Remove folder
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Syntax
rmdir folderName
rmdir folderName s
status = rmdir(___)
[status,msg]= rmdir(___)
[status,msg,msgID]= rmdir(___)
Description
example
rmdir folderName removesthe folder folderName from the current folder. folderName mustbe empty. If the operation is not successful, MATLAB® throws anerror to the Command Window.
example
rmdir folderName s also attempts to remove all subfolders and files in folderName, regardless of their write permissions. The result for read-only files follows the practices of the operating system.
example
status = rmdir(___) removes the specified folder and returns a status of 1 if the operation is successful. Otherwise, rmdir returns 0. Warnings and errors are not thrown to the Command Window. You can use this syntax with any of the input argument combinations in the previous syntaxes.
example
[status,msg]= rmdir(___) also returns the message text for any warning or error that occurs.
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[status,msg,msgID]= rmdir(___) also returns the message ID for any warning or error that occurs.
Examples
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Remove Folders from Current Folder
Open Live Script
Create the folders myproject and myproject/myfiles in the current folder, and then remove them.
mkdir myprojectmkdir myproject/myfilesrmdir myproject/myfilesrmdir myproject
Remove Nonempty Folder
Open Live Script
Remove the folder myfiles, which contains the files myfile1.m and myfile2.m.
Create the folder myfiles and move the files myfile1.m and myfile2.m from the current folder into the new folder.
mkdir myfilesmovefile myfile1.m myfilesmovefile myfile2.m myfiles
Try to remove the folder myfiles using rmdir. Because the myfiles folder is not empty, the operation fails and returns a status of 0 and an error message detailing why the operation failed.
[status, message, messageid] = rmdir('myfiles')status = logical 0message = ''myfiles' was not removed. The directory must be empty before removing.'
messageid = 'MATLAB:RMDIR:DirectoryNotRemoved'
Now, use the 's' flag to remove the folder myfiles. A status of 1 and an empty message and messageid indicate that the operation is successful.
[status, message, messageid] = rmdir('myfiles', 's')
status = logical 1message = 0x0 empty char arraymessageid = 0x0 empty char array
Input Arguments
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folderName — Folder name
character vector | string scalar
Folder name to remove, specified as a character vector or string scalar. Specify folderName as an absolute or relative path.
Data Types: char | string
Output Arguments
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status — Folder removal status
0 | 1
Status of folder indicating if the attempt to remove the folder is successful, specified as 0 or 1. If the attempt is successful, status is 1. Otherwise, status is 0.
Data Types: logical
msg — Error message
character vector
Error message, specified as a character vector. If an erroror warning occurs, msg contains the message textof the error or warning. Otherwise, msg is empty, ''.
msgID — Error message identifier
character vector
Error message identifier, specified as a character vector. Ifan error or warning occurs, msgID contains themessage identifier of the error or warning. Otherwise, msgID isempty, ''.
Tips
You can use
rmdirto create folders in remote locations. To write to a remote location,folderNameorparentNamemust contain the full path of the file specified as a uniform resource locator (URL) of the form:schema_name://path_to_file/folderNameor
schema_name://path_to_file/parentNameIt is also valid to use one or three "slash" (
/) characters betweenschema_nameandpath_to_file. For example:schema_name:/path_to_file/folderNameor
schema_name:///path_to_file/parentNameBased on your remote location,
schema_namecan be one of the values in this table.File System schema_nameAmazon S3™ s3Windows Azure® Blob Storage wasb,wasbsHDFS™ hdfsAs with local folders,
rmdircannot remove nonempty virtual folders unless you specify thesflag. Some file services do not support empty folders. On these services, ifrmdirremoves folders and leaves their parent folder empty, then the parent folder will be removed as well. For more information, see Work with Remote Data.
Alternative Functionality
In the Current Folder browser, right-click the folder name and select Delete from the context menu. To open the Current Folder browser, use the Current Folder Browser command.
Extended Capabilities
Thread-Based Environment
Run code in the background using MATLAB® backgroundPool or accelerate code with Parallel Computing Toolbox™ ThreadPool.
Version History
Introduced before R2006a
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R2020a: Wildcard expression *.* on UNIX platforms matches only files that have an extension
Starting in R2020a, on UNIX® platforms, the wildcard expression *.* no longer matches folders or files without an extension. In previous releases, the expression matches folders or files regardless of extension, including files without an extension. This change of behavior does not apply to Microsoft® Windows® platforms.
See Also
copyfile | dir | delete | movefile | mkdir | Current Folder Browser
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