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File::Path

Section: Perl Programmers Reference Guide (3pm)
Updated: 2014-10-30
Index

NAME

File::Path - create or remove directory trees

SYNOPSIS

    use File::Path;

    mkpath(['/foo/bar/baz', 'blurfl/quux'], 1, 0711);    rmtree(['foo/bar/baz', 'blurfl/quux'], 1, 1);

DESCRIPTION

The "mkpath" function provides a convenient way to create directories, evenif your "mkdir" kernel call won't create more than one level of directory ata time. "mkpath" takes three arguments:

•: the name of the path to create, or a referenceto 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 intermediates, determinedusing 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 errorcan 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 asubtree 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 toa list of roots. All of the files and directoriesbelow each root, as well as the roots themselves,will be deleted.
•: a boolean value, which if TRUE will cause "rmtree" toprint a message each time it examines a file, giving thename of the file, and indicating whether it's using "rmdir"or "unlink" to remove it, or that it's skipping it.(defaults to FALSE)
•: a boolean value, which if FALSE (the default for non-root users) willcause "rmtree" to adjust the mode of directories (if required) priorto attempting to remove the contents. Note that on interruption orfailure of "rmtree", directories may be left with more permissivemodes for the owner.

It returns the number of files successfully deleted. Symlinks aresimply deleted and not followed.

DIAGNOSTICS

•: On Windows, if "mkpath" gives you the warning: No such file ordirectory, this may mean that you've exceeded your filesystem'smaximum path length.

AUTHORS

Tim Bunce <Tim.BunceAATTig.co.uk> andCharles Bailey <baileyAATTnewman.upenn.edu>

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