Create a Linux Recycle Bin with a Simple Shell Script

Script Code

# vim /bin/delete
#! /bin/bash
[ ! -d /.recycle ] && mkdir -v /.recycle && chmod 777 /.recycle
if [ $# -eq 0 ]; then
  echo "Usage: delete file1 [file2 file3...]" && exit 6
fi
read -p "Are you sure you want to delete it? [Y/N]: " action
case $action in
  y) ;;
  Y) ;;
  *) exit ;;
esac
for file in "$@"; do
  now=`date +%Y-%m-%d-%H:%M:%S`
  newfile=`basename $file`
  mv $file /.recycle/${newfile}.$now && echo "$file is deleted!"
 done

Script Explanation

1) The script is placed in /bin as delete so users can call it directly.

2) It creates a hidden recycle directory /.recycle with permission 777 if it does not already exist.

3) If no arguments are supplied, it prints a usage message and exits.

4) It prompts the user for confirmation, similar to a Windows dialog.

5) Based on the answer, the script either proceeds or exits.

6) Each specified file is renamed with a timestamp and moved to /.recycle. The script uses $@ for all arguments and basename to strip the path.

Set Executable Permission

# chmod +x /bin/delete

Schedule Automatic Cleanup

Add a weekly cron job to empty the recycle bin:

0 0 * * 0 rm -rf /.recycle

Testing

Run the delete command on a file; the file is moved to /.recycle with a timestamp.

Optional Alias

To replace rm with the new script, add the following line to ~/.bashrc and reload: alias rm='sh /bin/delete' Then run source ~/.bashrc to apply immediately.