sindresorhus/trash

Trashing a file on Windows deletes it unrecoverably if no recycle bin is enabled

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#107 opened on Dec 11, 2020

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 (5 comments) (1 reaction) (0 assignees)JavaScript (2,660 stars) (81 forks)user submission
bughelp wanted

Description

Similar to #56, but probably has to be solved in a different way for Windows. This was reported by a user in my app losslesscut https://github.com/mifi/lossless-cut/issues/537 When he trashed a file on a network mounted drive (which has no trash), the file just got removed permanently.

Contributor guide

Tech stack
javascript
Domain
desktopbackend
Issue type
bug
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
half day
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
stale
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
Node.js knowledgeWindows environmentfamiliarity with fs module
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
50
Research direction
Examine the Windows trash implementation in the repository (likely a platform specific module). Understand how the recycle bin is accessed via Windows Shell API. Investigate issue #56 for similar work on macOS. Implement a fallback that prevents permanent deletion when recycle bin is unavailable, such as moving to a temporary location or showing a confirmation dialog.