1File::Path(3) User Contributed Perl Documentation File::Path(3)
2
6 File::Path - Create or remove directory trees
7
9 2.18 - released November 4 2020.
10
12 use File::Path qw(make_path remove_tree);
13 @created = make_path('foo/bar/baz', '/zug/zwang');
15 @created = make_path('foo/bar/baz', '/zug/zwang', {
16 verbose => 1,
17 mode => 0711,
18 });
19 make_path('foo/bar/baz', '/zug/zwang', {
20 chmod => 0777,
21 });
22 $removed_count = remove_tree('foo/bar/baz', '/zug/zwang', {
24 verbose => 1,
25 error => \my $err_list,
26 safe => 1,
27 });
28 # legacy (interface promoted before v2.00)
30 @created = mkpath('/foo/bar/baz');
31 @created = mkpath('/foo/bar/baz', 1, 0711);
32 @created = mkpath(['/foo/bar/baz', 'blurfl/quux'], 1, 0711);
33 $removed_count = rmtree('foo/bar/baz', 1, 1);
34 $removed_count = rmtree(['foo/bar/baz', 'blurfl/quux'], 1, 1);
35 # legacy (interface promoted before v2.06)
37 @created = mkpath('foo/bar/baz', '/zug/zwang', { verbose => 1, mode => 0711 });
38 $removed_count = rmtree('foo/bar/baz', '/zug/zwang', { verbose => 1, mode => 0711 });
39
41 This module provides a convenient way to create directories of
42 arbitrary depth and to delete an entire directory subtree from the
43 filesystem.
44 The following functions are provided:
46 make_path( $dir1, $dir2, .... )
48 make_path( $dir1, $dir2, ...., \%opts )
49 The "make_path" function creates the given directories if they
50 don't exist before, much like the Unix command "mkdir -p".
51 The function accepts a list of directories to be created. Its
53 behaviour may be tuned by an optional hashref appearing as the last
54 parameter on the call.
55 The function returns the list of directories actually created
57 during the call; in scalar context the number of directories
58 created.
59 The following keys are recognised in the option hash:
61 mode => $num
63 The numeric permissions mode to apply to each created directory
64 (defaults to 0777), to be modified by the current "umask". If
65 the directory already exists (and thus does not need to be
66 created), the permissions will not be modified.
67 "mask" is recognised as an alias for this parameter.
69 chmod => $num
71 Takes a numeric mode to apply to each created directory (not
72 modified by the current "umask"). If the directory already
73 exists (and thus does not need to be created), the permissions
74 will not be modified.
75 verbose => $bool
77 If present, will cause "make_path" to print the name of each
78 directory as it is created. By default nothing is printed.
79 error => \$err
81 If present, it should be a reference to a scalar. This scalar
82 will be made to reference an array, which will be used to store
83 any errors that are encountered. See the "ERROR HANDLING"
84 section for more information.
85 If this parameter is not used, certain error conditions may
87 raise a fatal error that will cause the program to halt, unless
88 trapped in an "eval" block.
89 owner => $owner
91 user => $owner
92 uid => $owner
93 If present, will cause any created directory to be owned by
94 $owner. If the value is numeric, it will be interpreted as a
95 uid; otherwise a username is assumed. An error will be issued
96 if the username cannot be mapped to a uid, the uid does not
97 exist or the process lacks the privileges to change ownership.
98 Ownership of directories that already exist will not be
100 changed.
101 "user" and "uid" are aliases of "owner".
103 group => $group
105 If present, will cause any created directory to be owned by the
106 group $group. If the value is numeric, it will be interpreted
107 as a gid; otherwise a group name is assumed. An error will be
108 issued if the group name cannot be mapped to a gid, the gid
109 does not exist or the process lacks the privileges to change
110 group ownership.
111 Group ownership of directories that already exist will not be
113 changed.
114 make_path '/var/tmp/webcache', {owner=>'nobody', group=>'nogroup'};
116 mkpath( $dir )
118 mkpath( $dir, $verbose, $mode )
119 mkpath( [$dir1, $dir2,...], $verbose, $mode )
120 mkpath( $dir1, $dir2,..., \%opt )
121 The mkpath() function provide the legacy interface of make_path()
122 with a different interpretation of the arguments passed. The
123 behaviour and return value of the function is otherwise identical
124 to make_path().
