How to use Unlink() function

Question

I'm trying to use PHP unlink() function to delete away the specific document in the folder. That particular folder has already been assigned to full rights to the IIS user.

Code:

$Path = './doc/stuffs/sample.docx';
if (unlink($Path)) {    
    echo "success";
} else {
    echo "fail";    
}

It keep return fail. The sample.docx does reside on that particular path. Kindly advise.

Atalanta

Have you checked if you have permission to delete files? Addiotinally, try to use an absolute path, like this: $Path = '/doc/stuffs/sample.docx' – Epifocal

yes. I can download that particular file so my path should be working. – Atalanta

If you are certain the permissions are correct, I'm guessing the path is wrong, like Marcio suggests. Have you tried checking it with file_exists() ? – Conakry

i did try var_dump(file_exists($Path)) but it gives me bool (false) :( but that particular path i set was used to download the document and it works... – Atalanta

you might want to enable error reporting to check the error. – Gauhati

Is your server running under Windows or Linux? – Epifocal

Answer 1

I found this information in the comments of the function unlink()

Under Windows System and Apache, denied access to file is an usual error to unlink file. To delete file you must to change the file's owner. An example:

chown($tempDirectory . '/' . $fileName, 666); //Insert an Invalid UserId to set to Nobody Owern; 666 is my standard for "Nobody" 
unlink($tempDirectory . '/' . $fileName); 

So try something like this:

$path = './doc/stuffs/sample.docx';

chown($path, 666);

if (unlink($path)) {
    echo 'success';
} else {
    echo 'fail';
}

EDIT 1

Try to use this in the path:

$path = '.'
         . DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR . 'doc'
         . DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR . 'stuffs'
         . DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR . 'sample.docx';

Epifocal

it doesn't works. it falls into the else statement which is fail :( – Atalanta

I did some careless mistakes on my file path by putting 1 '.' lees =.= – Atalanta

Answer 2

Try this:

$Path = './doc/stuffs/sample.docx';
if (file_exists($Path)){
    if (unlink($Path)) {   
        echo "success";
    } else {
        echo "fail";    
    }   
} else {
    echo "file does not exist";
}

If you get file does not exist, you have the wrong path. If not, it may be a permissions issue.

Camise

Hi travis. It give me file does not exist. But the path is also used to download the document and it works.... – Atalanta

./ means the path is relative to the path the script is run from. Is this script run from the same directory the script to download the file is run from? – Camise

You mentioned the path is acquired from another page with a ./ in front of it. Can you provide more code or an in depth reference to where the file path is coming from? – Camise

hi travis, the path can be parse to this form. I confirm because i can echo it out. It's the same as sample path given. – Atalanta

Answer 3

This should work once you are done with the permission issue. Also try

ini_set('display_errors', 'On');  

That will tell you whats wrong

Playsuit

try unlink($_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT']."/doc/stuffs/sample.docx"); – Playsuit

Answer 4

define("BASE_URL", DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR . "book" . DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR);
define("ROOT_PATH", $_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'] . BASE_URL);

$path = "doc/stuffs/sample.docx";

if (unlink(ROOT_PATH . $Path)) {   
  echo "success";
} else {
  echo "fail";    
}

// http://localhost/book/doc/stuffs/sample.docx
// C:/xampp/htdocs\book\doc/stuffs/sample.docx

Valtin

Answer 5

You need the full file path to the file of interest. For example: C:\doc\stuff\sample.docx. Try using __DIR__ or __FILE__ to get your relative file position so you can navigate to the file of interest.

Tablespoon

I cant do that because that particular path was parse from another web page with './' in front. – Atalanta

Are you trying to delete a file on another site's file system? – Tablespoon