Delete a file

In this task, the job is to delete a file called "input.txt" and delete a directory called "docs". This should be done twice: once "here", i.e. in the current working directory and once in the filesystem root.

[edit] Ada

with Ada.Directories;  use Ada.Directories;

and then

Delete_File ("input.txt");
Delete_File ("/input.txt");
Delete_Tree ("docs");
Delete_Tree ("/docs");

Naming conventions for the file path are OS-specific. The language does not specify the encoding of the file paths, the directory separators or brackets, the file extension delimiter, the file version delimiter and syntax. The example provided works under Linux and Windows.

[edit] Aikido

The remove function removes either a file or a directory (the directory must be empty for this to work). Exception is thrown if this fails.

 
remove ("input.txt")
remove ("/input.txt")
remove ("docs")
remove ("/docs")

[edit] ALGOL 68

Note: scratch does not appear to do anything on ALGOL 68G. Also note that file names are Operating System dependent.

main:(
  PROC remove = (STRING file name)INT: 
  BEGIN
    FILE actual file;
    INT errno = open(actual file, file name, stand back channel);
    IF errno NE 0 THEN stop remove FI;
    scratch(actual file); # detach the book and burn it #
    errno
  EXIT
  stop remove:
      errno
  END;
  remove("input.txt");
  remove("/input.txt");
  remove("docs");
  remove("/docs")
)

[edit] AutoHotkey

FileDelete, input.txt
FileDelete, \input.txt
FileRemoveDir, docs, 1
FileRemoveDir, \docs, 1

[edit] AWK

Assuming we are on a Unix/Linux or at least Cygwin system:

system("rm input.txt");
system("rm /input.txt");
system("rm -rf docs");
system("rm -rf /docs");

[edit] Batch File

del input.txt
rd /s /q docs
 
del \input.txt
rd /s /q \docs

[edit] BASIC

Works with: QBasic

Works with: DOS

Some versions of Qbasic may have had a builtin RMDIR command. However this is not documented in the manual, so we use the external MSDOS command in this example.

 
KILL "INPUT.TXT"
KILL "C:\INPUT.TXT"
SHELL "RMDIR /S /Q DIR"
SHELL "RMDIR /S /Q C:\DIR"

ZX Spectrum Basic

The ZX Spectrum microdrive had only a main directory, and filenames did not have file extensions. Here we delete the file named INPUTTXT from the first microdrive:

 
ERASE "m"; 1; "INPUTTXT"

[edit] BBC BASIC

If the names are known as constants at compile time:

 
      *DELETE input.txt
      *DELETE \input.txt
      *RMDIR docs
      *RMDIR \docs

If the names are known only at run time:

      OSCLI "DELETE " + file$
      OSCLI "RMDIR " + dir$

[edit] C

ISO C:

#include <stdio.h>
 
int main() {
  remove("input.txt");
  remove("/input.txt");
  remove("docs");
  remove("/docs");
  return 0;
}

POSIX:

#include <unistd.h>
 
int main() {
  unlink("input.txt");
  unlink("/input.txt");
  rmdir("docs");
  rmdir("/docs");
  return 0;
}

[edit] C++

#include <cstdio>
#include <direct.h>
 
int main() {
	remove( "input.txt" );
	remove( "/input.txt" );
	_rmdir( "docs" );
	_rmdir( "/docs" );
 
	return 0;
}

[edit] C#

using System;
using System.IO;
 
namespace RosettaCode {
    class Program {
        static void Main() {
            try {
                File.Delete("input.txt");
                Directory.Delete("docs");
                File.Delete(@"\input.txt");
                Directory.Delete(@"\docs");
            } catch (Exception exception) {
                Console.WriteLine(exception.Message);
            }
        }
    }
}

[edit] Clojure

(import '(java.io File))
(.delete (File. "output.txt"))
(.delete (File. "docs"))
 
(.delete (new File (str (File/separator) "output.txt")))
(.delete (new File (str (File/separator) "docs")))

[edit] COBOL

To delete files or directories in COBOL we need to use an unofficial extension. These are built-in subroutines originally created as part of Micro Focus COBOL.

Works with: Micro Focus COBOL

Works with: OpenCOBOL

       IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
       PROGRAM-ID. Delete-Files.
 
       PROCEDURE DIVISION.
           CALL "CBL_DELETE_FILE" USING "input.txt"
           CALL "CBL_DELETE_DIR"  USING "docs"
           CALL "CBL_DELETE_FILE" USING "/input.txt"
           CALL "CBL_DELETE_DIR"  USING "/docs"
 
           GOBACK
           .

[edit] Common Lisp

(delete-file (make-pathname :name "input.txt"))
(delete-file (make-pathname :directory '(:absolute "") :name "input.txt"))

To delete directories we need an implementation specific extension. In clisp this is ext:delete-dir.

