Scripting neophyte needs file manipulation assistance


 
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Old 09-04-2009
Scripting neophyte needs file manipulation assistance

I need to write two shell scripts for an rsync backup solution. The first script will copy all backed up files into a folder named after the original folder, plus a date stamp (so e.g. if the original folder name is 'foo' and is backed up on the 10th of September, then the backup folder will be 'foo0910'.)

The second script will monitor the number of backed up folders created, and will automatically delete the oldest folder after seven are created. Thus, there will always be seven backups, with the oldest always deleted to make room for the newest.

While I know it's a simple task to write both scripts (or even combine them as one), I'm not very good at scripting yet and am looking for a little advice on how best to write the script. These scripts will be running on our rsync server, so I only have the most basic of commands to work with; the commands I have at my disposal are dd, cp, ls, mkdir, pwd, chmod, chgrp, ln, mv, rm, rmdir, touch, tail, groups, id, passwd and quota
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RMF(1)								     [nmh-1.5]								    RMF(1)

NAME
rmf - remove an nmh folder SYNOPSIS
rmf [+folder] [-interactive | -nointeractive] [-version] [-help] DESCRIPTION
Rmf removes all of the messages (files) within the specified (or default) folder, and then removes the folder (directory) itself. If there are any files within the folder which are not a part of nmh, they will not be removed, and an error will be produced. If the folder is given explicitly or the -nointeractive option is given, then the folder will be removed without confirmation. Otherwise, the user will be asked for confirmation. If rmf can't find the current folder, for some reason, the folder to be removed defaults to `+inbox' (unless overridden by user's profile entry "Inbox") with confirmation. If the folder being removed is a subfolder, the parent folder will become the new current folder, and rmf will produce a message telling the user this has happened. This provides an easy mechanism for selecting a set of messages, operating on the list, then removing the list and returning to the current folder from which the list was extracted. If rmf s used on a read-only folder, it will delete all the (private) sequences (i.e., "atr-seq-folder" entries) for this folder from your context without affecting the folder itself. Rmf irreversibly deletes messages that don't have other links, so use it with caution. FILES
$HOME/.mh_profile The user profile PROFILE COMPONENTS
Path: To determine the user's nmh directory Current-Folder: To find the default current folder Inbox: To find the default inbox SEE ALSO
rmm(1) DEFAULTS
`+folder' defaults to the current folder, usually with confirmation `-interactive' if +folder' not given, `-nointeractive' otherwise CONTEXT
Rmf will set the current folder to the parent folder if a subfolder is removed; or if the current folder is removed, it will make "inbox" current. Otherwise, it doesn't change the current folder or message. BUGS
Although intuitively one would suspect that rmf works recursively, it does not. Hence if you have a sub-folder within a folder, in order to rmf the parent, you must first rmf each of the children. MH.6.8 11 June 2012 RMF(1)