std::filesystem::remove,std::filesystem::remove_all (3) - Linux Manuals

std::filesystem::remove,std::filesystem::remove_all: std::filesystem::remove,std::filesystem::remove_all

NAME

std::filesystem::remove,std::filesystem::remove_all - std::filesystem::remove,std::filesystem::remove_all

Synopsis

Defined in header <filesystem>
bool remove(const std::filesystem::path& p); (1) (since C++17)
bool remove(const std::filesystem::path& p, std::error_code& ec) noexcept;
std::uintmax_t remove_all(const std::filesystem::path& p); (2) (since C++17)
std::uintmax_t remove_all(const std::filesystem::path& p, std::error_code& ec);

1) The file or empty directory identified by the path p is deleted as if by the POSIX remove. Symlinks are not followed (symlink is removed, not its target)
2) Deletes the contents of p (if it is a directory) and the contents of all its subdirectories, recursively, then deletes p itself as if by repeatedly applying the POSIX remove. Symlinks are not followed (symlink is removed, not its target)

Parameters

p - path to delete
ec - out-parameter for error reporting in the non-throwing overload

Return value

1) true if the file was deleted, false if it did not exist. The overload that takes error_code& argument returns false on errors.
2) Returns the number of files and directories that were deleted (which may be zero if p did not exist to begin with). The overload that takes error_code& argument returns static_cast<std::uintmax_t>(-1) on error.

Exceptions

The overload that does not take a std::error_code& parameter throws filesystem_error on underlying OS API errors, constructed with p as the first path argument and the OS error code as the error code argument. The overload taking a std::error_code& parameter sets it to the OS API error code if an OS API call fails, and executes ec.clear() if no errors occur. Any overload not marked noexcept may throw std::bad_alloc if memory allocation fails.

Notes

On POSIX systems, this function typically calls unlink and rmdir as needed, on Windows RemoveDirectoryW and DeleteFileW.

Defect reports

The following behavior-changing defect reports were applied retroactively to previously published C++ standards.

DR Applied to Behavior as published Correct behavior
LWG_3014 C++17 error_code overload of remove_all marked noexcept but can allocate memory noexcept removed

Example

// Run this code

  #include <iostream>
  #include <cstdint>
  #include <filesystem>
  namespace fs = std::filesystem;
  int main()
  {
      fs::path dir = fs::temp_directory_path();
      fs::create_directories(dir / "abcdef/example");
      std::uintmax_t n = fs::remove_all(dir / "abcdef");
      std::cout << "Deleted " << n << " files or directories\n";
  }

Possible output:

  Deleted 2 files or directories