Works with: CLISP

(let ((path (make-pathname :directory '(:relative "docs"))))
  (ext:delete-dir path))
 
(let ((path (make-pathname :directory '(:absolute "docs"))))
  (ext:delete-dir path))

Or you can use the portability library CL-FAD:

Library: CL-FAD

(let ((path (make-pathname :directory '(:relative "docs"))))
  (cl-fad:delete-directory-and-files path))

[edit] D

Works with: D version 2

import std.file: remove;
 
void main() {
    remove("data.txt"); 
}

Library: Tango

import tango.io.Path;
 
void main() {
    remove("input.txt");
    remove("/input.txt");
    remove("docs");
    remove("/docs");
}

Library: Tango

POSIX:

import tango.stdc.posix.unistd;
 
void main() {
  unlink("input.txt");
  unlink("/input.txt");
  rmdir("docs");
  rmdir("/docs");
}

[edit] Delphi

procedure TMain.btnDeleteClick(Sender: TObject);
var
  CurrentDirectory : String;
begin
   CurrentDirectory := GetCurrentDir;
 
   DeleteFile(CurrentDirectory + '\input.txt');
   RmDir(PChar(CurrentDirectory + '\docs'));
 
   DeleteFile('c:\input.txt');
   RmDir(PChar('c:\docs'));
end;

[edit] E

<file:input.txt>.delete(null)
<file:docs>.delete(null)
<file:///input.txt>.delete(null)
<file:///docs>.delete(null)

[edit] Erlang

 
-module(delete).
-export([main/0]).
 
main() ->
	% current directory
        ok = file:del_dir( "docs" ),
	ok = file:delete( "input.txt" ),
	% root directory
	ok = file:del_dir( "/docs" ),
	ok = file:delete( "/input.txt" ).

[edit] F#

open System.IO
 
[<EntryPoint>]
let main argv =
    let fileName = "input.txt"
    let dirName = "docs"
    for path in ["."; "/"] do
        ignore (File.Delete(Path.Combine(path, fileName)))
        ignore (Directory.Delete(Path.Combine(path, dirName)))
    0

[edit] Factor

"docs" "/docs" [ delete-tree ] bi@
"input.txt" "/input.txt" [ delete-file ] bi@

[edit] Forth

There is no means to delete directories in ANS Forth.

 s" input.txt" delete-file throw
s" /input.txt" delete-file throw

[edit] Fortran

Works with: Fortran version 90 and later

I don't know a way of deleting directories in Fortran

OPEN (UNIT=5, FILE="input.txt", STATUS="OLD")   ! Current directory
CLOSE (UNIT=5, STATUS="DELETE")
OPEN (UNIT=5, FILE="/input.txt", STATUS="OLD")  ! Root directory
CLOSE (UNIT=5, STATUS="DELETE")

[edit] GAP

# Apparently GAP can only remove a file, not a directory
RemoveFile("input.txt");
# true
RemoveFile("docs");
# fail

[edit] Go

package main
import "os"
 
func main() {
  os.Remove("input.txt")
  os.Remove("/input.txt")
  os.Remove("docs")
  os.Remove("/docs")
  // recursively removes contents:
  os.RemoveAll("docs")
  os.RemoveAll("/docs")
}

[edit] Haskell

import System.IO
import System.Directory
 
main = do
  removeFile "output.txt"
  removeDirectory "docs"
  removeFile "/output.txt"
  removeDirectory "/docs"

[edit] HicEst

SYSTEM(DIR="docs")   ! create docs in current directory (if not existent), make it current
OPEN (FILE="input.txt", "NEW")    ! in current directory = docs
WRITE(FIle="input.txt", DELETE=1) ! no command to DELETE a DIRECTORY in HicEst
 
SYSTEM(DIR="C:\docs")             ! create C:\docs (if not existent), make it current
OPEN (FILE="input.txt", "NEW")    ! in current directory = C:\docs
WRITE(FIle="input.txt", DELETE=1)

[edit] Io

Directory fileNamed("input.txt") remove
Directory directoryNamed("docs") remove
RootDir := Directory clone setPath("/")
RootDir fileNamed("input.txt") remove
RootDir directoryNamed("docs") remove

or

File with("input.txt") remove
Directory with("docs") remove
File with("/input.txt") remove
Directory with("/docs") remove

[edit] Icon and Unicon

Icon supports 'remove' for files.

every dir := !["./","/"] do {
   remove(f := dir || "input.txt")  |stop("failure for file remove ",f) 
   rmdir(f := dir || "docs")        |stop("failure for directory remove ",f)
   }

Note Icon and Unicon accept both / and \ for directory separators.

