File::Path(3p) Perl Programmers Reference Guide File::Path(3p)
File::Path - create or remove directory trees
use File::Path;
mkpath(['/foo/bar/baz', 'blurfl/quux'], 1, 0711);
rmtree(['foo/bar/baz', 'blurfl/quux'], 1, 1);
The "mkpath" function provides a convenient way to create
directories, even if your "mkdir" kernel call won't create
more than one level of directory at a time. "mkpath" takes
three arguments:
+ the name of the path to create, or a reference to a list
of paths to create,
+ a boolean value, which if TRUE will cause "mkpath" to
print the name of each directory as it is created
(defaults to FALSE), and
+ the numeric mode to use when creating the directories
(defaults to 0777), to be modified by the current umask.
It returns a list of all directories (including intermedi-
ates, determined using the Unix '/' separator) created.
If a system error prevents a directory from being created,
then the "mkpath" function throws a fatal error with
"Carp::croak". This error can be trapped with an "eval"
block:
eval { mkpath($dir) };
if ($@) {
print "Couldn't create $dir: $@";
}
Similarly, the "rmtree" function provides a convenient way
to delete a subtree from the directory structure, much like
the Unix command "rm -r". "rmtree" takes three arguments:
+ the root of the subtree to delete, or a reference to a
list of roots. All of the files and directories below
each root, as well as the roots themselves, will be
deleted.
+ a boolean value, which if TRUE will cause "rmtree" to
print a message each time it examines a file, giving the
name of the file, and indicating whether it's using
"rmdir" or "unlink" to remove it, or that it's skipping
it. (defaults to FALSE)
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File::Path(3p) Perl Programmers Reference Guide File::Path(3p)
+ a boolean value, which if TRUE will cause "rmtree" to
skip any files to which you do not have delete access
(if running under VMS) or write access (if running under
another OS). This will change in the future when a cri-
terion for 'delete permission' under OSs other than VMS
is settled. (defaults to FALSE)
It returns the number of files successfully deleted. Sym-
links are simply deleted and not followed.
NOTE: There are race conditions internal to the implementa-
tion of "rmtree" making it unsafe to use on directory trees
which may be altered or moved while "rmtree" is running, and
in particular on any directory trees with any path com-
ponents or subdirectories potentially writable by untrusted
users.
Additionally, if the third parameter is not TRUE and
"rmtree" is interrupted, it may leave files and directories
with permissions altered to allow deletion (and older ver-
sions of this module would even set files and directories to
world-read/writable!)
Note also that the occurrence of errors in "rmtree" can be
determined only by trapping diagnostic messages using
$SIG{__WARN__}; it is not apparent from the return value.
+ On Windows, if "mkpath" gives you the warning: No such
file or directory, this may mean that you've exceeded
your filesystem's maximum path length.
Tim Bunce <Tim.Bunce@ig.co.uk> and Charles Bailey
<bailey@newman.upenn.edu>
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