rmdir(2) rmdir(2)
NAME
rmdir - remove a directory
SYNOPSIS
#include <unistd.h>
int rmdir(const char *path);
DESCRIPTION
rmdir removes the directory named by the path name pointed to by
path. The directory must not have any entries other than ``.'' and
``..''.
If the directory's link count becomes zero and no process has the
directory open, the space occupied by the directory is freed and the
directory is no longer accessible. If one or more processes have the
directory open when the last link is removed, the ``.'' and ``..''
entries, if present, are removed before rmdir returns and no new
entries may be created in the directory, but the directory is not
removed until all references to the directory have been closed.
If path is a symbolic link, it is not followed.
Upon successful completion rmdir marks for update the stctime and
stmtime fields of the parent directory.
The named directory is removed unless one or more of the following
are true:
EACCES Search permission is denied for a component of
the path prefix.
EACCES Write permission is denied on the directory
containing the directory to be removed.
EACCES The parent directory has the sticky bit set and
is not owned by the user; the directory is not
owned by the user and is not writable by the
user; the user is not a super-user.
EBUSY The directory to be removed is the mount point
for a mounted file system.
EEXIST The directory contains entries other than those
for ``.'' and ``..''.
EFAULT path points outside the process's allocated
address space.
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rmdir(2) rmdir(2)
EINVAL The directory to be removed is the current
directory.
EINVAL The directory to be removed is the ``.'' entry of
a directory.
EIO An I/O error occurred while accessing the file
system.
ELOOP Too many symbolic links were encountered in
translating path.
EMULTIHOP Components of path require hopping to multiple
remote machines and the file system does not
allow it.
ENAMETOOLONG The length of the path argument exceeds
{PATHMAX}, or the length of a path component
exceeds {NAMEMAX} while POSIXNOTRUNC is in
effect.
ENOTDIR A component of the path prefix is not a
directory.
ENOENT The named directory does not exist or is the null
pathname.
EROFS The directory entry to be removed is part of a
read-only file system.
ENOLINK path points to a remote machine, and the link to
that machine is no longer active.
DIAGNOSTICS
Upon successful completion, a value of 0 is returned. Otherwise, a
value of -1 is returned and errno is set to indicate the error.
SEE ALSO
mkdir(2).
rmdir(1), rm(1), and mkdir(1) in the User's Reference Manual.
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