How Can I Recursively Delete Directories and Their Contents in PHP?

Deleting Directories with their Contents

When attempting to remove a directory using rmdir(), encountering an error due to existing files within is a common issue. Fortunately, there are several methods to circumvent this limitation:

Method 1: Recursive Deletion

Before deleting the target folder, remove all its files and subfolders recursively. Here's a sample implementation:

function deleteDir(string $dirPath): void {
    if (!is_dir($dirPath)) {
        throw new InvalidArgumentException("'$dirPath' must be a directory");
    }
    $dirPath .= '/';
    $files = glob($dirPath . '*', GLOB_MARK);
    foreach ($files as $file) {
        if (is_dir($file)) {
            deleteDir($file);
        } else {
            unlink($file);
        }
    }
    rmdir($dirPath);
}

Method 2: RecursiveIterator (PHP 5.2 )

Leveraging a RecursiveIterator, you can simplify the recursive deletion process:

function removeDir(string $dir): void {
    $it = new RecursiveDirectoryIterator($dir, RecursiveDirectoryIterator::SKIP_DOTS);
    $files = new RecursiveIteratorIterator($it, RecursiveIteratorIterator::CHILD_FIRST);
    foreach($files as $file) {
        if ($file->isDir()){
            rmdir($file->getPathname());
        } else {
            unlink($file->getPathname());
        }
    }
    rmdir($dir);
}

By employing these methods, you can effectively delete directories along with their embedded files.

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