How do I temporary delete files with the command line?

Question

I've tried to alias rm with rm='mv $1 /tmp/' to no avail.

How can I temporary delete files with the command line?

I want to replace the rm command with the mv command to not delete my files and create a trash with the command line like I'm using the trash icon on my desktop.

Answer 1

I think your question is answered here. In summary;

• Adding an alias for rm is bad form, as other scripts (and/or users) on your system rely on the default behaviour
• When you switch to another machine you'll use rm with wild abandon
• Instead create an alias for your own command, such as del

To do this;

alias del 'mv -i $1 /tmp'

The -i flag warns you if a file of the same name already exists in trash, so you don't lose existing trashed files.

And you'll want that alias to be initiated whenever you open a shell, which depending on your system might be putting the command in ~/.bashrc

Some people reported that $1 doesn't work, and there's a suggested script in that thread I linked to which should help if that's the case.

Hope that helps