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.\" ========================================================================
.\"
.IX Title "File::Path 3pm"
.TH File::Path 3pm "2023-09-04" "perl v5.36.0" "Perl Programmers Reference Guide"
.\" For nroff, turn off justification.  Always turn off hyphenation; it makes
.\" way too many mistakes in technical documents.
.if n .ad l
.nh
.SH "NAME"
File::Path \- Create or remove directory trees
.SH "VERSION"
.IX Header "VERSION"
2.18 \- released November 4 2020.
.SH "SYNOPSIS"
.IX Header "SYNOPSIS"
.Vb 1
\&    use File::Path qw(make_path remove_tree);
\&
\&    @created = make_path(\*(Aqfoo/bar/baz\*(Aq, \*(Aq/zug/zwang\*(Aq);
\&    @created = make_path(\*(Aqfoo/bar/baz\*(Aq, \*(Aq/zug/zwang\*(Aq, {
\&        verbose => 1,
\&        mode => 0711,
\&    });
\&    make_path(\*(Aqfoo/bar/baz\*(Aq, \*(Aq/zug/zwang\*(Aq, {
\&        chmod => 0777,
\&    });
\&
\&    $removed_count = remove_tree(\*(Aqfoo/bar/baz\*(Aq, \*(Aq/zug/zwang\*(Aq, {
\&        verbose => 1,
\&        error  => \emy $err_list,
\&        safe => 1,
\&    });
\&
\&    # legacy (interface promoted before v2.00)
\&    @created = mkpath(\*(Aq/foo/bar/baz\*(Aq);
\&    @created = mkpath(\*(Aq/foo/bar/baz\*(Aq, 1, 0711);
\&    @created = mkpath([\*(Aq/foo/bar/baz\*(Aq, \*(Aqblurfl/quux\*(Aq], 1, 0711);
\&    $removed_count = rmtree(\*(Aqfoo/bar/baz\*(Aq, 1, 1);
\&    $removed_count = rmtree([\*(Aqfoo/bar/baz\*(Aq, \*(Aqblurfl/quux\*(Aq], 1, 1);
\&
\&    # legacy (interface promoted before v2.06)
\&    @created = mkpath(\*(Aqfoo/bar/baz\*(Aq, \*(Aq/zug/zwang\*(Aq, { verbose => 1, mode => 0711 });
\&    $removed_count = rmtree(\*(Aqfoo/bar/baz\*(Aq, \*(Aq/zug/zwang\*(Aq, { verbose => 1, mode => 0711 });
.Ve
.SH "DESCRIPTION"
.IX Header "DESCRIPTION"
This module provides a convenient way to create directories of
arbitrary depth and to delete an entire directory subtree from the
filesystem.
.PP
The following functions are provided:
.ie n .IP "make_path( $dir1, $dir2, .... )" 4
.el .IP "make_path( \f(CW$dir1\fR, \f(CW$dir2\fR, .... )" 4
.IX Item "make_path( $dir1, $dir2, .... )"
.PD 0
.ie n .IP "make_path( $dir1, $dir2, ...., \e%opts )" 4
.el .IP "make_path( \f(CW$dir1\fR, \f(CW$dir2\fR, ...., \e%opts )" 4
.IX Item "make_path( $dir1, $dir2, ...., %opts )"
.PD
The \f(CW\*(C`make_path\*(C'\fR function creates the given directories if they don't
exist before, much like the Unix command \f(CW\*(C`mkdir \-p\*(C'\fR.
.Sp
The function accepts a list of directories to be created. Its
behaviour may be tuned by an optional hashref appearing as the last
parameter on the call.
.Sp
The function returns the list of directories actually created during
the call; in scalar context the number of directories created.
.Sp
The following keys are recognised in the option hash:
.RS 4
.ie n .IP "mode => $num" 4
.el .IP "mode => \f(CW$num\fR" 4
.IX Item "mode => $num"
The numeric permissions mode to apply to each created directory
(defaults to \f(CW0777\fR), to be modified by the current \f(CW\*(C`umask\*(C'\fR. If the
directory already exists (and thus does not need to be created),
the permissions will not be modified.
.Sp
\&\f(CW\*(C`mask\*(C'\fR is recognised as an alias for this parameter.
.ie n .IP "chmod => $num" 4
.el .IP "chmod => \f(CW$num\fR" 4
.IX Item "chmod => $num"
Takes a numeric mode to apply to each created directory (not
modified by the current \f(CW\*(C`umask\*(C'\fR). If the directory already exists
(and thus does not need to be created), the permissions will
not be modified.