125 remove_tree( $dir1, $dir2, .... )
127 remove_tree( $dir1, $dir2, ...., \%opts )
128 The "remove_tree" function deletes the given directories and any
129 files and subdirectories they might contain, much like the Unix
130 command "rm -rf" or the Windows commands "rmdir /s" and "rd /s".
131 The function accepts a list of directories to be removed. (In point
133 of fact, it will also accept filesystem entries which are not
134 directories, such as regular files and symlinks. But, as its name
135 suggests, its intent is to remove trees rather than individual
136 files.)
137 remove_tree()'s behaviour may be tuned by an optional hashref
139 appearing as the last parameter on the call. If an empty string is
140 passed to "remove_tree", an error will occur.
141 NOTE: For security reasons, we strongly advise use of the hashref-
143 as-final-argument syntax -- specifically, with a setting of the
144 "safe" element to a true value.
145 remove_tree( $dir1, $dir2, ....,
147 {
148 safe => 1,
149 ... # other key-value pairs
150 },
151 );
152 The function returns the number of files successfully deleted.
154 The following keys are recognised in the option hash:
156 verbose => $bool
158 If present, will cause "remove_tree" to print the name of each
159 file as it is unlinked. By default nothing is printed.
160 safe => $bool
162 When set to a true value, will cause "remove_tree" to skip the
163 files for which the process lacks the required privileges
164 needed to delete files, such as delete privileges on VMS. In
165 other words, the code will make no attempt to alter file
166 permissions. Thus, if the process is interrupted, no filesystem
167 object will be left in a more permissive mode.
168 keep_root => $bool
170 When set to a true value, will cause all files and
171 subdirectories to be removed, except the initially specified
172 directories. This comes in handy when cleaning out an
173 application's scratch directory.
174 remove_tree( '/tmp', {keep_root => 1} );
176 result => \$res
178 If present, it should be a reference to a scalar. This scalar
179 will be made to reference an array, which will be used to store
180 all files and directories unlinked during the call. If nothing
181 is unlinked, the array will be empty.
182 remove_tree( '/tmp', {result => \my $list} );
184 print "unlinked $_\n" for @$list;
185 This is a useful alternative to the "verbose" key.
187 error => \$err
189 If present, it should be a reference to a scalar. This scalar
190 will be made to reference an array, which will be used to store
191 any errors that are encountered. See the "ERROR HANDLING"
192 section for more information.
193 Removing things is a much more dangerous proposition than
195 creating things. As such, there are certain conditions that
196 "remove_tree" may encounter that are so dangerous that the only
197 sane action left is to kill the program.
198 Use "error" to trap all that is reasonable (problems with
200 permissions and the like), and let it die if things get out of
201 hand. This is the safest course of action.
202 rmtree( $dir )
204 rmtree( $dir, $verbose, $safe )
205 rmtree( [$dir1, $dir2,...], $verbose, $safe )
206 rmtree( $dir1, $dir2,..., \%opt )
207 The rmtree() function provide the legacy interface of remove_tree()
208 with a different interpretation of the arguments passed. The
209 behaviour and return value of the function is otherwise identical
210 to remove_tree().
211 NOTE: For security reasons, we strongly advise use of the hashref-
213 as-final-argument syntax, specifically with a setting of the "safe"
214 element to a true value.
215 rmtree( $dir1, $dir2, ....,
217 {
218 safe => 1,
219 ... # other key-value pairs
220 },
221 );
222 ERROR HANDLING
224 NOTE:
225 The following error handling mechanism is consistent throughout all
226 code paths EXCEPT in cases where the ROOT node is nonexistent. In
227 version 2.11 the maintainers attempted to rectify this
228 inconsistency but too many downstream modules encountered problems.
229 In such case, if you require root node evaluation or error checking
230 prior to calling "make_path" or "remove_tree", you should take
231 additional precautions.
232 If "make_path" or "remove_tree" encounters an error, a diagnostic
234 message will be printed to "STDERR" via "carp" (for non-fatal errors)
235 or via "croak" (for fatal errors).
