 at 11:26
@stolenmoment, what's needed? – Jokki Jan 08 '19 at 17:33
Just "if [ -f $i ]" will do, and * should get all files, not just files with a . In the name. – stolenmoment Jan 09 '19 at 14:18
IOW, [[...]] is not POSIX, but [...] is POSIX. – Christopher Oct 16 '19 at 13:43

score -1 · Answer 2 · answered Jan 08 '19 at 05:38

-1

try with ls

for i in $(ls)
do
       # Do something
rm $i
done

answered Jan 08 '19 at 05:38

Kamaraj

3

Parsing the output of ls is too tricky to get right. See https://unix.stackexchange.com/q/128985/117549 for one example. – Jeff Schaller Jan 08 '19 at 11:05

2 Answers2