Exercise 9: Locating Unused Files

Exercise 9: Locating Unused (Orphaned) Files

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Is it safe to delete that old file from the Web server? Linkbot can answer this question for you by scanning your Web server for "orphaned" files that are no longer being referenced within your site. In this exercise we'll show you how Linkbot can help recover wasted disk space by listing files that are safe to delete from the Web server.

How does the orphan analysis work?

After completing a scan of your entire Web site, Linkbot will search through your Web server directory and look for files that were not found anywhere on the Site. If the file is not referenced by the Web site, Linkbot flags it as orphaned or unused.

Warning: You must still use some caution when deleting files. For example, if your Web site contains references to files in JavaScript code, Linkbot will not find them in the URL tree because it doesn’t support Java Script. Under these conditions, Linkbot may then presume that a file is not in use when it really is.

To configure the orphan analysis:

By default, the orphans analysis is turned off. You must setup the orphans configuration before using this feature. To do this:

1. Select Options from the Tools menu.

2. Select the Orphans Tab

3. Indicate whether you wish to search for orphans via FTP or from your local hard disk

4. Complete the remaining options. Press the help button for more information about specific options.

To locate the orphaned files in the Report Window:

Run a complete analysis on the site.
Select the Orphaned Files option in the left frame. Linkbot will list the orphaned files in the left frame's list.

To locate the orphaned files in the Site Report:

Run a complete analysis on the site.
Publish a Site Report and choose the Orphans option from the report menu.

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