Using PHP rmdir() to Delete Empty Directories

In PHP, the rmdir() function is used to delete a specified directory. It can only remove empty directories; attempting to delete a non‑empty directory will fail.

Usage Syntax:

bool rmdir ( string $path [, resource $context ] )

Parameter Description:

$path : The path of the directory to delete (required). Can be absolute or relative.

$context : Optional stream context resource.

Return Value:

Returns true on successful deletion, or false on failure.

Notes:

Ensure the directory is empty before calling rmdir(). If it is not empty, you must first remove all files and sub‑directories, then invoke rmdir() again.

Code Example:

The following example demonstrates how to use rmdir() to delete an empty directory.

$dir = 'path/to/directory';

// Check if the directory exists
if (is_dir($dir)) {
    // Delete the directory
    if (rmdir($dir)) {
        echo "目录删除成功。";
    } else {
        echo "目录删除失败。";
    }
} else {
    echo "目录不存在。";
}

In this example, is_dir() checks whether the target directory exists; if it does, rmdir() attempts to remove it, and the script outputs a success or failure message accordingly.

Summary

The rmdir() function is a convenient way to delete empty directories in PHP, but it cannot remove directories that contain files or sub‑directories; those must be cleared first.