When you want to delete a set of files, the Delete rule should be selected. SureSync will delete the files defined by the rule out of the root path(s) specified in the Relation. You can choose a single root path, all root paths, or select a subset of root paths.
The delete rule does not keep track of newer versus older versions, it simply deletes any files which fit the rule criteria.
The delete rule does not have an undo feature. Once the files have been deleted, the files are gone. It is strongly recommended that you test a delete rule and use the Preview application to ensure the rule is doing what you expect before actually running it.
Possible Uses for this Rule
Automatically Clean-Up Temporary Files
The delete rule is helpful in performing clean-up on a number of servers at once. For example, you might configure a Relation with a Delete rule that deletes the contents of a common temporary file location. This Relation could then be launched once a month by a Schedule resulting in a once a month automatic clean-up of temporary files.
Purge Old Files from a Directory
The delete rule can be used to purge old files from a directory. For example, if you wanted to get rid of all files older than a year from a directory this could be accomplished with a date range on the 'Dates' tab of the rule.
Delete a Particular File Type from a Directory
If you encounter a directory loaded with *.tmp files or *.log files, a delete rule with a file mask defined on the 'File Mask' tab of the rule could be used to delete just those file types. This can be useful in a number of situations. Only the file extensions defined on the 'File Mask' tab would be deleted, leaving the rest of the directory alone.
The delete rule does not have an undo feature. Once the files have been deleted, the files are gone. It is strongly recommended that you test a delete rule and use the Preview application to ensure the rule is doing what you expect before actually running it.