Using PHP rmdir() to Delete Empty Directories

The rmdir() function in PHP is used to delete a specified directory and is commonly employed when handling files and directories.

Syntax:

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

Parameters:

path

: The directory path to delete (required). It can be an absolute or relative path. context: Optional stream context resource.

Return Value:

If the directory is successfully deleted, true is returned; otherwise false is returned.

Important Notes:

The directory must be empty; otherwise the deletion will fail. To remove a non‑empty directory, first delete all its files and sub‑directories, then call rmdir() on the now‑empty directory.

Code Example:

The following example demonstrates how to use rmdir() to delete an empty directory after checking that it exists.

$dir = 'path/to/directory';

// Check if the directory exists
if (is_dir($dir)) {
    // Attempt to delete the directory
    if (rmdir($dir)) {
        echo "Directory deleted successfully.";
    } else {
        echo "Failed to delete directory.";
    }
} else {
    echo "Directory does not exist.";
}

In this example, is_dir() verifies the directory's existence, and rmdir() attempts to remove it, outputting a success or failure message accordingly. Remember that rmdir() can only delete empty directories; for non‑empty directories you must first remove their contents.