Delete files older than X days - mtime, ctime and atime doesn't work

Question

I'm running a script on synology (NAS) that is deleting files older than x days on certain folders.

The problem is that I want these files to be deleted after X days of being uploaded on the folder.

So I thought of using ctime, mtime, or atime, but the problem is that these are based on file change time, file modify time or file accessed time. Accessed time doesn't work for me, and modify time doesn't work because the files that I am uploading on Synology "import" the modify file time from Windows (sometimes very old times).

Does anyone know a solution?

Answer 1

Since you cannot use any of the file timestamps, you have to use another approach. These are the usual alternatives:

• use a naming convention (embedding the timestamp in either the filenames, or the directory names), or
• storing a timestamp in a related file, e.g., a hidden (dot-file) in the same directory which can be checked with a script
• maintain a database which records the date on which files are uploaded, and use that to control when they expire