# Invoke-OldFilePurge

## Overview

This PowerShell script deletes files older than a specified number of days from a target directory.

It is designed for high-volume deletion of small files — for example Tomcat temp folders, IIS logs, or other directories that accumulate large numbers of files over time. The function:

- Scans a directory (optionally recursively) for files older than a given age
- Deletes matching files using `[System.IO.File]::Delete()` for speed
- Reports progress (percentage, rate, deleted/failed counts) via `Write-Progress`
- Logs every deletion (and failure) to a timestamped log file
- Supports `-WhatIf` / `-Confirm` via `SupportsShouldProcess`

---

# Prerequisites

## PowerShell

PowerShell 5.1 or later.

---

# Files

## Invoke-OldFilePurge.ps1

Defines the `Invoke-OldFilePurge` function. Dot-source the file or copy the function into your session/module before use.

```powershell
. .\Invoke-OldFilePurge.ps1
```

---

# Parameters

| Parameter | Mandatory | Default | Description |
|-----------|-----------|---------|-------------|
| `Path` | Yes | — | Target directory to clean up. |
| `DaysOld` | No | `7` | Files with `LastWriteTime` older than this many days are deleted. Range: 1–3650. |
| `Recurse` | No | Enabled | If specified, subdirectories are also scanned. |
| `LogDir` | No | `C:\Temp` | Directory for the log file. Created automatically if it does not exist. |
| `LogEnabled` | No | `$true` | Enables or disables logging. |

---

# Running the script

Preview what would be deleted without actually deleting anything:

```powershell
Invoke-OldFilePurge.ps1 -Path "C:\Program Files\Apache Software Foundation\Tomcat 9.0\temp" -WhatIf
```

Delete files older than 7 days (default):

```powershell
Invoke-OldFilePurge.ps1 -Path "C:\Program Files\Apache Software Foundation\Tomcat 9.0\temp"
```

Delete files older than 30 days and write logs to a custom directory:

```powershell
Invoke-OldFilePurge.ps1 -Path "D:\IIS\Logs" -DaysOld 30 -LogDir "D:\Logs"
```

Run without logging:

```powershell
Invoke-OldFilePurge.ps1 -Path "D:\Temp" -LogEnabled $false
```

---

# Logging

Each execution (when `LogEnabled` is `$true`) creates a log file:

```
FileCleanup_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.log
```

Example:

```
2026-07-02 09:12:11  [INFO ]  === Invoke-OldFilePurge started ===
2026-07-02 09:12:11  [INFO ]  Path      : D:\IIS\Logs
2026-07-02 09:12:11  [INFO ]  DaysOld   : 30 (cutoff: 2026-06-02 09:12:11)
2026-07-02 09:12:11  [INFO ]  Recurse   : True
2026-07-02 09:12:11  [INFO ]  Files to delete: 1245
2026-07-02 09:12:12  [INFO ]  DELETED: D:\IIS\Logs\u_ex260101.log
2026-07-02 09:12:12  [WARN ]  FAILED : D:\IIS\Logs\u_ex260102.log — file in use
2026-07-02 09:13:05  [INFO ]  Completed in 00:00:53.42 — Deleted: 1244 | Failed: 1 | Total: 1245
2026-07-02 09:13:05  [INFO ]  === Invoke-OldFilePurge finished ===
```

---

# Progress reporting

While running, the script displays a progress bar updated every 500 processed files (or on the last file), showing the count deleted, failed, and the deletion rate (files/second).

---

# Error Handling

- Validates that `Path` exists and is a directory before starting.
- Each file deletion is wrapped in `try/catch`; failures are counted and logged with `[WARN]` but do not stop the run.
- Supports `-WhatIf` and `-Confirm` (via `SupportsShouldProcess`) to preview or confirm deletions before they happen.

---

# Notes

- Files are matched purely on `LastWriteTime`; there is no filter on file extension or name.
- Hidden and system files are included (`-Force`).
- Deletion uses `[System.IO.File]::Delete()` instead of `Remove-Item`, which is significantly faster for large numbers of small files.