Deleting folders and sub folders

I am writing a win32app in C++ and I want to be able to delete a folder which will have many sub folders (with one txt file in each folder) at the clcik of a button. How would I go about doing so? I know how to delete a folder with nothing in it...but I do not know how to delete a folder with subfolders and files in it.

any suggestions?

thanx in advance,
Boomba

Code:

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system( "delete /y C:\\AFolder" );

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thanx for your suggestion XSquared but I forgot to mention that the folder names are user entered and I as a programmer cannot state the path because that is also user defined.

So is it still posible to use somthing similair to the code above? and if so how would i use it?

any suggestions?

thanx in advance,
boomba

Another solution is to traverse the folder and remove all files and sbufolders. Here are some key win32 API.

FindFirstFile()
FindNextFile()
DeleteFile()

Kuphryn

use something like system(str) with str being "deltree /y c:\\" plus the user entered folder...

well my "user entered folder" is just where ever the program is
e.g... if my exe for my program is in C:\\program.....then my "user enterd folder" is in C:\\program\\folder (whatever the user wants to call it)

so if the name of the "folder" is stored in a variable called course how would I implement that into the System() command? I also have the path that leads to "folder" in a variable called "rootdirectory" if that helps at all.

or am I thinking the wrong way?

thanx in advance,
boomba

Code:

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char sysCmd[ MAX_PATH ];

strcpy( sysCmd, "deltree /y " );
strcat( sysCmd, pathToProgram );
strcat( sysCmd, userPath );

system( sysCmd );

---

Alrighty, well, that code works perfectly, but is there a way to call it without having the Dos-Prompt window come up? Or is that built in to the System call?

If you are building a win32 app you should be using the windows.h file and its file handling routines....

Code:

---

HANDLE FindFirstFile(
  LPCTSTR lpFileName,  // pointer to name of file to search for
  LPWIN32_FIND_DATA lpFindFileData
                      // pointer to returned information
);

BOOL FindNextFile(
  HANDLE hFindFile,  // handle to search
  LPWIN32_FIND_DATA lpFindFileData
                    // pointer to structure for data on found file
);
 
BOOL RemoveDirectory(
  LPCTSTR lpPathName  // pointer to directory to remove
);

BOOL DeleteFile(
  LPCTSTR lpFileName  // pointer to name of file to delete
);

---

you can build some recursive function that deletes every file and then destroys the directory...

I have a tutorial on the use of FindFirstFile()/FindNextFile() on my site here.

try the following code....

Code:

---


#include<iostream>
#include<string>
#include <windows.h>

using namespace std;



void DeleteFolder( const char *szFolderPath)
{
        string strFileFilter;

        strFileFilter = szFolderPath;
        strFileFilter += "\\*.*";

        WIN32_FIND_DATA win32FindData; //struct to hold file information

        HANDLE hFile = FindFirstFile(strFileFilter.c_str(), &win32FindData);

        while( FindNextFile(hFile, &win32FindData) )
        {
                string strFilePath; // full file path
                string strFileName; // file name with extension only

                strFilePath = szFolderPath;
                strFilePath += "\\";
                strFilePath += win32FindData.cFileName;
                strFileName = win32FindData.cFileName;

                //If is dots
                if( strFileName == "." ||
                        strFileName == "..")
                {
                        continue;
                }

                int iFindDot = strFileName.find(".");

                //Assume it is a directory because no '.' was found
                if( iFindDot < 0 ) //not extension
                {
                        //Recursive call
                        DeleteFolder( strFilePath.c_str() );
                }

                DeleteFile(strFilePath.c_str());
        }

        FindClose( hFile ); //release handle otherwise dir cannot be removed

        RemoveDirectory( szFolderPath );
}

int main(void)
{
        string strDir;

        while(1)
        {
                cout << "\nEnter dir path or \"quit\" to exit: " << endl;
                cin >> strDir;

                if( strDir == "quit" )
                        break;
       
                DeleteFolder( strDir.c_str() );
        }

        return 0;
}

---

the system() method worked great for me too but is it supposed to work in windows xp ?...because I tried it on a computer with XP and it does nothing....the black consol windows quickly shows tho

thanx in advance,
Boomba,

system() is always a bad idea, there are reasons in the FAQ.