[edit] J

The J standard library comes with a set of file access utilities.

   load 'files'
   ferase 'input.txt'
   ferase '\input.txt'
   ferase 'docs'
   ferase '\docs'
 
NB. Or all at once... 
   ferase 'input.txt';'/input.txt';'docs';'/docs'

The function above actually uses a foreign conjunction and defined in the files library like so:

NB. =========================================================
NB.*ferase v erases a file
NB. Returns 1 if successful, otherwise _1
ferase=: (1!:55 :: _1:) @ (fboxname &>) @ boxopen

This means that you can directly erase files and directories without loading the files library.

1!:55 <'input.txt'
1!:55 <'\input.txt'
1!:55 <'docs'
1!:55 <'\docs'

[edit] Java

import java.util.File;
public class FileDeleteTest {
   public static boolean deleteFile(String filename) {
       boolean exists = new File(filename).delete();
       return exists;
   }
   public static void test(String type, String filename) {
       System.out.println("The following " + type + " called " + filename + 
           (deleteFile(filename) ? " was deleted." : " could not be deleted.")
       );
   }
   public static void main(String args[]) {
        test("file", "input.txt");
        test("file", File.seperator + "input.txt");
        test("directory", "docs");
        test("directory", File.seperator + "docs" + File.seperator);
   }
}

[edit] JavaScript

Works with: JScript

var fso = new ActiveXObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject");
 
fso.DeleteFile('input.txt');
fso.DeleteFile('c:/input.txt');
 
fso.DeleteFolder('docs');
fso.DeleteFolder('c:/docs');

or

var fso = new ActiveXObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject");
var f;
f = fso.GetFile('input.txt');
f.Delete();
f = fso.GetFile('c:/input.txt');
f.Delete();
f = fso.GetFolder('docs');
f.Delete();
f = fso.GetFolder('c:/docs');
f.Delete();

[edit] LabVIEW

Library: LabVIEW_CWD

This image is a VI Snippet, an executable image of LabVIEW code. The LabVIEW version is shown on the top-right hand corner. You can download it, then drag-and-drop it onto the LabVIEW block diagram from a file browser, and it will appear as runnable, editable code.

[edit] Liberty BASIC

' show where we are
print DefaultDir$
 
' in here
kill "input.txt"
result=rmdir("Docs")
 
' from root
kill "\input.txt"
result=rmdir("\Docs")

[edit] Locomotive Basic

|era,"input.txt"

(AMSDOS RSX command, therefore prefixed with a vertical bar. Also, there are no subdirectories in AMSDOS.)

[edit] Logo

Works with: UCB Logo

UCB Logo has no means to delete directories.

erasefile "input.txt
erasefile "/input.txt

[edit] Lua

os.remove("input.txt")
os.remove("/input.txt")
os.remove("docs")
os.remove("/docs")

[edit] Mathematica

wd = NotebookDirectory[];
DeleteFile[wd <> "input.txt"]
DeleteFile["/" <> "input.txt"]
DeleteDirectory[wd <> "docs"]
DeleteDirectory["/" <> "docs"]

[edit] MATLAB / Octave

   delete('input.txt');   % delete local file input.txt
   delete('/input.txt');   % delete file /input.txt
   rmdir('docs');    % remove local directory docs
   rmdir('/docs');   % remove directory /docs

On Unix-Systems:

if system('rm input.txt') == 0
   disp('input.txt removed')
end
if system('rm /input.txt') == 0
   disp('/input.txt removed')
end
if system('rmdir docs') == 0
   disp('docs removed')
end
if system('rmdir /docs') == 0
   disp('/docs removed')
end

[edit] MAXScript

There's no way to delete folders in MAXScript

-- Here
deleteFile "input.txt"
-- Root
deleteFile "\input.txt"

[edit] Nimrod

import os
removeFile("input.txt")
removeFile("/input.txt")
removeDir("docs")
removeDir("/docs")

[edit] Objective-C

NSFileManager *fm = [NSFileManager defaultManager];
 
// Pre-OS X 10.5
[fm removeFileAtPath:@"input.txt" handler:nil];
[fm removeFileAtPath:@"/input.txt" handler:nil];
[fm removeFileAtPath:@"docs" handler:nil];
[fm removeFileAtPath:@"/docs" handler:nil];
 
// OS X 10.5+
[fm removeItemAtPath:@"input.txt" error:NULL];
[fm removeItemAtPath:@"/input.txt" error:NULL];
[fm removeItemAtPath:@"docs" error:NULL];
[fm removeItemAtPath:@"/docs" error:NULL];

[edit] Objeck

 
use IO;
 
bundle Default {
  class FileExample {
    function : Main(args : String[]) ~ Nil {
      File->Delete("output.txt");
      File->Delete("/output.txt");
 
      Directory->Delete("docs");
      Directory->Delete("/docs");
    }
  }
}

[edit] OCaml

Sys.remove "input.txt";;
Sys.remove "/input.txt";;

with the Unix library:

#load "unix.cma";;
Unix.unlink "input.txt";;
Unix.unlink "/input.txt";;
Unix.rmdir "docs";;
Unix.rmdir "/docs";;

[edit] Oz

for Dir in ["/" "./"] do
   try {OS.unlink Dir#"output.txt"}
   catch _ then {System.showInfo "File does not exist."} end
   try {OS.rmDir Dir#"docs"}
   catch _ then {System.showInfo "Directory does not exist."} end
end

[edit] PARI/GP

GP has no built-in facilities for deleting files, but can use a system call:

system("rm -rf docs");
system("rm input.txt");
system("rm -rf /docs");
system("rm /input.txt");

PARI, as usual, has access to all the standard C methods.

