[RESOLVED] removing all contents in a directory including subdirectories

[mpar612]

I think this is relatively simple. I'm trying to remove all of the files and subdirectories within a directory. The subdirectories may or may not have subdirectories.

I am using the following code. It removes files just fine, but it won't remove subdirectories. I need to make this code into some sort of loop that will remove all subdirectories and the files within those directories.

Any ideas? Thanks in advance!!!

 //using the opendir function
$dir_handle = @opendir($final_path) or die("Unable to open $path");

//running the while loop
while ($file = readdir($dir_handle))
     {
     	unlink($final_path.'/'.$file);
     }

//closing the directory
closedir($dir_handle);

rmdir($final_path);

[laserlight]

You could write it recursively:

function rmdirAll($final_path) {
    $dir_handle = @opendir($final_path)
        OR die("Unable to open $path");

// remove the files and subdirectories in this directory
while (($file = readdir($dir_handle)) !== false)
{
    if ($file != '.' && $file != '..') {
        if (is_dir($file)) {
            rmdirAll($final_path . '/' . $file);
        } else {
            unlink($final_path . '/' . $file);
        }
    }
}

closedir($dir_handle);

// remove this directory as well
rmdir($final_path);
}

[mpar612]

Thanks, but I'm still having problems. All of my PHP code for the entire file is posted below.

I am getting the path from MySQL. Once the files and directories are deleted I want the entries deleted from MySQL. Everything seems to work except the actual deletion of the files and directories. All of the variables print out properly and the entry is deleted from MySQL, but when I view the files on my server they are still there.

Any other thoughts? Thanks!

<?php

// Load PEAR DB
require 'DB.php';
require '../formhelpers.php';
require '../../../db_connect/db_connect.php';

// Connect to the database
$db = DB::connect($connect);
if (DB::isError($db)) { die ("Can't connect: " . $db->getMessage()); }

// Set up automatic error handling
$db->setErrorHandling(PEAR_ERROR_DIE);

// Set up fetch mode: rows as objects
$db->setFetchMode(DB_FETCHMODE_ASSOC);

$path = $_GET['path'];

if($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD']=='POST') {
if ($_POST['yes_no'] == 'yes') {
	$path = $_POST['path'];
	$final_path = "../ftp/$path";
	$sql_select = "SELECT id, path FROM ftp_dir WHERE path = '$path'";
	$rows = $db->getRow($sql_select);

	function rmdirAll($final_path) {
		$dir_handle = @opendir($final_path)
			OR die("Unable to open $final_path");

		// remove the files and subdirectories in this directory
		while (($file = readdir($dir_handle)) !== false)
		{
			if ($file != '.' && $file != '..') {
				if (is_dir($file)) {
					rmdirAll($final_path . '/' . $file);
				} else {
					unlink($final_path . '/' . $file);
				}
			}
		}

		closedir($dir_handle);

		// remove this directory as well
		rmdir($final_path);
	} 


	$sql_delete = "DELETE FROM ftp_dir WHERE path = '$path'";
	$db->query($sql_delete);

} else {
	print "Record not deleted";
}
}

?>

[laserlight]

Um, the example I gave you created a function. You are supposed to use that function, modifying it if necessary.

[mpar612]

Thanks. My last post was my own fault. I didn't call the function...

Now it partially works. It will delete all of the files within a directory. However, it will not delete any subdirectories. I get a warning saying that the directory is not empty.

Any thoughts?

Here is the revised code that partially works:

$path = $_GET['path'];

if($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD']=='POST') {
if ($_POST['yes_no'] == 'yes') {
	$path = $_POST['path'];
	$final_path = "../ftp/$path";
	$sql_select = "SELECT id, path FROM ftp_dir WHERE path = '$path'";
	$rows = $db->getRow($sql_select);

	function rmdirAll() {
		global $final_path;
		$dir_handle = @opendir($final_path)
			OR die("Unable to open $final_path");

		// remove the files and subdirectories in this directory
		while (($file = readdir($dir_handle)) !== false)
		{
			if ($file != '.' && $file != '..') {
				if (is_dir($file)) {
					rmdirAll($final_path . '/' . $file);
				} else {
					unlink($final_path . '/' . $file);
				}
			}
		}

		closedir($dir_handle);

		// remove this directory as well
		rmdir($final_path);
	} 

	rmdirAll();

	$sql_delete = "DELETE FROM ftp_dir WHERE path = '$path'";
	$db->query($sql_delete);

} else {
	print "Record not deleted";
}
}

[laserlight]

That's because you have modified my function such that it no longer uses recursion (and you did not change it to an iterative version, either). Basically, it no longer works.

You are looking to write something like:

function rmdirAll($final_path) {
    $dir_handle = @opendir($final_path)
        OR die("Unable to open $path");

// remove the files and subdirectories in this directory
while (($file = readdir($dir_handle)) !== false)
{
    if ($file != '.' && $file != '..') {
        if (is_dir($file)) {
            rmdirAll($final_path . '/' . $file);
        } else {
            unlink($final_path . '/' . $file);
        }
    }
}

closedir($dir_handle);

// remove this directory as well
rmdir($final_path);
}

$path = $_GET['path'];

if($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD']=='POST') {
    if ($_POST['yes_no'] == 'yes') {
        $path = $_POST['path'];
        $sql_select = "SELECT id, path FROM ftp_dir WHERE path = '$path'";
        $rows = $db->getRow($sql_select);

    rmdirAll("../ftp/$path");

    $sql_delete = "DELETE FROM ftp_dir WHERE path = '$path'";
    $db->query($sql_delete);
} else {
    print "Record not deleted";
}
}

[mpar612]

Thanks! I'm still having some problems. I'm relatively new to PHP and have never worked with recursion and iteration (I may have, but just don't know it). So I have been doing some research on these topics. The code you gave me makes sense, but now it seems like the following piece of code is being ignored:

if (is_dir($file)) {
rmdirAll($final_path . '/' . $file);

I get the following error when I try to delete a directory that contains a subdirectory:

Warning: unlink(../ftp/files/test/test) [function.unlink]: Is a directory in...

Warning: rmdir(../ftp/files/test) [function.rmdir]: Directory not empty in...

I am trying to delete a directory named "test" that contains a subdirectory named "test".

I appreciate all of you help! Any thoughts? Thanks!

[suntra]

This line...

if (is_dir($file)) {

Should be...

if (is_dir($final_path . '/' . $file)) {

You can only delete directories with rmdir()... that's why you get an error... unlink() a directory won't work...

[laserlight]

Yeah, the function I gave should be modified to:

function rmdirAll($final_path) {
    $dir_handle = @opendir($final_path)
        OR die("Unable to open $path");

// remove the files and subdirectories in this directory
while (($file = readdir($dir_handle)) !== false)
{
    if ($file != '.' && $file != '..') {
        $file = $final_path . '/' . $file;
        if (is_dir($file)) {
            rmdirAll($file);
        } else {
            unlink($file);
        }
    }
}

closedir($dir_handle);

// remove this directory as well
rmdir($final_path);
}

[mpar612]

That did it. Thanks very much to you both for your time and patience!