.ie n .IP "verbose => $bool" 4
.el .IP "verbose => \f(CW$bool\fR" 4
.IX Item "verbose => $bool"
If present, will cause \f(CW\*(C`make_path\*(C'\fR to print the name of each directory
as it is created. By default nothing is printed.
.IP "error => \e$err" 4
.IX Item "error => $err"
If present, it should be a reference to a scalar.
This scalar will be made to reference an array, which will
be used to store any errors that are encountered.  See the \*(L"\s-1ERROR
HANDLING\*(R"\s0 section for more information.
.Sp
If this parameter is not used, certain error conditions may raise
a fatal error that will cause the program to halt, unless trapped
in an \f(CW\*(C`eval\*(C'\fR block.
.ie n .IP "owner => $owner" 4
.el .IP "owner => \f(CW$owner\fR" 4
.IX Item "owner => $owner"
.PD 0
.ie n .IP "user => $owner" 4
.el .IP "user => \f(CW$owner\fR" 4
.IX Item "user => $owner"
.ie n .IP "uid => $owner" 4
.el .IP "uid => \f(CW$owner\fR" 4
.IX Item "uid => $owner"
.PD
If present, will cause any created directory to be owned by \f(CW$owner\fR.
If the value is numeric, it will be interpreted as a uid; otherwise a
username is assumed. An error will be issued if the username cannot be
mapped to a uid, the uid does not exist or the process lacks the
privileges to change ownership.
.Sp
Ownership of directories that already exist will not be changed.
.Sp
\&\f(CW\*(C`user\*(C'\fR and \f(CW\*(C`uid\*(C'\fR are aliases of \f(CW\*(C`owner\*(C'\fR.
.ie n .IP "group => $group" 4
.el .IP "group => \f(CW$group\fR" 4
.IX Item "group => $group"
If present, will cause any created directory to be owned by the group
\&\f(CW$group\fR.  If the value is numeric, it will be interpreted as a gid;
otherwise a group name is assumed. An error will be issued if the
group name cannot be mapped to a gid, the gid does not exist or the
process lacks the privileges to change group ownership.
.Sp
Group ownership of directories that already exist will not be changed.
.Sp
.Vb 1
\&    make_path \*(Aq/var/tmp/webcache\*(Aq, {owner=>\*(Aqnobody\*(Aq, group=>\*(Aqnogroup\*(Aq};
.Ve
.RE
.RS 4
.RE
.ie n .IP "mkpath( $dir )" 4
.el .IP "mkpath( \f(CW$dir\fR )" 4
.IX Item "mkpath( $dir )"
.PD 0
.ie n .IP "mkpath( $dir, $verbose, $mode )" 4
.el .IP "mkpath( \f(CW$dir\fR, \f(CW$verbose\fR, \f(CW$mode\fR )" 4
.IX Item "mkpath( $dir, $verbose, $mode )"
.ie n .IP "mkpath( [$dir1, $dir2,...], $verbose, $mode )" 4
.el .IP "mkpath( [$dir1, \f(CW$dir2\fR,...], \f(CW$verbose\fR, \f(CW$mode\fR )" 4
.IX Item "mkpath( [$dir1, $dir2,...], $verbose, $mode )"
.ie n .IP "mkpath( $dir1, $dir2,..., \e%opt )" 4
.el .IP "mkpath( \f(CW$dir1\fR, \f(CW$dir2\fR,..., \e%opt )" 4
.IX Item "mkpath( $dir1, $dir2,..., %opt )"
.PD
The \f(CW\*(C`mkpath()\*(C'\fR function provide the legacy interface of
\&\f(CW\*(C`make_path()\*(C'\fR with a different interpretation of the arguments
passed.  The behaviour and return value of the function is otherwise
identical to \f(CW\*(C`make_path()\*(C'\fR.
.ie n .IP "remove_tree( $dir1, $dir2, .... )" 4
.el .IP "remove_tree( \f(CW$dir1\fR, \f(CW$dir2\fR, .... )" 4
.IX Item "remove_tree( $dir1, $dir2, .... )"
.PD 0
.ie n .IP "remove_tree( $dir1, $dir2, ...., \e%opts )" 4
.el .IP "remove_tree( \f(CW$dir1\fR, \f(CW$dir2\fR, ...., \e%opts )" 4
.IX Item "remove_tree( $dir1, $dir2, ...., %opts )"
.PD
The \f(CW\*(C`remove_tree\*(C'\fR function deletes the given directories and any
files and subdirectories they might contain, much like the Unix
command \f(CW\*(C`rm \-rf\*(C'\fR or the Windows commands \f(CW\*(C`rmdir /s\*(C'\fR and \f(CW\*(C`rd /s\*(C'\fR.
