PHP - Directory Functions

Quiz

Everybody knows what a directory on a computer is. In the computer system it is also be referred to as a folder. So we will see how to remove, change, close, read and list all the directories using PHP functions in this PHP - Directory tutorial.

As their name suggests, PHP directory functions are a group of functions that can be used to get, modify, and retrieve information about various file system directories and their specific contents. Directories can be used for multiple types of tasks, like adding, removing, changing the current working directory, showing the files include in the directory, and more. Since the PHP core already includes these functionalities, additional installation is not needed.

Operations of Directory

Check the below image which shows what kind of operations we can perform:

Installation

As we have already discussed above that there is no installation needed to use these functions, they are part of the PHP core. For example, PHP needs to be configured with --enable-chroot-func option to enable chroot() function.

Requirements

To use these functions no external libraries will be needed to create this extension.

Runtime Configuration

This extension has no configuration directives defined in php.ini.

PHP Directory Constants

PHP directory constants are useful predefined values that enable users to manage environment variables and directory paths between many platforms. By using these constants, users can write PHP code that is more reliable, portable, and works with a range of operating systems.

PHP − indicates the earliest version of PHP that supports the constant.

Sr.No	Constant & Description	PHP Version
1	DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR Used to define the directory separator or the current OS.	3
2	PATH_SEPARATOR Used to separate multiple paths in environment variables.	4

List of Functions

PHP - indicates the earliest version of PHP that supports that function. Below are some commonly used PHP directory functions:

Sr.No	Function & Description	PHP Version
1	chdir() Changes current directory	4
2	chroot() Change the root directory	4.0.4
3	dir() Opens a directory handle and returns an object.	4
4	closedir() Closes a directory	4
5	getcwd() Gets the current working directory.	4
6	opendir() Open directory handle	4
7	readdir() Read entry from directory handle	4
8	rewinddir() Rewind directory handle	4
9	scandir() List files and directories inside the specified path	5

Use Cases

By learning and using these PHP directory functions, user can effectively maintain and modify directories within the applications.

Using these functions we can list and organize files in a web-based file manager.
It will also help managing uploads and media directories.
And lastly we can create and manage directories for storing backup files.

NOTE − For more functions related to file system, check File System Functions

php_function_reference.htm

Print Page