Delete an empty directory
Synopsis:
#include <sys/types.h>
#include <unistd.h>
int rmdir( const char* path );
Arguments:
- path
- The path of the directory that you want to delete.
This path can be relative to the current working directory, or an absolute path.
Library:
libc
Use the -l c option to
qcc
to link against this library.
This library is usually included automatically.
Description:
The rmdir() function removes (deletes) the specified directory.
The directory must not contain any files or directories.
Note:
If the directory is the current working directory of any process,
rmdir() returns -1 and sets
errno to
EINVAL.
If the directory is the root directory, the effect of this function
depends on the filesystem.
The space occupied by the directory is freed, making it inaccessible, if its
link count becomes zero and no process has the directory open
(opendir()). If a process
has the directory open when the last link is removed, the .
and .. entries are removed and no new entries can be created
in the directory. In this case, the directory will be removed when all
references to it have been closed
(closedir()).
When successful, rmdir() marks st_ctime and
st_mtime for update in the parent directory.
Returns:
- 0
- Success.
- -1
- An error occurred (errno
is set).
Errors:
- EACCES
- Search permission is denied for a component of path,
or write permission is denied on the parent directory of the directory to be removed.
- EBUSY
- The directory named by path can't be removed
because it's being used by another process, and the implementation considers this to be an error.
- EEXIST
- The path argument names a directory that isn't empty.
- ELOOP
- Too many levels of symbolic links.
- ENAMETOOLONG
- The argument path exceeds PATH_MAX in
length, or a pathname component is longer than NAME_MAX.
- ENOENT
- The specified path doesn't exist, or path is an empty string.
- ENOSYS
- The rmdir() function isn't implemented for the filesystem specified
in path.
- ENOTDIR
- A component of path isn't a directory.
- ENOTEMPTY
- The path argument names a directory that isn't empty.
- EROFS
- The directory entry to be removed resides on a read-only filesystem.
Examples:
To remove the directory called /home/terry:
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <sys/types.h>
#include <sys/stat.h>
int main( void )
{
(void)rmdir( "/home/terry" );
return EXIT_SUCCESS;
}
Classification:
POSIX 1003.1
| Safety: |
|
|---|
| Cancellation point |
No |
| Interrupt handler |
No |
| Signal handler |
Yes |
| Thread |
Yes |