.Sp
The function accepts a list of directories to be removed. (In point of fact,
it will also accept filesystem entries which are not directories, such as
regular files and symlinks.  But, as its name suggests, its intent is to
remove trees rather than individual files.)
.Sp
\&\f(CW\*(C`remove_tree()\*(C'\fR's behaviour may be tuned by an optional hashref
appearing as the last parameter on the call.  If an empty string is
passed to \f(CW\*(C`remove_tree\*(C'\fR, an error will occur.
.Sp
\&\fB\s-1NOTE:\s0\fR  For security reasons, we strongly advise use of the
hashref-as-final-argument syntax \*(-- specifically, with a setting of the \f(CW\*(C`safe\*(C'\fR
element to a true value.
.Sp
.Vb 6
\&    remove_tree( $dir1, $dir2, ....,
\&        {
\&            safe => 1,
\&            ...         # other key\-value pairs
\&        },
\&    );
.Ve
.Sp
The function returns the number of files successfully deleted.
.Sp
The following keys are recognised in the option hash:
.RS 4
.ie n .IP "verbose => $bool" 4
.el .IP "verbose => \f(CW$bool\fR" 4
.IX Item "verbose => $bool"
If present, will cause \f(CW\*(C`remove_tree\*(C'\fR to print the name of each file as
it is unlinked. By default nothing is printed.
.ie n .IP "safe => $bool" 4
.el .IP "safe => \f(CW$bool\fR" 4
.IX Item "safe => $bool"
When set to a true value, will cause \f(CW\*(C`remove_tree\*(C'\fR to skip the files
for which the process lacks the required privileges needed to delete
files, such as delete privileges on \s-1VMS.\s0 In other words, the code
will make no attempt to alter file permissions. Thus, if the process
is interrupted, no filesystem object will be left in a more
permissive mode.
.ie n .IP "keep_root => $bool" 4
.el .IP "keep_root => \f(CW$bool\fR" 4
.IX Item "keep_root => $bool"
When set to a true value, will cause all files and subdirectories
to be removed, except the initially specified directories. This comes
in handy when cleaning out an application's scratch directory.
.Sp
.Vb 1
\&    remove_tree( \*(Aq/tmp\*(Aq, {keep_root => 1} );
.Ve
.IP "result => \e$res" 4
.IX Item "result => $res"
If present, it should be a reference to a scalar.
This scalar will be made to reference an array, which will
be used to store all files and directories unlinked
during the call. If nothing is unlinked, the array will be empty.
.Sp
.Vb 2
\&    remove_tree( \*(Aq/tmp\*(Aq, {result => \emy $list} );
\&    print "unlinked $_\en" for @$list;
.Ve
.Sp
This is a useful alternative to the \f(CW\*(C`verbose\*(C'\fR key.
.IP "error => \e$err" 4
.IX Item "error => $err"
If present, it should be a reference to a scalar.
This scalar will be made to reference an array, which will
be used to store any errors that are encountered.  See the \*(L"\s-1ERROR
HANDLING\*(R"\s0 section for more information.
.Sp
Removing things is a much more dangerous proposition than
creating things. As such, there are certain conditions that
\&\f(CW\*(C`remove_tree\*(C'\fR may encounter that are so dangerous that the only
sane action left is to kill the program.
.Sp
Use \f(CW\*(C`error\*(C'\fR to trap all that is reasonable (problems with
permissions and the like), and let it die if things get out
of hand. This is the safest course of action.
