xref: /freebsd/bin/rmdir/rmdir.1 (revision 3494f7c0)
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32.Dd March 15, 2013
33.Dt RMDIR 1
34.Os
35.Sh NAME
36.Nm rmdir
37.Nd remove directories
38.Sh SYNOPSIS
39.Nm
40.Op Fl pv
41.Ar directory ...
42.Sh DESCRIPTION
43The
44.Nm
45utility removes the directory entry specified by
46each
47.Ar directory
48argument, provided it is empty.
49.Pp
50Arguments are processed in the order given.
51In order to remove both a parent directory and a subdirectory
52of that parent, the subdirectory
53must be specified first so the parent directory
54is empty when
55.Nm
56tries to remove it.
57.Pp
58The following option is available:
59.Bl -tag -width indent
60.It Fl p
61Each
62.Ar directory
63argument is treated as a pathname of which all
64components will be removed, if they are empty,
65starting with the last most component.
66(See
67.Xr rm 1
68for fully non-discriminant recursive removal.)
69.It Fl v
70Be verbose, listing each directory as it is removed.
71.El
72.Sh EXIT STATUS
73The
74.Nm
75utility exits with one of the following values:
76.Bl -tag -width indent
77.It Li 0
78Each directory entry specified by a
79.Ar directory
80operand
81referred to an empty directory and was removed
82successfully.
83.It Li >0
84An error occurred.
85.El
86.Sh EXAMPLES
87Remove the directory
88.Pa foobar ,
89if it is empty:
90.Pp
91.Dl $ rmdir foobar
92.Pp
93Remove all directories up to and including
94.Pa cow ,
95stopping at the first non-empty directory (if any):
96.Pp
97.Dl $ rmdir -p cow/horse/monkey
98.Sh SEE ALSO
99.Xr rm 1
100.Sh STANDARDS
101The
102.Nm
103utility is expected to be
104.St -p1003.2
105compatible.
106.Sh HISTORY
107A
108.Nm
109command appeared in
110.At v1 .
111