4 PHP scripts deleting files and folders older than 21 days with specified extension and prefix

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I'm trying to create 4 scripts which will make the fallowing tasks:

  • SCRIPT 1 - Delete files older than 21 days with 'txt' extension
  • SCRIPT 2 - Delete folders inside specified path older than 21 days
  • SCRIPT 3 - Delete files inside specified path older than 21 days
  • SCRIPT 4 - Delete files inside the folder and subfolders older than 21 days with prefix 'file_prefix'

Below is the code I found online. So I created 4 separate files like script1.php and so on, uploaded on my server and tried to fire them up. All I have returned is the code itself in the browser window, but files and folders are not deleted:( Hope you can help me on that. Below I tried to adopt the code I found online and create 3 scripts. Unfortunately I have no idea how to create the 4th one as it will be more complicated.

I'm only a front end developer started to learn the PHP code basics...

/***** SCRIPT 1 - Delete files older than 21 days with .txt extension *****/

$days = 21;  
$path = './mypath/folder_with_txt_files/';  
$filetypes_to_delete = array("txt");  
    
if ($handle = opendir($path))  
{   
    while (false !== ($file = readdir($handle)))  
    {  
        if (is_file($path.$file))  
        {  
            $file_info = pathinfo($path.$file);  
            if (isset($file_info['extension']) && in_array(strtolower($file_info['extension']), $filetypes_to_delete))  
            {  
                if (filemtime($path.$file) < ( time() - ( $days * 24 * 60 * 60 ) ) )  
                {  
                    unlink($path.$file);  
                }  
            }  
        }  
    }  
}

/***** SCRIPT 2 - Delete folders older than 21 days *****/

$days = 21;  
$path = './mypath/folders_to_delete/';  
  
if ($handle = opendir($path))  
{   
    while (false !== ($file = readdir($handle)))  
    {   
        if (is_dir($path.$file))  
        {    
            if (filemtime($path.$file) < ( time() - ( $days * 24 * 60 * 60 ) ) )  
            {  
                unlink($path.$file);  
            }  
        }  
    }  
}

/***** SCRIPT 3 - Delete files older than 21 days *****/

$days = 21;  
$path = '/mypath/folder_with_files_to_delete';  
  
if ($handle = opendir($path))  
{   
    while (false !== ($file = readdir($handle)))  
    {   
        if (is_file($path.$file))  
        {    
            if (filemtime($path.$file) < ( time() - ( $days * 24 * 60 * 60 ) ) )  
            {  
                unlink($path.$file);  
            }  
        }  
    }  
}

/***** SCRIPT 4 - Delete files inside the folder and subfolders older than 21 days with prefix 'file_prefix' *****/ 

?
php
1 Answers

The webserver tries hard to isolate its working from that of the operating system, for evident security reasons. The webserver itself normally runs under a very strict and limited user account.

For running maintenance scripts via the browser you need to undo these protections and give the webserver permissions over more folders.

This would be a very bad idea.

You may however run these scripts from the command-line version of PHP, meaning from the console. It would then have the same permissions as inherited from the console.

harrymc_1653580
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