.RE
.RS 4
.RE
.ie n .IP "rmtree( $dir )" 4
.el .IP "rmtree( \f(CW$dir\fR )" 4
.IX Item "rmtree( $dir )"
.PD 0
.ie n .IP "rmtree( $dir, $verbose, $safe )" 4
.el .IP "rmtree( \f(CW$dir\fR, \f(CW$verbose\fR, \f(CW$safe\fR )" 4
.IX Item "rmtree( $dir, $verbose, $safe )"
.ie n .IP "rmtree( [$dir1, $dir2,...], $verbose, $safe )" 4
.el .IP "rmtree( [$dir1, \f(CW$dir2\fR,...], \f(CW$verbose\fR, \f(CW$safe\fR )" 4
.IX Item "rmtree( [$dir1, $dir2,...], $verbose, $safe )"
.ie n .IP "rmtree( $dir1, $dir2,..., \e%opt )" 4
.el .IP "rmtree( \f(CW$dir1\fR, \f(CW$dir2\fR,..., \e%opt )" 4
.IX Item "rmtree( $dir1, $dir2,..., %opt )"
.PD
The \f(CW\*(C`rmtree()\*(C'\fR function provide the legacy interface of
\&\f(CW\*(C`remove_tree()\*(C'\fR with a different interpretation of the arguments
passed. The behaviour and return value of the function is otherwise
identical to \f(CW\*(C`remove_tree()\*(C'\fR.
.Sp
\&\fB\s-1NOTE:\s0\fR  For security reasons, we strongly advise use of the
hashref-as-final-argument syntax, specifically with a setting of the \f(CW\*(C`safe\*(C'\fR
element to a true value.
.Sp
.Vb 6
\&    rmtree( $dir1, $dir2, ....,
\&        {
\&            safe => 1,
\&            ...         # other key\-value pairs
\&        },
\&    );
.Ve
.SS "\s-1ERROR HANDLING\s0"
.IX Subsection "ERROR HANDLING"
.IP "\fB\s-1NOTE:\s0\fR" 4
.IX Item "NOTE:"
The following error handling mechanism is consistent throughout all
code paths \s-1EXCEPT\s0 in cases where the \s-1ROOT\s0 node is nonexistent.  In
version 2.11 the maintainers attempted to rectify this inconsistency
but too many downstream modules encountered problems.  In such case,
if you require root node evaluation or error checking prior to calling
\&\f(CW\*(C`make_path\*(C'\fR or \f(CW\*(C`remove_tree\*(C'\fR, you should take additional precautions.
.PP
If \f(CW\*(C`make_path\*(C'\fR or \f(CW\*(C`remove_tree\*(C'\fR encounters an error, a diagnostic
message will be printed to \f(CW\*(C`STDERR\*(C'\fR via \f(CW\*(C`carp\*(C'\fR (for non-fatal
errors) or via \f(CW\*(C`croak\*(C'\fR (for fatal errors).
.PP
If this behaviour is not desirable, the \f(CW\*(C`error\*(C'\fR attribute may be
used to hold a reference to a variable, which will be used to store
the diagnostics. The variable is made a reference to an array of hash
references.  Each hash contain a single key/value pair where the key
is the name of the file, and the value is the error message (including
the contents of \f(CW$!\fR when appropriate).  If a general error is
encountered the diagnostic key will be empty.
.PP
An example usage looks like:
.PP
.Vb 10
\&  remove_tree( \*(Aqfoo/bar\*(Aq, \*(Aqbar/rat\*(Aq, {error => \emy $err} );
\&  if ($err && @$err) {
\&      for my $diag (@$err) {
\&          my ($file, $message) = %$diag;
\&          if ($file eq \*(Aq\*(Aq) {
\&              print "general error: $message\en";
\&          }
\&          else {
\&              print "problem unlinking $file: $message\en";
\&          }
\&      }
\&  }
\&  else {
\&      print "No error encountered\en";
\&  }
.Ve
.PP
Note that if no errors are encountered, \f(CW$err\fR will reference an
empty array.  This means that \f(CW$err\fR will always end up \s-1TRUE\s0; so you
need to test \f(CW@$err\fR to determine if errors occurred.
.SS "\s-1NOTES\s0"
.IX Subsection "NOTES"
\&\f(CW\*(C`File::Path\*(C'\fR blindly exports \f(CW\*(C`mkpath\*(C'\fR and \f(CW\*(C`rmtree\*(C'\fR into the
current namespace. These days, this is considered bad style, but
to change it now would break too much code. Nonetheless, you are
invited to specify what it is you are expecting to use:
.PP
.Vb 1
\&  use File::Path \*(Aqrmtree\*(Aq;
.Ve
.PP
The routines \f(CW\*(C`make_path\*(C'\fR and \f(CW\*(C`remove_tree\*(C'\fR are \fBnot\fR exported
by default. You must specify which ones you want to use.
