qdr.fnd/@Scripts/Cmd/delexcept.md

DelExcept - Selective File Deletion Script

A Windows batch script (delexcept.cmd) that deletes all files in a directory and its subdirectories while preserving files that match specified patterns.

Features

• ✅ Recursive deletion - Processes all subdirectories
• ✅ Pattern matching - Supports wildcards (* and ?)
• ✅ Safety confirmation - Prompts before execution
• ✅ Flexible arguments - Command line configurable
• ✅ Error handling - Handles access errors gracefully
• ✅ Progress feedback - Shows which files are kept/deleted

Usage

delexcept.cmd [TARGET_DIR] [KEEP_FILES]

Arguments

Argument	Description	Default
TARGET_DIR	Directory to process	Current directory (%CD%)
KEEP_FILES	Space-separated patterns of files to preserve	*.log *.cfg

Examples

Basic Usage

# Delete all files in current directory except *.log and *.cfg
delexcept.cmd

# Process specific directory with default keep patterns
delexcept.cmd "C:\MyFolder"

# Keep only text files in specified directory
delexcept.cmd "C:\Temp" "*.txt"

Advanced Pattern Matching

# Keep multiple file types
delexcept.cmd "D:\Project" "*.log *.cfg *.ini *.txt"

# Mix wildcards with exact filenames
delexcept.cmd "." "important.sql backup.* *.log"

# Use single character wildcards
delexcept.cmd "C:\Data" "config.? log*.txt"

Wildcard Patterns

Pattern	Description	Example Matches
*	Any number of characters	*.txt → file.txt, document.txt
?	Single character	log?.txt → log1.txt, logA.txt
*.*	Any file with extension	All files with extensions
file.*	Specific name, any extension	file.txt, file.log, file.cfg

Safety Features

Confirmation Prompt

The script displays a warning and requires user confirmation:

WARNING: This will delete all files in "C:\MyFolder" and subdirectories
EXCEPT files matching these patterns: *.log *.cfg

Are you sure? (Y/N):

Error Handling

• Validates directory access before processing
• Reports files that cannot be deleted
• Graceful handling of permission errors

Getting Help

Display usage information:

delexcept.cmd -h
delexcept.cmd --help
delexcept.cmd /?

Installation

1. Save the script as delexcept.cmd
2. Place it in a directory in your PATH, or
3. Run it from its location using full path

Common Use Cases

Development Environment Cleanup

# Keep source code, remove build artifacts
delexcept.cmd "C:\MyProject" "*.cs *.sql *.js *.html *.css"

Log Directory Maintenance

# Keep recent logs, remove everything else
delexcept.cmd "C:\Logs" "*.log *.txt"

Backup Directory Cleanup

# Keep specific backup files
delexcept.cmd "D:\Backups" "backup_*.sql important.*"

Temporary File Cleanup

# Remove temp files but keep configuration
delexcept.cmd "%TEMP%" "*.cfg *.ini *.conf"

Important Notes

⚠️ Warning: This script permanently deletes files. Always test with a backup or in a safe environment first.

Best Practices

1. Test first: Run the script in a test directory to verify pattern matching
2. Use quotes: Always quote paths with spaces: "C:\My Folder"
3. Check patterns: Verify your wildcard patterns match the intended files
4. Backup important data: Always maintain backups of critical files

Limitations

• Case-insensitive pattern matching only
• No regular expression support (only * and ? wildcards)
• Requires manual confirmation for each execution
• Windows-only (batch script)

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"Cannot access directory" error

• Verify the directory path exists
• Check permissions for the target directory
• Ensure no other processes are using files in the directory

Files not matching expected patterns

• Test patterns with dir command first: dir *.log
• Remember patterns are case-insensitive
• Use quotes around patterns with special characters

Permission denied errors

• Run as administrator if needed
• Close applications that might be using the files
• Check file attributes (read-only, hidden)

Testing Patterns

Before running the deletion script, test your patterns:

# Test what files match your pattern
dir /s "*.log"
dir /s "config.*"

Version History

• v1.0: Initial release with basic functionality
• v1.1: Added command line arguments and wildcard support
• v1.2: Enhanced pattern matching and error handling

License

This script is provided as-is for educational and practical use. Use at your own risk.