Gues what else is a bad idea? :mad:

Running, zMan's code up there, I have just had my WHOLE C:\ deleted :mad:

I just compiled and run it, nothing happens, now I notice I have 68GB free out of 75GB :MAD: f**k :( There goes all my work, including my f**king English essay:(:eek: :mad:

Ah. Time to reformat and restart all over again. :mad: :(:(:o

omg... roflmao

Its your fault for typing in "C:\" !!

Here is an update to the code so that it will correctly identify a directory...Instead of using the . as a determinant

Code:

---

#include<iostream>
#include<string>
#include <windows.h>

using namespace std;



void DeleteFolder( const char *szFolderPath)
{
        string strFileFilter;

        strFileFilter = szFolderPath;
        strFileFilter += "\\*.*";

        WIN32_FIND_DATA win32FindData; //struct to hold file information

        HANDLE hFile = FindFirstFile(strFileFilter.c_str(), &win32FindData);

        while( FindNextFile(hFile, &win32FindData) )
        {
                string strFilePath; // full file path
                string strFileName; // file name with extension only

                strFilePath = szFolderPath;
                strFilePath += "\\";
                strFilePath += win32FindData.cFileName;
                strFileName = win32FindData.cFileName;

                //If is dots
                if( strFileName == "." ||
                        strFileName == "..")
                {
                        continue;
                }

                //Check to see if it is a directory
                if( win32FindData.dwFileAttributes & FILE_ATTRIBUTE_DIRECTORY) //not extension
                {
                        //Recursive call
                        DeleteFolder( strFilePath.c_str() );
                }
                else
                {
                        DeleteFile(strFilePath.c_str());
                }
        }

        FindClose( hFile ); //release handle otherwise dir cannot be removed

        RemoveDirectory( szFolderPath );
}

int main(void)
{
        string strDir;

        while(1)
        {
                cout << "\nEnter dir path or \"quit\" to exit: " << endl;
                cin >> strDir;

                if( strDir == "quit" )
                        break;
       
                DeleteFolder( strDir.c_str() );
        }

        return 0;
}

---

thanx for the updated code zMan..i just wanna ask a few questions about it

first of all what is strFileFilter.c_str()?...I dont understand the .c_str() part and its pupose and I dont understand the .cFileName either is that MFC?

secondly do I have to make a "win32FindData" structure before hand?

thirdly what is using namespace std?..what does it do?

thanx, sorry for the idiodic questions but I gotta understand otherwise I'll only continue to be stupid

thanx in advance
Boomba,

I'll answer what I can...

Quote:

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Originally posted by Boomba
first of all what is strFileFilter.c_str()?...I dont understand the .c_str() part and its pupose

---

strFileFilter is a std::string, which is a standard class that simplifies manipulation of character strings. But most of the Win32 API functions take char* (C-style strings). c_str() is a member function of class std::string that returns a char* so that it can be used in such cases.

Quote:

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thirdly what is using namespace std?..what does it do?

---

Do you know what namespaces are? If not, it's better to look them up. Basically, it allows you to create more than one object (integer, string, or whatever) with the same name, as long as they're in different namespaces. It's an important part of C++, because lots of times people pick the same names for functions and classes, and without namespaces to keep them separate, they would clash.

Anyways, all the standard functions and objects (that come with most C++ compilers) are declared in the "std" namespace. To access them normally, you must put "std::" in front of the name (i.e. std::cout). "using namespace std" tells the compiler "let me use anything in the namespace std without prefixing the std:: first." It's basically a shorthand (but note that it also defeats the purpose of namespaces) used in examples for the sake of clarity.

Quote:

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thanx, sorry for the idiodic questions but I gotta understand otherwise I'll only continue to be stupid

---

Exactly, so they're not stupid questions. Better to ask and understand than copy and paste the code and hope it works :)

Quote:

---

secondly do I have to make a "win32FindData" structure before hand?

---

the WIN32_FIND_DATA is a type that holds file information. It holds file information such as file attributes, which include information if it is a folder or directory. It also holds the name and other things such as file size. You must create a struct of this type prior to calling the functions FindFirstFile... and FindNextFile because it gets loaded with that information. That is why you pass it by reference.