[edit] Pascal

See Delphi

[edit] Perl

use File::Spec::Functions qw(catfile rootdir);
# here
unlink 'input.txt';
rmdir 'docs';
# root dir
unlink catfile rootdir, 'input.txt';
rmdir catfile rootdir, 'docs';

Without Perl Modules

Current directory

perl -e 'unlink input.txt'
perl -e 'rmdir docs'

Root Directory

perl -e 'unlink "/input.txt"'
perl -e 'rmdir "/docs"'

[edit] Perl 6

unlink 'input.txt';
unlink '/input.txt';
rmdir 'docs';
rmdir '/docs';

[edit] PHP

<?php
unlink('input.txt');
unlink('/input.txt');
rmdir('docs');
rmdir('/docs');
?>

[edit] PicoLisp

(call 'rm "input.txt")
(call 'rmdir "docs")
(call 'rm "/input.txt")
(call 'rmdir "/docs")

[edit] Pike

int main(){
   rm("input.txt");
   rm("/input.txt");
   rm("docs");
   rm("/docs");
}

[edit] PowerShell

# possible aliases for Remove-Item: rm, del, ri
Remove-Item input.txt   
Remove-Item \input.txt  # file system root
 
Remove-Item -Recurse docs  # recurse for deleting folders including content
Remove-Item -Recurse \docs

[edit] ProDOS

Because input.txt is located inside of "docs" this will delete it when it deletes "docs"

deletedirectory docs

[edit] PureBasic

DeleteFile("input.txt")
DeleteDirectory("docs","")  ; needs to delete all included files
DeleteFile("/input.txt")
DeleteDirectory("/docs","*.*")  ; deletes all files according to a pattern
 
DeleteDirectory("/docs","",#PB_FileSystem_Recursive)  ; deletes all files and directories recursive

[edit] Python

import os
# current directory
os.remove("output.txt")
os.rmdir("docs")
# root directory
os.remove("/output.txt")
os.rmdir("/docs")

If you wanted to remove a directory and all its contents, recursively, you would do:

import shutil
shutil.rmtree("docs")

[edit] R

file.remove("input.txt")
file.remove("/input.txt")
 
# or
file.remove("input.txt", "/input.txt")
 
# or
unlink("input.txt"); unlink("/input.txt")
 
# directories needs the recursive flag
unlink("docs", recursive = TRUE)
unlink("/docs", recursive = TRUE)

The function unlink allows wildcards (* and ?)

[edit] Racket

 
#lang racket
 
;; here
(delete-file "input.txt")
(delete-directory "docs")
(delete-directory/files "docs") ; recursive deletion
 
;; in the root
(delete-file "/input.txt")
(delete-directory "/docs")
(delete-directory/files "/docs")
 
;; or in the root with relative paths
(parameterize ([current-directory "/"])
  (delete-file "input.txt")
  (delete-directory "docs")
  (delete-directory/files "docs"))

[edit] Raven

'input.txt'  delete
'/input.txt' delete
'docs'  rmdir
'/docs' rmdir

[edit] REBOL

; Local.
delete %input.txt
delete-dir %docs/
 
; Root.
delete %/input.txt
delete-dir %/docs/

[edit] Retro

with files'
"input.txt" delete
"/input.txt" delete

[edit] Ruby

File.delete("output.txt", "/output.txt")
Dir.delete("docs")
Dir.delete("/docs")

[edit] Run BASIC

'------ delete input.txt ----------------
kill "input.txt"   ' this is where we are
kill "/input.txt"  ' this is the root
 
' ---- delete directory docs ----------
result = rmdir("Docs")  ' directory where we are
result = rmdir("/Docs") ' root directory

[edit] Scheme

Works with: Scheme version R6RS

[1]

(delete-file filename)

[edit] Slate

(It will succeed deleting the directory if it is empty)

(File newNamed: 'input.txt') delete.
(File newNamed: '/input.txt') delete.
(Directory newNamed: 'docs') delete.
(Directory newNamed: '/docs') delete.

Also:

 
(Directory current / 'input.txt') delete.
(Directory root / 'input.txt') delete.

[edit] Smalltalk