Problems with deleting (unlink()) array of uploads

[Shinmeiryu]

I solved the problem with uploading an array of files/images, though left unanswered...

But this one I'm way too stumped on. I have a page where you can delete the set of images (imagefile records) you uploaded according to id. The problem is in this process page, my code will delete the records matched with the id, but the set of images don't delete and when I comment out the for and if branches, I get this for an error:

Warning: unlink() failed (Is a directory) in /home/anifact/public_html/admin/submit.php on line 223
Could not delete

Seriously need help or guidance on this one.

<?php

if($command == "deletescreenshots")
{
	//refer to particular imagesetID where records for imagefile are being stored
	$query = "SELECT * FROM screenshots WHERE ID='$imagesetID'";
	$result = mysql_query($query) or die('error making query');

	//call upon the array of images that were uploaded into the particular 'imagefile' field
	for($i = 0; $_FILES['imagefile']['name'][$i] != ""; $i++){ 
		if ($imagefile == "") {
		$i = 500;
		}
		else {
		$original_name = $_FILES['imagefile']['name'][$i];
		$size = $_FILES['imagefile']['size'][$i];
		$type = $_FILES['imagefile']['type'][$i];
		$ii = $i + 1;

		$size = $size / 1000;
		$size = round($size, 1);
		}
		unlink ("files/".$original_name)  //delete the array of images uploaded into imagefile
		or die ("Could not delete"); 

		echo "";  
		echo "Name: ".$original_name."<br>";  
		echo "Size: ".$size." KB<br>";  
		echo "Type: ".$type."<br>";  
		echo "Image deleted...<p>";  
	}

$query = "DELETE FROM screenshots WHERE ID='$imagesetID'";
$result = mysql_query($query) or die('error making query'); 
echo '<a href="index.php">Return to the main page</a>.';
}

?>

[Shinmeiryu]

I just realized that it's not recognizing the first query I'm running, would I have fetch the array over the array of images I'm trying to get? Am I overdoing? Err...too many arrays...confusing.

[altexis]

I haven't read your code... but the error message you get is very explanatory

You are trying to delete a directory with unlink()
First check if the directory you try to delete contains files or sub-directories. Then use rmdir() to remove directories; unlink() is for files

[Shinmeiryu]

I'm trying to delete the files from the directory and not intending to delete the directory. The directory does contain files, that I have added, but the script is not recognizing that's there are files in there. I did a mysql fetch array for $imagefile before but at best it just echoed out "Array" and not the list of files/images.

Is there a better or rather, correct approach to check for the files in the directory?

[cgraz]

are you using checkboxes? is the value the name of the image?

That's how I generally do it.

Cgraz

[Shinmeiryu]

Actually, I'm not using checkboxes though it might be a more safe approach for me to try. The value that I get (in imagefile) is just called "array" it doesn't recognize the list of all the files that I uploaded nor the path of where it was uploaded.

What would be a good example of how to use checkboxes with unlink in code?

[cgraz]

First, create your checkboxes and give them a name that ends in brackets so the values become an array

Image 1: <input type="checkbox" name="to_delete[]" value="image1.jpg"><br>
Image 2: <input type="checkbox" name="to_delete[]" value="image2.jpg"><br>
Image 3: <input type="checkbox" name="to_delete[]" value="image3.jpg">

Then, on the page that processes your checkboxes, do something like this:

foreach($_POST['to_delete'] as $value) {
   if (file_exists("path/to/file/".$value)) {
      unlink("path/to/file/".$value);
   }
}

That would check to see if that file resides on the server in that path. If it does, it deletes it.

Cgraz