.PP
.Vb 1
\&  use File::Path \*(Aqremove_tree\*(Aq;
.Ve
.PP
Note that a side-effect of the above is that \f(CW\*(C`mkpath\*(C'\fR and \f(CW\*(C`rmtree\*(C'\fR
are no longer exported at all. This is due to the way the \f(CW\*(C`Exporter\*(C'\fR
module works. If you are migrating a codebase to use the new
interface, you will have to list everything explicitly. But that's
just good practice anyway.
.PP
.Vb 1
\&  use File::Path qw(remove_tree rmtree);
.Ve
.PP
\fI\s-1API CHANGES\s0\fR
.IX Subsection "API CHANGES"
.PP
The \s-1API\s0 was changed in the 2.0 branch. For a time, \f(CW\*(C`mkpath\*(C'\fR and
\&\f(CW\*(C`rmtree\*(C'\fR tried, unsuccessfully, to deal with the two different
calling mechanisms. This approach was considered a failure.
.PP
The new semantics are now only available with \f(CW\*(C`make_path\*(C'\fR and
\&\f(CW\*(C`remove_tree\*(C'\fR. The old semantics are only available through
\&\f(CW\*(C`mkpath\*(C'\fR and \f(CW\*(C`rmtree\*(C'\fR. Users are strongly encouraged to upgrade
to at least 2.08 in order to avoid surprises.
.PP
\fI\s-1SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS\s0\fR
.IX Subsection "SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS"
.PP
There were race conditions in the 1.x implementations of File::Path's
\&\f(CW\*(C`rmtree\*(C'\fR function (although sometimes patched depending on the \s-1OS\s0
distribution or platform). The 2.0 version contains code to avoid the
problem mentioned in \s-1CVE\-2002\-0435.\s0
.PP
See the following pages for more information:
.PP
.Vb 3
\&    http://bugs.debian.org/cgi\-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=286905
\&    http://www.nntp.perl.org/group/perl.perl5.porters/2005/01/msg97623.html
\&    http://www.debian.org/security/2005/dsa\-696
.Ve
.PP
Additionally, unless the \f(CW\*(C`safe\*(C'\fR parameter is set (or the
third parameter in the traditional interface is \s-1TRUE\s0), should a
\&\f(CW\*(C`remove_tree\*(C'\fR be interrupted, files that were originally in read-only
mode may now have their permissions set to a read-write (or \*(L"delete
\&\s-1OK\*(R"\s0) mode.
.PP
The following \s-1CVE\s0 reports were previously filed against File-Path and are
believed to have been addressed:
.IP "\(bu" 4
<http://cve.circl.lu/cve/CVE\-2004\-0452>
.IP "\(bu" 4
<http://cve.circl.lu/cve/CVE\-2005\-0448>
.PP
In February 2017 the cPanel Security Team reported an additional vulnerability
in File-Path.  The \f(CW\*(C`chmod()\*(C'\fR logic to make directories traversable can be
abused to set the mode on an attacker-chosen file to an attacker-chosen value.
This is due to the time-of-check-to-time-of-use (\s-1TOCTTOU\s0) race condition
(<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_of_check_to_time_of_use>) between the
\&\f(CW\*(C`stat()\*(C'\fR that decides the inode is a directory and the \f(CW\*(C`chmod()\*(C'\fR that tries
to make it user-rwx.  \s-1CPAN\s0 versions 2.13 and later incorporate a patch
provided by John Lightsey to address this problem.  This vulnerability has
been reported as \s-1CVE\-2017\-6512.\s0
.SH "DIAGNOSTICS"
.IX Header "DIAGNOSTICS"
\&\s-1FATAL\s0 errors will cause the program to halt (\f(CW\*(C`croak\*(C'\fR), since the
problem is so severe that it would be dangerous to continue. (This
can always be trapped with \f(CW\*(C`eval\*(C'\fR, but it's not a good idea. Under
the circumstances, dying is the best thing to do).
.PP
\&\s-1SEVERE\s0 errors may be trapped using the modern interface. If the
they are not trapped, or if the old interface is used, such an error
will cause the program will halt.
.PP
All other errors may be trapped using the modern interface, otherwise
they will be \f(CW\*(C`carp\*(C'\fRed about. Program execution will not be halted.
.IP "mkdir [path]: [errmsg] (\s-1SEVERE\s0)" 4
.IX Item "mkdir [path]: [errmsg] (SEVERE)"
\&\f(CW\*(C`make_path\*(C'\fR was unable to create the path. Probably some sort of
permissions error at the point of departure or insufficient resources
(such as free inodes on Unix).