236 If this behaviour is not desirable, the "error" attribute may be used
238 to hold a reference to a variable, which will be used to store the
239 diagnostics. The variable is made a reference to an array of hash
240 references. Each hash contain a single key/value pair where the key is
241 the name of the file, and the value is the error message (including the
242 contents of $! when appropriate). If a general error is encountered
243 the diagnostic key will be empty.
244 An example usage looks like:
246 remove_tree( 'foo/bar', 'bar/rat', {error => \my $err} );
248 if ($err && @$err) {
249 for my $diag (@$err) {
250 my ($file, $message) = %$diag;
251 if ($file eq '') {
252 print "general error: $message\n";
253 }
254 else {
255 print "problem unlinking $file: $message\n";
256 }
257 }
258 }
259 else {
260 print "No error encountered\n";
261 }
262 Note that if no errors are encountered, $err will reference an empty
264 array. This means that $err will always end up TRUE; so you need to
265 test @$err to determine if errors occurred.
266 NOTES
268 "File::Path" blindly exports "mkpath" and "rmtree" into the current
269 namespace. These days, this is considered bad style, but to change it
270 now would break too much code. Nonetheless, you are invited to specify
271 what it is you are expecting to use:
272 use File::Path 'rmtree';
274 The routines "make_path" and "remove_tree" are not exported by default.
276 You must specify which ones you want to use.
277 use File::Path 'remove_tree';
279 Note that a side-effect of the above is that "mkpath" and "rmtree" are
281 no longer exported at all. This is due to the way the "Exporter" module
282 works. If you are migrating a codebase to use the new interface, you
283 will have to list everything explicitly. But that's just good practice
284 anyway.
285 use File::Path qw(remove_tree rmtree);
287 API CHANGES
289 The API was changed in the 2.0 branch. For a time, "mkpath" and
291 "rmtree" tried, unsuccessfully, to deal with the two different calling
292 mechanisms. This approach was considered a failure.
293 The new semantics are now only available with "make_path" and
295 "remove_tree". The old semantics are only available through "mkpath"
296 and "rmtree". Users are strongly encouraged to upgrade to at least 2.08
297 in order to avoid surprises.
298 SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS
300 There were race conditions in the 1.x implementations of File::Path's
302 "rmtree" function (although sometimes patched depending on the OS
303 distribution or platform). The 2.0 version contains code to avoid the
304 problem mentioned in CVE-2002-0435.
305 See the following pages for more information:
307 http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=286905
309 http://www.nntp.perl.org/group/perl.perl5.porters/2005/01/msg97623.html
310 http://www.debian.org/security/2005/dsa-696
311 Additionally, unless the "safe" parameter is set (or the third
313 parameter in the traditional interface is TRUE), should a "remove_tree"
314 be interrupted, files that were originally in read-only mode may now
315 have their permissions set to a read-write (or "delete OK") mode.
316 The following CVE reports were previously filed against File-Path and
318 are believed to have been addressed:
319 • <http://cve.circl.lu/cve/CVE-2004-0452>
321 • <http://cve.circl.lu/cve/CVE-2005-0448>
323 In February 2017 the cPanel Security Team reported an additional
325 vulnerability in File-Path. The chmod() logic to make directories
326 traversable can be abused to set the mode on an attacker-chosen file to
327 an attacker-chosen value. This is due to the time-of-check-to-time-of-
328 use (TOCTTOU) race condition
329 (<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_of_check_to_time_of_use>) between
330 the stat() that decides the inode is a directory and the chmod() that
331 tries to make it user-rwx. CPAN versions 2.13 and later incorporate a
332 patch provided by John Lightsey to address this problem. This
333 vulnerability has been reported as CVE-2017-6512.
334
336 FATAL errors will cause the program to halt ("croak"), since the
337 problem is so severe that it would be dangerous to continue. (This can
338 always be trapped with "eval", but it's not a good idea. Under the
339 circumstances, dying is the best thing to do).
340 SEVERE errors may be trapped using the modern interface. If the they
342 are not trapped, or if the old interface is used, such an error will
343 cause the program will halt.
344 All other errors may be trapped using the modern interface, otherwise
346 they will be "carp"ed about. Program execution will not be halted.
347 mkdir [path]: [errmsg] (SEVERE)
349 "make_path" was unable to create the path. Probably some sort of
350 permissions error at the point of departure or insufficient
351 resources (such as free inodes on Unix).
