trash-cli

# trash-cli A command line interface to the freedesktop.org trashcan. It trashes files recording the original path, deletion date, and permissions. It uses the same trashcan used by KDE, GNOME, and XFCE. ## Installation ```bash # Via Homebrew (Linux/macOS) brew install trash-cli # Via pip pip install trash-cli # Via apt (Debian/Ubuntu) sudo apt install trash-cli # Via pacman (Arch Linux) sudo pacman -S trash-cli # Via dnf (Fedora) sudo dnf install trash-cli ``` ## Commands Overview | Command | Description | |---------|-------------| | `trash-put` | Move files/directories to trash | | `trash-list` | List trashed files | | `trash-restore` | Restore trashed files | | `trash-empty` | Permanently delete trashed files | | `trash-rm` | Remove specific files from trash | ## trash-put Move files or directories to the trash can. ```bash trash-put <file> # Trash a file trash-put <dir>/ # Trash a directory trash-put -f <file> # Silently ignore nonexistent files trash-put -v <file> # Verbose output ``` ### Options - `-f, --force` - Silently ignore nonexistent files - `-v, --verbose` - Explain what is being done - `--trash-dir TRASHDIR` - Use TRASHDIR as trash folder ### Notes - Unlike `rm`, `trash-put` does not require `-R` for directories - Files trashed from home partition go to `~/.local/share/Trash/` - Files from other partitions go to `$partition/.Trash/$uid` or `$partition/.Trash-$uid` ## trash-list List all trashed files. ```bash trash-list # List all trashed files trash-list | grep <pattern> # Search for specific files trash-list --all-users # List trashcans of all users ``` ### Output Format ``` 2008-06-01 10:30:48 /home/user/bar 2008-06-02 21:50:41 /home/user/baz ``` Format: `deletion_date original_path` ## trash-restore Restore trashed files to their original location. ```bash trash-restore # Interactive restore trash-restore --overwrite # Overwrite existing files trash-restore --sort date # Sort by date (default) trash-restore --sort path # Sort by path ``` ### Interactive Mode ``` $ trash-restore 0 2007-08-30 12:36:00 /home/andrea/foo 1 2007-08-30 12:39:41 /home/andrea/bar 2 2007-08-30 12:39:41 /home/andrea/baz What file to restore [0..2]: 0 ``` - Enter the number to restore that file - Use `0-2,3` to restore multiple files - Use `--overwrite` to replace existing files ## trash-empty Permanently remove files from trash. ```bash trash-empty # Remove ALL trashed files trash-empty 7 # Remove files older than 7 days trash-empty 1 # Remove files older than 1 day ``` ### Examples ```bash # Delete everything in trash trash-empty # Keep only files from the last 7 days trash-empty 7 # Keep only today's files trash-empty 1 ``` ## trash-rm Remove specific files from trash (by pattern). ```bash trash-rm <pattern> # Remove files matching pattern trash-rm '*.o' # Remove all .o files trash-rm foo # Remove all files named "foo" trash-rm /full/path # Remove by original path ``` **Note**: Use quotes to protect pattern from shell expansion. ```bash trash-rm '*.log' # Correct trash-rm *.log # Wrong - shell will expand ``` ## Safety Tips ### Replace rm with trash-put Add to `.bashrc` or `.zshrc`: ```bash # Remind yourself not to use rm directly alias rm='echo "Use trash-put instead!"; false' # Or use a safer alias alias rm='trash-put' ``` To bypass the alias when you really need `rm`: ```bash \rm file.txt ``` ### Recovery Workflow 1. Check what's in trash: `trash-list` 2. Find your file: `trash-list | grep <filename>` 3. Restore: `trash-restore` ## Trash Location - **Home partition**: `~/.local/share/Trash/` - **Other partitions**: `$mount_point/.Trash/$uid` or `$mount_point/.Trash-$uid` ## Limitations - Does not support BRTFS volumes - Cannot trash files from read-only filesystems ## FAQ ### Creating a top-level .Trash directory If you need to create a trash directory on a different partition: ```bash sudo mkdir --parent /.Trash sudo chmod a+rw /.Trash sudo chmod +t /.Trash ``` ### Should I alias rm to trash-put? **The author advises against this.** Although `trash-put` seems compatible with `rm`, it has different semantics that will cause problems. For example, while `rm` requires `-R` for deleting directories, `trash-put` does not. Instead, use a warning alias: ```bash alias rm='echo "This is not the command you are looking for."; false' ``` To bypass when you really need `rm`: ```bash \rm file.txt ``` ## See Also - [Official GitHub](https://github.com/andreafrancia/trash-cli) - [FreeDesktop.org Trash Spec](https://specifications.freedesktop.org/trash/latest/)