usr/man/cat1/rmdir.0



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


N\bNA\bAM\bME\bE
     rmdir, rm  - remove (unlink) directories or files

S\bSY\bYN\bNO\bOP\bPS\bSI\bIS\bS
     r\brm\bmd\bdi\bir\br dir ...

     r\brm\bm [ -\b-f\bf ] [ -\b-r\br ] [ -\b-i\bi ] [ -\b- ] file ...

D\bDE\bES\bSC\bCR\bRI\bIP\bPT\bTI\bIO\bON\bN
     _\bR_\bm_\bd_\bi_\br removes entries for the named directories, which must
     be empty.

     _\bR_\bm removes the entries for one or more files from a direc-
     tory.  If an entry was the last link to the file, the file
     is destroyed.  Removal of a file requires write permission
     in its directory, but neither read nor write permission on
     the file itself.

     If a file has no write permission and the standard input is
     a terminal, its permissions are printed and a line is read
     from the standard input.  If that line begins with `y' the
     file is deleted, otherwise the file remains.  No questions
     are asked and no errors are reported when the -\b-f\bf (force)
     option is given.

     If a designated file is a directory, an error comment is
     printed unless the optional argument -\b-r\br has been used.  In
     that case, _\br_\bm recursively deletes the entire contents of the
     specified directory, and the directory itself.

     If the -\b-i\bi (interactive) option is in effect, _\br_\bm asks whether
     to delete each file, and, under -\b-r\br, whether to examine each
     directory.

     The null option -\b- indicates that all the arguments following
     it are to be treated as file names.  This allows the specif-
     ication of file names starting with a minus.

S\bSE\bEE\bE A\bAL\bLS\bSO\bO
     rm(1), unlink(2), rmdir(2)


Printed 7/9/88           April 29, 1985                         1