.IP "No root path(s) specified" 4
.IX Item "No root path(s) specified"
\&\f(CW\*(C`make_path\*(C'\fR was not given any paths to create. This message is only
emitted if the routine is called with the traditional interface.
The modern interface will remain silent if given nothing to do.
.IP "No such file or directory" 4
.IX Item "No such file or directory"
On Windows, if \f(CW\*(C`make_path\*(C'\fR gives you this warning, it may mean that
you have exceeded your filesystem's maximum path length.
.IP "cannot fetch initial working directory: [errmsg]" 4
.IX Item "cannot fetch initial working directory: [errmsg]"
\&\f(CW\*(C`remove_tree\*(C'\fR attempted to determine the initial directory by calling
\&\f(CW\*(C`Cwd::getcwd\*(C'\fR, but the call failed for some reason. No attempt
will be made to delete anything.
.IP "cannot stat initial working directory: [errmsg]" 4
.IX Item "cannot stat initial working directory: [errmsg]"
\&\f(CW\*(C`remove_tree\*(C'\fR attempted to stat the initial directory (after having
successfully obtained its name via \f(CW\*(C`getcwd\*(C'\fR), however, the call
failed for some reason. No attempt will be made to delete anything.
.IP "cannot chdir to [dir]: [errmsg]" 4
.IX Item "cannot chdir to [dir]: [errmsg]"
\&\f(CW\*(C`remove_tree\*(C'\fR attempted to set the working directory in order to
begin deleting the objects therein, but was unsuccessful. This is
usually a permissions issue. The routine will continue to delete
other things, but this directory will be left intact.
.IP "directory [dir] changed before chdir, expected dev=[n] ino=[n], actual dev=[n] ino=[n], aborting. (\s-1FATAL\s0)" 4
.IX Item "directory [dir] changed before chdir, expected dev=[n] ino=[n], actual dev=[n] ino=[n], aborting. (FATAL)"
\&\f(CW\*(C`remove_tree\*(C'\fR recorded the device and inode of a directory, and then
moved into it. It then performed a \f(CW\*(C`stat\*(C'\fR on the current directory
and detected that the device and inode were no longer the same. As
this is at the heart of the race condition problem, the program
will die at this point.
.IP "cannot make directory [dir] read+writeable: [errmsg]" 4
.IX Item "cannot make directory [dir] read+writeable: [errmsg]"
\&\f(CW\*(C`remove_tree\*(C'\fR attempted to change the permissions on the current directory
to ensure that subsequent unlinkings would not run into problems,
but was unable to do so. The permissions remain as they were, and
the program will carry on, doing the best it can.
.IP "cannot read [dir]: [errmsg]" 4
.IX Item "cannot read [dir]: [errmsg]"
\&\f(CW\*(C`remove_tree\*(C'\fR tried to read the contents of the directory in order
to acquire the names of the directory entries to be unlinked, but
was unsuccessful. This is usually a permissions issue. The
program will continue, but the files in this directory will remain
after the call.
.IP "cannot reset chmod [dir]: [errmsg]" 4
.IX Item "cannot reset chmod [dir]: [errmsg]"
\&\f(CW\*(C`remove_tree\*(C'\fR, after having deleted everything in a directory, attempted
to restore its permissions to the original state but failed. The
directory may wind up being left behind.
.IP "cannot remove [dir] when cwd is [dir]" 4
.IX Item "cannot remove [dir] when cwd is [dir]"
The current working directory of the program is \fI/some/path/to/here\fR
and you are attempting to remove an ancestor, such as \fI/some/path\fR.
The directory tree is left untouched.
.Sp
The solution is to \f(CW\*(C`chdir\*(C'\fR out of the child directory to a place
outside the directory tree to be removed.
.IP "cannot chdir to [parent\-dir] from [child\-dir]: [errmsg], aborting. (\s-1FATAL\s0)" 4
.IX Item "cannot chdir to [parent-dir] from [child-dir]: [errmsg], aborting. (FATAL)"
\&\f(CW\*(C`remove_tree\*(C'\fR, after having deleted everything and restored the permissions
of a directory, was unable to chdir back to the parent. The program
halts to avoid a race condition from occurring.
.IP "cannot stat prior working directory [dir]: [errmsg], aborting. (\s-1FATAL\s0)" 4
.IX Item "cannot stat prior working directory [dir]: [errmsg], aborting. (FATAL)"
\&\f(CW\*(C`remove_tree\*(C'\fR was unable to stat the parent directory after having returned
from the child. Since there is no way of knowing if we returned to
where we think we should be (by comparing device and inode) the only
way out is to \f(CW\*(C`croak\*(C'\fR.
