4.3BSD - /usr/man/cat1/rm.0

RM(1)                                                                    RM(1)


NAME
       rm, rmdir  - remove (unlink) files or directories

SYNOPSIS
       rm [ -f ] [ -r ] [ -i ] [ - ] file ...

       rmdir dir ...


DESCRIPTION
       Rm  removes  the entries for one or more files from a directory.  If an
       entry was the last link to the file, the file is destroyed.  Removal of
       a file requires write permission in its directory, but neither read nor
       write permission on the file itself.

       If a file has no write permission and the standard input is a terminal,
       its permissions are printed and a line is read from the standard input.
       If that line begins with ‘y’ the file is deleted,  otherwise  the  file
       remains.  No questions are asked and no errors are reported when the -f
       (force) option is given.

       If a designated file is a directory, an error comment is printed unless
       the  optional  argument -r has been used.  In that case, rm recursively
       deletes the entire contents of the specified directory, and the  direc‐
       tory itself.

       If  the -i (interactive) option is in effect, rm asks whether to delete
       each file, and, under -r, whether to examine each directory.

       The null option - indicates that all the arguments following it are  to
       be  treated as file names.  This allows the specification of file names
       starting with a minus.

       Rmdir removes entries for the named directories, which must be empty.

SEE ALSO
       rm(1), unlink(2), rmdir(2)


4th Berkeley Distribution       April 29, 1985                           RM(1)