352 No root path(s) specified
354 "make_path" was not given any paths to create. This message is only
355 emitted if the routine is called with the traditional interface.
356 The modern interface will remain silent if given nothing to do.
357 No such file or directory
359 On Windows, if "make_path" gives you this warning, it may mean that
360 you have exceeded your filesystem's maximum path length.
361 cannot fetch initial working directory: [errmsg]
363 "remove_tree" attempted to determine the initial directory by
364 calling "Cwd::getcwd", but the call failed for some reason. No
365 attempt will be made to delete anything.
366 cannot stat initial working directory: [errmsg]
368 "remove_tree" attempted to stat the initial directory (after having
369 successfully obtained its name via "getcwd"), however, the call
370 failed for some reason. No attempt will be made to delete anything.
371 cannot chdir to [dir]: [errmsg]
373 "remove_tree" attempted to set the working directory in order to
374 begin deleting the objects therein, but was unsuccessful. This is
375 usually a permissions issue. The routine will continue to delete
376 other things, but this directory will be left intact.
377 directory [dir] changed before chdir, expected dev=[n] ino=[n], actual
379 dev=[n] ino=[n], aborting. (FATAL)
380 "remove_tree" recorded the device and inode of a directory, and
381 then moved into it. It then performed a "stat" on the current
382 directory and detected that the device and inode were no longer the
383 same. As this is at the heart of the race condition problem, the
384 program will die at this point.
385 cannot make directory [dir] read+writeable: [errmsg]
387 "remove_tree" attempted to change the permissions on the current
388 directory to ensure that subsequent unlinkings would not run into
389 problems, but was unable to do so. The permissions remain as they
390 were, and the program will carry on, doing the best it can.
391 cannot read [dir]: [errmsg]
393 "remove_tree" tried to read the contents of the directory in order
394 to acquire the names of the directory entries to be unlinked, but
395 was unsuccessful. This is usually a permissions issue. The program
396 will continue, but the files in this directory will remain after
397 the call.
398 cannot reset chmod [dir]: [errmsg]
400 "remove_tree", after having deleted everything in a directory,
401 attempted to restore its permissions to the original state but
402 failed. The directory may wind up being left behind.
403 cannot remove [dir] when cwd is [dir]
405 The current working directory of the program is /some/path/to/here
406 and you are attempting to remove an ancestor, such as /some/path.
407 The directory tree is left untouched.
408 The solution is to "chdir" out of the child directory to a place
410 outside the directory tree to be removed.
411 cannot chdir to [parent-dir] from [child-dir]: [errmsg], aborting.
413 (FATAL)
414 "remove_tree", after having deleted everything and restored the
415 permissions of a directory, was unable to chdir back to the parent.
416 The program halts to avoid a race condition from occurring.
417 cannot stat prior working directory [dir]: [errmsg], aborting. (FATAL)
419 "remove_tree" was unable to stat the parent directory after having
420 returned from the child. Since there is no way of knowing if we
421 returned to where we think we should be (by comparing device and
422 inode) the only way out is to "croak".
423 previous directory [parent-dir] changed before entering [child-dir],
425 expected dev=[n] ino=[n], actual dev=[n] ino=[n], aborting. (FATAL)
426 When "remove_tree" returned from deleting files in a child
427 directory, a check revealed that the parent directory it returned
428 to wasn't the one it started out from. This is considered a sign of
429 malicious activity.
430 cannot make directory [dir] writeable: [errmsg]
432 Just before removing a directory (after having successfully removed
433 everything it contained), "remove_tree" attempted to set the
434 permissions on the directory to ensure it could be removed and
435 failed. Program execution continues, but the directory may possibly
436 not be deleted.
437 cannot remove directory [dir]: [errmsg]
439 "remove_tree" attempted to remove a directory, but failed. This may
440 be because some objects that were unable to be removed remain in
441 the directory, or it could be a permissions issue. The directory
442 will be left behind.
443 cannot restore permissions of [dir] to [0nnn]: [errmsg]
445 After having failed to remove a directory, "remove_tree" was unable
446 to restore its permissions from a permissive state back to a
447 possibly more restrictive setting. (Permissions given in octal).