.IP "previous directory [parent\-dir] changed before entering [child\-dir], expected dev=[n] ino=[n], actual dev=[n] ino=[n], aborting. (\s-1FATAL\s0)" 4
.IX Item "previous directory [parent-dir] changed before entering [child-dir], expected dev=[n] ino=[n], actual dev=[n] ino=[n], aborting. (FATAL)"
When \f(CW\*(C`remove_tree\*(C'\fR returned from deleting files in a child directory, a
check revealed that the parent directory it returned to wasn't the one
it started out from. This is considered a sign of malicious activity.
.IP "cannot make directory [dir] writeable: [errmsg]" 4
.IX Item "cannot make directory [dir] writeable: [errmsg]"
Just before removing a directory (after having successfully removed
everything it contained), \f(CW\*(C`remove_tree\*(C'\fR attempted to set the permissions
on the directory to ensure it could be removed and failed. Program
execution continues, but the directory may possibly not be deleted.
.IP "cannot remove directory [dir]: [errmsg]" 4
.IX Item "cannot remove directory [dir]: [errmsg]"
\&\f(CW\*(C`remove_tree\*(C'\fR attempted to remove a directory, but failed. This may be because
some objects that were unable to be removed remain in the directory, or
it could be a permissions issue. The directory will be left behind.
.IP "cannot restore permissions of [dir] to [0nnn]: [errmsg]" 4
.IX Item "cannot restore permissions of [dir] to [0nnn]: [errmsg]"
After having failed to remove a directory, \f(CW\*(C`remove_tree\*(C'\fR was unable to
restore its permissions from a permissive state back to a possibly
more restrictive setting. (Permissions given in octal).
.IP "cannot make file [file] writeable: [errmsg]" 4
.IX Item "cannot make file [file] writeable: [errmsg]"
\&\f(CW\*(C`remove_tree\*(C'\fR attempted to force the permissions of a file to ensure it
could be deleted, but failed to do so. It will, however, still attempt
to unlink the file.
.IP "cannot unlink file [file]: [errmsg]" 4
.IX Item "cannot unlink file [file]: [errmsg]"
\&\f(CW\*(C`remove_tree\*(C'\fR failed to remove a file. Probably a permissions issue.
.IP "cannot restore permissions of [file] to [0nnn]: [errmsg]" 4
.IX Item "cannot restore permissions of [file] to [0nnn]: [errmsg]"
After having failed to remove a file, \f(CW\*(C`remove_tree\*(C'\fR was also unable
to restore the permissions on the file to a possibly less permissive
setting. (Permissions given in octal).
.IP "unable to map [owner] to a uid, ownership not changed"");" 4
.IX Item "unable to map [owner] to a uid, ownership not changed"");"
\&\f(CW\*(C`make_path\*(C'\fR was instructed to give the ownership of created
directories to the symbolic name [owner], but \f(CW\*(C`getpwnam\*(C'\fR did
not return the corresponding numeric uid. The directory will
be created, but ownership will not be changed.
.IP "unable to map [group] to a gid, group ownership not changed" 4
.IX Item "unable to map [group] to a gid, group ownership not changed"
\&\f(CW\*(C`make_path\*(C'\fR was instructed to give the group ownership of created
directories to the symbolic name [group], but \f(CW\*(C`getgrnam\*(C'\fR did
not return the corresponding numeric gid. The directory will
be created, but group ownership will not be changed.
.SH "SEE ALSO"
.IX Header "SEE ALSO"
.IP "\(bu" 4
File::Remove
.Sp
Allows files and directories to be moved to the Trashcan/Recycle
Bin (where they may later be restored if necessary) if the operating
system supports such functionality. This feature may one day be
made available directly in \f(CW\*(C`File::Path\*(C'\fR.
.IP "\(bu" 4
File::Find::Rule
.Sp
When removing directory trees, if you want to examine each file to
decide whether to delete it (and possibly leaving large swathes
alone), \fIFile::Find::Rule\fR offers a convenient and flexible approach
to examining directory trees.
.SH "BUGS AND LIMITATIONS"
.IX Header "BUGS AND LIMITATIONS"
The following describes \fIFile::Path\fR limitations and how to report bugs.
