If you want a tool that can perform this task automatically, you should definitely read on. Delete Temporary Files And Folders is a very simple application that can be run as a scheduled task and removes old files from one or several locations. It lacks a GUI, but it is easy enough to configure. A usage example is provided by the developer here , and, as you can see, it is not at all complex. The simplest way to use these parameters is to create a shortcut to the executable file and add them in the Target field.
You can then run the application from the shortcut whenever you want to clean files from a certain location. Fortunately, it is possible to give temporary access to files, meaning that recipients only get a short window of time to review them.
Examples of when you might like to restrict access include:. Without access restrictions, once a file is sent out, control of it is often lost forever. This information could end up in the wrong hands and risk internal security. There are typically three ways in which you can limit access to a PDF or Word document for viewing in a web browser:.
Expiration is the ability to limit access until a fixed date and time. For instance, this would be suitable for sensitive deal documents that need to be evaluated, say in a tender or RFP. A deadline is useful for negotiations, as it can impart a sense of urgency. For the expiry to be useful, the date and time often has to be set in advance by a few days, weeks or months.
Popularized by the Mission Impossible series and Snapchat in the consumer space, a self-destruct timer will count down from the time that a recipient opens the PDF or other document. In the business context, this feature can be used to impose a one-time link, where a document will be valid for the approximate time needed to view the document or file.
For the self-destruct timer to be useful, the timer has to be short, in terms of minutes or hours at most. This leaves little time for anyone to copy the document, such as by taking pictures on a mobile phone. It can be useful in cases where a file is sent out by mistake, and you need to undo the mistake. Sometimes you may need to disable employee access to confidential information after they have left the company, or shut out external contractors when a relationship turns sour.
A quick search on Google will turn up several free options for imposing document expiry or restricting access. There are too many options to list here, but there are some important questions you should ask of the service when evaluating them:. Clean up on a timer Run another process on a timer using cron , perhaps or use an in-process scheduler like APScheduler and clean up files that have been on-disk in the temporary location beyond your timeout e.
Improve this answer. Sean Vieira Sean Vieira k 32 32 gold badges silver badges bronze badges. One additional question: do you know of an easy way to refresh the page after all of this? Take a look at stackoverflow. Works without closing it, though. Show 6 more comments. You can also store the file in memory, delete it, then serve what you have in memory. For example, if you were serving a PDF: import io import os app. Garrett Garrett 2, 2 2 gold badges 30 30 silver badges 45 45 bronze badges.
Thank you very much. Sorry for late comment but does this technique have a disadvantage in production phase? KeremNayman There's no production disadvantage that I know of. We use this trick in production at the startup I'm at. Excellent solution! This is the only one out of the solutions I've seen that doesn't rely on threading tricks, timers, etc. Very reliable!
Thanks, Garrett! Why is it better to spawn a process for this? Wouldn't this be slower? Good catch, It depends on the file size, besides, the number of files that you're trying to remove.
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