448 cannot make file [file] writeable: [errmsg]
450 "remove_tree" attempted to force the permissions of a file to
451 ensure it could be deleted, but failed to do so. It will, however,
452 still attempt to unlink the file.
453 cannot unlink file [file]: [errmsg]
455 "remove_tree" failed to remove a file. Probably a permissions
456 issue.
457 cannot restore permissions of [file] to [0nnn]: [errmsg]
459 After having failed to remove a file, "remove_tree" was also unable
460 to restore the permissions on the file to a possibly less
461 permissive setting. (Permissions given in octal).
462 unable to map [owner] to a uid, ownership not changed");
464 "make_path" was instructed to give the ownership of created
465 directories to the symbolic name [owner], but "getpwnam" did not
466 return the corresponding numeric uid. The directory will be
467 created, but ownership will not be changed.
468 unable to map [group] to a gid, group ownership not changed
470 "make_path" was instructed to give the group ownership of created
471 directories to the symbolic name [group], but "getgrnam" did not
472 return the corresponding numeric gid. The directory will be
473 created, but group ownership will not be changed.
474
476 • File::Remove
477 Allows files and directories to be moved to the Trashcan/Recycle
479 Bin (where they may later be restored if necessary) if the
480 operating system supports such functionality. This feature may one
481 day be made available directly in "File::Path".
482 • File::Find::Rule
484 When removing directory trees, if you want to examine each file to
486 decide whether to delete it (and possibly leaving large swathes
487 alone), File::Find::Rule offers a convenient and flexible approach
488 to examining directory trees.
489
491 The following describes File::Path limitations and how to report bugs.
492 MULTITHREADED APPLICATIONS
494 File::Path "rmtree" and "remove_tree" will not work with multithreaded
495 applications due to its use of "chdir". At this time, no warning or
496 error is generated in this situation. You will certainly encounter
497 unexpected results.
498 The implementation that surfaces this limitation will not be changed.
500 See the File::Path::Tiny module for functionality similar to File::Path
501 but which does not "chdir".
502 NFS Mount Points
504 File::Path is not responsible for triggering the automounts, mirror
505 mounts, and the contents of network mounted filesystems. If your NFS
506 implementation requires an action to be performed on the filesystem in
507 order for File::Path to perform operations, it is strongly suggested
508 you assure filesystem availability by reading the root of the mounted
509 filesystem.
510 REPORTING BUGS
512 Please report all bugs on the RT queue, either via the web interface:
513 <http://rt.cpan.org/NoAuth/Bugs.html?Dist=File-Path>
515 or by email:
517 bug-File-Path@rt.cpan.org
519 In either case, please attach patches to the bug report rather than
521 including them inline in the web post or the body of the email.
522 You can also send pull requests to the Github repository:
524 <https://github.com/rpcme/File-Path>
526
528 Paul Szabo identified the race condition originally, and Brendan O'Dea
529 wrote an implementation for Debian that addressed the problem. That
530 code was used as a basis for the current code. Their efforts are
531 greatly appreciated.
532 Gisle Aas made a number of improvements to the documentation for 2.07
534 and his advice and assistance is also greatly appreciated.
535
537 Prior authors and maintainers: Tim Bunce, Charles Bailey, and David
538 Landgren <david@landgren.net>.
539 Current maintainers are Richard Elberger <riche@cpan.org> and James
541 (Jim) Keenan <jkeenan@cpan.org>.
542
544 Contributors to File::Path, in alphabetical order by first name.
545 <bulkdd@cpan.org>
547 Charlie Gonzalez <itcharlie@cpan.org>
548 Craig A. Berry <craigberry@mac.com>
549 James E Keenan <jkeenan@cpan.org>
550 John Lightsey <john@perlsec.org>
551 Nigel Horne <njh@bandsman.co.uk>
552 Richard Elberger <riche@cpan.org>
553 Ryan Yee <ryee@cpan.org>
554 Skye Shaw <shaw@cpan.org>
555 Tom Lutz <tommylutz@gmail.com>
556 Will Sheppard <willsheppard@github>
557
559 This module is copyright (C) Charles Bailey, Tim Bunce, David Landgren,
560 James Keenan and Richard Elberger 1995-2020. All rights reserved.
561
563 This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
564 under the same terms as Perl itself.
565perl v5.38.0 2023-07-20 File::Path(3)