None of the code included in my above postings is part of MFC. MFC has a class that wraps this functionality in a class called CFileFind which is much simpler to use and you don't have to worry about using things such as the WIN32_FIND_DATA type or handles to the findfile functions.

Using zMan's code above, the function is looking for a:

const char*

To be passed into it. But, the path of the folder I wish to delete, I'm storing in:

char Path[260];

I get an error because it can not convert to zMan's type. Is there a quick way around this without having to rewrite all the code I used my Path variable in previously? (Making it a "string" variable is not a quick fix either. I get 15 errors). :) Thanks

That should not be causing you a problem, show us how you are trying to call the routine.

I used:

strcat(Path, RootDirectory);
strcat(Path, Course);
DeleteFolder(Path);

where rootdirectory and course are holding the user entered path

I tested it with just a char strDir[500] and it worked fine for me.

I can't see why the call should fail, but, are you sure you are correctly building the string? Should you not perhaps be using strcpy() then strcat(). You seem to be adding to the end of an uninitialised string, or at least, with what you have shown so far, that is as it seems.

Quote:

---

Originally posted by Epo
Using zMan's code above, the function is looking for a:

const char*

To be passed into it. But, the path of the folder I wish to delete, I'm storing in:

char Path[260];

I get an error because it can not convert to zMan's type.

---

I think it's unlikely that's the reason. const char* and char[] are nearly equivalent (for 95% of cases, they are). What exactly is the error?

OK, I tried the code and the program runs but when i go to delete in my program I get an error from windows xp and my program crashes.

Heres how I prototyped, called and used the function:

Code:

---

void DeleteFolder(const char*);  //this is the prototype

DeleteFolder(Path);  //this is the way I called it when button is clicked

//this is how the function is being used.(I dont think I changed anything)

void DeleteFolder(const char* szFolderPath)
{
        string strFileFilter;
       
        strFileFilter = szFolderPath;
        strFileFilter += "\\*.*";

        WIN32_FIND_DATA win32FindData; //struct to hold file information

        HANDLE hFile = FindFirstFile(strFileFilter.c_str(), &win32FindData);

        while( FindNextFile(hFile, &win32FindData) )
        {
                string strFilePath; // full file path
                string strFileName; // file name with extension only

                strFilePath = szFolderPath;
                strFilePath += "\\";
                strFilePath += win32FindData.cFileName;
                strFileName = win32FindData.cFileName;

                //If is dots
                if( strFileName == "." || strFileName == "..")
                {
                        continue;
                }

                //Check to see if it is a directory
                if( win32FindData.dwFileAttributes & FILE_ATTRIBUTE_DIRECTORY) //not extension
                {
                        //Recursive call
                        DeleteFolder( strFilePath.c_str() );
                }
                else
                {
                        DeleteFile(strFilePath.c_str());
                }
        }

        FindClose( hFile ); //release handle otherwise dir cannot be removed
        RemoveDirectory( szFolderPath );
}

---

So what is it that I'm doing wrong?..am i missing anything?..and why does the value being passed into the function have to be a const char*...cant it just be char?

thanx in advance,
Boomba,

Nevermind!..haha I figured it out!..it was my fault..I forgot to use strcpy() like epo and I used strcat() incorrectly..now it works like a charm on windows xp I'll try it on NT tommorow..

thank you all ver much for your help:)

I'm still wondering out of curiousity tho...why does the value being passed into the function have to be a const char*...why wont it work just passing char?

thanx everyone!..great board!
boomba,

Quote:

---

Originally posted by Boomba
I'm still wondering out of curiousity tho...why does the value being passed into the function have to be a const char*...why wont it work just passing char?

---

A char is a single character. A char* is a pointer to a character, which usually represents an array of characters (which is a string (but not the std::string object, just another type of string) ). Hope that wasn't more confusing.

Quote:

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A char is a single character. A char* is a pointer to a character, which usually represents an array of characters (which is a string (but not the std::string object, just another type of string) ). Hope that wasn't more confusing.

---

ok so when i want to pass a char array I'll always have to use a char* like I had to with this code?...makes sense.

thanx,

Make sure that you use the updated version of the code instead of the first posting. The reason is that the updated version actually determines if is a directory based on the file attributes instead of just checking to see if it has a . to determine it is a file. Valid directories may have a . as part of their name in Windows.

Disregard this posting.