RMDIR(1)                   POSIX Programmer's Manual                  RMDIR(1)



PPRROOLLOOGG
       This manual page is part of the POSIX Programmer's Manual.  The OS
       implementation of this interface may differ (consult the corresponding
       OS manual page for details of OS behavior), or the interface may not be
       implemented on OS.

NNAAMMEE
       rmdir -- remove directories

SSYYNNOOPPSSIISS
       rmdir [[-p]] _d_i_r...

DDEESSCCRRIIPPTTIIOONN
       The _r_m_d_i_r utility shall remove the directory entry specified by each
       _d_i_r operand.

       For each _d_i_r operand, the _r_m_d_i_r utility shall perform actions
       equivalent to the _r_m_d_i_r() function called with the _d_i_r operand as its
       only argument.

       Directories shall be processed in the order specified. If a directory
       and a subdirectory of that directory are specified in a single
       invocation of the _r_m_d_i_r utility, the application shall specify the
       subdirectory before the parent directory so that the parent directory
       will be empty when the _r_m_d_i_r utility tries to remove it.

OOPPTTIIOONNSS
       The _r_m_d_i_r utility shall conform to the Base Definitions volume of
       POSIX.1-2017, _S_e_c_t_i_o_n _1_2_._2, _U_t_i_l_i_t_y _S_y_n_t_a_x _G_u_i_d_e_l_i_n_e_s.

       The following option shall be supported:

       --pp        Remove all directories in a pathname. For each _d_i_r operand:

                  1. The directory entry it names shall be removed.

                  2. If the _d_i_r operand includes more than one pathname
                     component, effects equivalent to the following command
                     shall occur:


                         rmdir -p $(dirname _d_i_r)

OOPPEERRAANNDDSS
       The following operand shall be supported:

       _d_i_r       A pathname of an empty directory to be removed.

SSTTDDIINN
       Not used.

IINNPPUUTT FFIILLEESS
       None.

EENNVVIIRROONNMMEENNTT VVAARRIIAABBLLEESS
       The following environment variables shall affect the execution of
       _r_m_d_i_r:

       _L_A_N_G      Provide a default value for the internationalization
                 variables that are unset or null. (See the Base Definitions
                 volume of POSIX.1-2017, _S_e_c_t_i_o_n _8_._2, _I_n_t_e_r_n_a_t_i_o_n_a_l_i_z_a_t_i_o_n
                 _V_a_r_i_a_b_l_e_s for the precedence of internationalization
                 variables used to determine the values of locale categories.)

       _L_C___A_L_L    If set to a non-empty string value, override the values of
                 all the other internationalization variables.

       _L_C___C_T_Y_P_E  Determine the locale for the interpretation of sequences of
                 bytes of text data as characters (for example, single-byte as
                 opposed to multi-byte characters in arguments).

       _L_C___M_E_S_S_A_G_E_S
                 Determine the locale that should be used to affect the format
                 and contents of diagnostic messages written to standard
                 error.

       _N_L_S_P_A_T_H   Determine the location of message catalogs for the processing
                 of _L_C___M_E_S_S_A_G_E_S.

AASSYYNNCCHHRROONNOOUUSS EEVVEENNTTSS
       Default.

SSTTDDOOUUTT
       Not used.

SSTTDDEERRRR
       The standard error shall be used only for diagnostic messages.

OOUUTTPPUUTT FFIILLEESS
       None.

EEXXTTEENNDDEEDD DDEESSCCRRIIPPTTIIOONN
       None.

EEXXIITT SSTTAATTUUSS
       The following exit values shall be returned:

        0    Each directory entry specified by a _d_i_r operand was removed
             successfully.

       >0    An error occurred.

CCOONNSSEEQQUUEENNCCEESS OOFF EERRRROORRSS
       Default.

       _T_h_e _f_o_l_l_o_w_i_n_g _s_e_c_t_i_o_n_s _a_r_e _i_n_f_o_r_m_a_t_i_v_e_.

AAPPPPLLIICCAATTIIOONN UUSSAAGGEE
       The definition of an empty directory is one that contains, at most,
       directory entries for dot and dot-dot.

EEXXAAMMPPLLEESS
       If a directory aa in the current directory is empty except it contains a
       directory bb and aa//bb is empty except it contains a directory cc:


           rmdir -p a/b/c

       removes all three directories.

RRAATTIIOONNAALLEE
       On historical System V systems, the --pp option also caused a message to
       be written to the standard output. The message indicated whether the
       whole path was removed or whether part of the path remained for some
       reason. The STDERR section requires this diagnostic when the entire
       path specified by a _d_i_r operand is not removed, but does not allow the
       status message reporting success to be written as a diagnostic.

       The _r_m_d_i_r utility on System V also included a --ss option that suppressed
       the informational message output by the --pp option. This option has been
       omitted because the informational message is not specified by this
       volume of POSIX.1-2017.

FFUUTTUURREE DDIIRREECCTTIIOONNSS
       None.

SSEEEE AALLSSOO
       _r_m

       The Base Definitions volume of POSIX.1-2017, _C_h_a_p_t_e_r _8, _E_n_v_i_r_o_n_m_e_n_t
       _V_a_r_i_a_b_l_e_s, _S_e_c_t_i_o_n _1_2_._2, _U_t_i_l_i_t_y _S_y_n_t_a_x _G_u_i_d_e_l_i_n_e_s

       The System Interfaces volume of POSIX.1-2017, _r_e_m_o_v_e(), _r_m_d_i_r(),
       _u_n_l_i_n_k()

CCOOPPYYRRIIGGHHTT
       Portions of this text are reprinted and reproduced in electronic form
       from IEEE Std 1003.1-2017, Standard for Information Technology --
       Portable Operating System Interface (POSIX), The Open Group Base
       Specifications Issue 7, 2018 Edition, Copyright (C) 2018 by the
       Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc and The Open
       Group.  In the event of any discrepancy between this version and the
       original IEEE and The Open Group Standard, the original IEEE and The
       Open Group Standard is the referee document. The original Standard can
       be obtained online at http://www.opengroup.org/unix/online.html .

       Any typographical or formatting errors that appear in this page are
       most likely to have been introduced during the conversion of the source
       files to man page format. To report such errors, see
       https://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/reporting_bugs.html .



IEEE/The Open Group                  2017                             RMDIR(1)
