# Delete task in execution phase
**URL:** https://discuss.gradle.org/t/delete-task-in-execution-phase/6535
**Category:** Old Forum Archive
**Created:** [January 28, 2013, 12:08pm UTC](https://discuss.gradle.org/t/delete-task-in-execution-phase/6535 "2013-01-28T12:08:00Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Matthew\_Lowe1](https://discuss.gradle.org/u/Matthew_Lowe1)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2013, 12:08pm UTC](https://discuss.gradle.org/t/delete-task-in-execution-phase/6535/1 "2013-01-28T12:08:00Z")
Hi,
I would like to ask you for help. I somehow don’t understand, how to leverage Gradle’s Delete task in execution phase.
```gradle
task T1(dependsOn: T2)
<< {
// some behaviour
}
task T2(type: Delete) << {
delete 'myTestFile.txt'
// since this is in execution phase, it won't work as expected
}
```
But I don’t want to do this:
```gradle
task T2(type: Delete) {
// no matter what task is executed, this is executed always :-(((((
// I need it to bind to T1 task, which is run in execution (if user invokes it)
}
```
---
### Author:  [@luke\_daley](https://discuss.gradle.org/u/luke_daley)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2013, 12:12pm UTC](https://discuss.gradle.org/t/delete-task-in-execution-phase/6535/2 "2013-01-28T12:12:00Z")
What you want is:
```gradle
task T2(type: Delete) {
delete 'myTestFile.txt'
}
```
Because T2 is a Delete task, the ‘delete’ method in the _configuration_ closure we have there means something different to what it would if it were not a Delete task.
In this case, you are specifying what should be deleted when the task runs. That is, you are _configuring_ the delete task. If the task was not a delete task, the delete method would actually be ‘Project.delete()’ which deletes the file right at that time.
---
### Author:  [@Matthew\_Lowe1](https://discuss.gradle.org/u/Matthew_Lowe1)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2013, 12:32pm UTC](https://discuss.gradle.org/t/delete-task-in-execution-phase/6535/3 "2013-01-28T12:32:00Z")
Yes, I think I have understanding of that. Problem is, that I want my delete task to be run only if particular execution phase task is run
example:
```gradle
task T2(type: Delete)
{
delete 'myTestFile.txt'
}
task T0()
<< {
// some behaviour
}
task T1(dependsOn: T2)
<< {
// some behaviour which needs to invoke T2 first
}
```
If I invoke
```gradle
gradle T1
```
It’ll be error like
```gradle
Could not find property 'T2' on root project ...
```
And I only want my delete task T2 to be run IF task T1 is run. Otherwise it should not do anything else.
I’m not sure, if this is possible or I should rather write some helper task, which would delete desired directory/file for me in execution phase.
---
### Author:  [@luke\_daley](https://discuss.gradle.org/u/luke_daley)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2013, 12:36pm UTC](https://discuss.gradle.org/t/delete-task-in-execution-phase/6535/4 "2013-01-28T12:36:00Z")
If you want to delete something in execution phase, you an just do:
```gradle
project.delete(someFile)
```
Have a look at the docs for ‘Project.delete()’.
---
### Author:  [@Matthew\_Lowe1](https://discuss.gradle.org/u/Matthew_Lowe1)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2013, 12:41pm UTC](https://discuss.gradle.org/t/delete-task-in-execution-phase/6535/5 "2013-01-28T12:41:00Z")
_ashamed_ …
Your solution makes perfect sense. I’ve been so focused on Delete task and config. phase, that I completely overlooked this.
Thanks for help
---
### Author:  [@luke\_daley](https://discuss.gradle.org/u/luke_daley)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2013, 12:43pm UTC](https://discuss.gradle.org/t/delete-task-in-execution-phase/6535/6 "2013-01-28T12:43:00Z")
No probs, happy Gradling.