How I Tackled Auto-Generated Files Matching Page URLs in My WordPress Site

Hey there, it’s Mohamed KADI, and today I want to share with you a challenge I faced while managing my WordPress site and how I resolved it using a simple yet effective solution.

The Problem: Auto-Generated Files with Page URL Names

As a web developer, maintaining a WordPress site comes with its set of challenges. Recently, I encountered a significant problem – auto-generated files were affecting the accessibility of my original URLs. When these files were created, attempting to access example.com/page-name/ resulted in a “Not Found” message, impacting the overall quality of my website and causing me to lose valuable visitors.

The Solution: A Bash Script for Silent Cleanup

To address this issue, I crafted a bash script that silently checks and deletes files matching specific names. The script is designed to run in the background, continuously checking for these auto-generated files and cleaning them up without bothering me with notifications.

Here’s a glimpse of the script:

#!/bin/bash

# List of files to delete
filesToDelete=(
    "www.example.com"
    "services"
    "activities"
    "contact-us"
    "apartments"
    "gallery"
    "f-a-qs"
    "team"
)

# Get the current directory
directory="$(dirname "$0")"

while true; do
    for file in "${filesToDelete[@]}"; do
        filePath="$directory/$file"

        # Check if the file exists before attempting to delete
        if [ -e "$filePath" ]; then
            # Attempt to delete the file
            rm "$filePath" > /dev/null 2>&1
        fi
    done

    # Sleep for 5 seconds before checking again
    sleep 5
done

This script operates in the background, silently removing files with names corresponding to the URLs of specified pages.

How to Use the Script:

1. Adjust the Configuration: Modify the filesToDelete array to include the names of files you want to delete.
2. Make it Executable: Ensure the script has executable permissions:

   • chmod +x yourscript.sh
     

3. Run in Background: Execute the script and run it in the background:

   nohup bash yourscript.sh > /dev/null 2>&1 &
   

   Checking Background Processes:

   Wondering how to keep tabs on the background processes? You can use the ps command:

   ps aux | grep yourscript.sh
   

   This will display information about the running process, including the process ID (PID).

   Terminating a Background Process:

   To stop the script, find its PID using the ps command, and then terminate it:

   kill -9 PID
   

   This ensures a clean termination, allowing the script to perform necessary cleanup operations.

   In summary, this bash script provides an automated and silent solution to the challenge of auto-generated files impacting the accessibility of original URLs on your WordPress site. Feel free to adapt the script to your needs, and let me know if you have any questions or improvements! Happy coding!