.SS "\s-1MULTITHREADED APPLICATIONS\s0"
.IX Subsection "MULTITHREADED APPLICATIONS"
\&\fIFile::Path\fR \f(CW\*(C`rmtree\*(C'\fR and \f(CW\*(C`remove_tree\*(C'\fR will not work with
multithreaded applications due to its use of \f(CW\*(C`chdir\*(C'\fR.  At this time,
no warning or error is generated in this situation.  You will
certainly encounter unexpected results.
.PP
The implementation that surfaces this limitation will not be changed. See the
\&\fIFile::Path::Tiny\fR module for functionality similar to \fIFile::Path\fR but which does
not \f(CW\*(C`chdir\*(C'\fR.
.SS "\s-1NFS\s0 Mount Points"
.IX Subsection "NFS Mount Points"
\&\fIFile::Path\fR is not responsible for triggering the automounts, mirror mounts,
and the contents of network mounted filesystems.  If your \s-1NFS\s0 implementation
requires an action to be performed on the filesystem in order for
\&\fIFile::Path\fR to perform operations, it is strongly suggested you assure
filesystem availability by reading the root of the mounted filesystem.
.SS "\s-1REPORTING BUGS\s0"
.IX Subsection "REPORTING BUGS"
Please report all bugs on the \s-1RT\s0 queue, either via the web interface:
.PP
<http://rt.cpan.org/NoAuth/Bugs.html?Dist=File\-Path>
.PP
or by email:
.PP
.Vb 1
\&    bug\-File\-Path@rt.cpan.org
.Ve
.PP
In either case, please \fBattach\fR patches to the bug report rather than
including them inline in the web post or the body of the email.
.PP
You can also send pull requests to the Github repository:
.PP
<https://github.com/rpcme/File\-Path>
.SH "ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS"
.IX Header "ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS"
Paul Szabo identified the race condition originally, and Brendan
O'Dea wrote an implementation for Debian that addressed the problem.
That code was used as a basis for the current code. Their efforts
are greatly appreciated.
.PP
Gisle Aas made a number of improvements to the documentation for
2.07 and his advice and assistance is also greatly appreciated.
.SH "AUTHORS"
.IX Header "AUTHORS"
Prior authors and maintainers: Tim Bunce, Charles Bailey, and
David Landgren <\fIdavid@landgren.net\fR>.
.PP
Current maintainers are Richard Elberger <\fIriche@cpan.org\fR> and
James (Jim) Keenan <\fIjkeenan@cpan.org\fR>.
.SH "CONTRIBUTORS"
.IX Header "CONTRIBUTORS"
Contributors to File::Path, in alphabetical order by first name.
.IP "<\fIbulkdd@cpan.org\fR>" 1
.IX Item "<bulkdd@cpan.org>"
.PD 0
.IP "Charlie Gonzalez <\fIitcharlie@cpan.org\fR>" 1
.IX Item "Charlie Gonzalez <itcharlie@cpan.org>"
.IP "Craig A. Berry <\fIcraigberry@mac.com\fR>" 1
.IX Item "Craig A. Berry <craigberry@mac.com>"
.IP "James E Keenan <\fIjkeenan@cpan.org\fR>" 1
.IX Item "James E Keenan <jkeenan@cpan.org>"
.IP "John Lightsey <\fIjohn@perlsec.org\fR>" 1
.IX Item "John Lightsey <john@perlsec.org>"
.IP "Nigel Horne <\fInjh@bandsman.co.uk\fR>" 1
.IX Item "Nigel Horne <njh@bandsman.co.uk>"
.IP "Richard Elberger <\fIriche@cpan.org\fR>" 1
.IX Item "Richard Elberger <riche@cpan.org>"
.IP "Ryan Yee <\fIryee@cpan.org\fR>" 1
.IX Item "Ryan Yee <ryee@cpan.org>"
.IP "Skye Shaw <\fIshaw@cpan.org\fR>" 1
.IX Item "Skye Shaw <shaw@cpan.org>"
.IP "Tom Lutz <\fItommylutz@gmail.com\fR>" 1
.IX Item "Tom Lutz <tommylutz@gmail.com>"
.IP "Will Sheppard <\fIwillsheppard@github\fR>" 1
.IX Item "Will Sheppard <willsheppard@github>"
.PD
.SH "COPYRIGHT"
.IX Header "COPYRIGHT"
This module is copyright (C) Charles Bailey, Tim Bunce, David Landgren,
James Keenan and Richard Elberger 1995\-2020. All rights reserved.
.SH "LICENSE"
.IX Header "LICENSE"
This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
it under the same terms as Perl itself.
