directory handling functions php

PHP directory handling

PHP provides directory functions for opening folders, reading entries, checking paths, creating directories and removing empty directories. Start with the simplest operation you need, and validate every path before using it.

$dir = __DIR__ . '/uploads';
if (is_dir($dir)) {
    foreach (scandir($dir) as $entry) {
        if ($entry !== '.' && $entry !== '..') {
            echo htmlspecialchars($entry) . '<br>';
        }
    }
}

The examples below show additional variations and practical file-handling cases.

Functions	Description
scandir	List of All files and directories present inside a directory
getcwd	Get Current working directory details
chdir	Change the current directory to a new directory

opendir():

Open the directory handle, returns False on failure.

readdir():

Read entry from directory handle.

closedir():

Close directory handle

Listing files and directories inside a directory

dirname(): get the parent path

dirname() returns the parent portion of a path string. It does not check whether that path exists.

$var='https://www.plus2net.com/sql_tutorial/math.php';
echo dirname($var);

Output is here

https://www.plus2net.com/sql_tutorial

is_dir(): check whether a path is a directory

is_dir() returns true only when the supplied path exists and is a directory.

$var='test_dir';
if(is_dir($var)){
echo "This is a directory : $var ";
}else{
echo "This is NOT a directory : $var ";
}

PHP File handling

Subhendu Mohapatra

Author & Instructor at plus2net

I write and maintain practical tutorials on Python, PHP, SQL, JavaScript, HTML, jQuery, and web development at plus2net. The tutorials focus on clear explanations, working examples, and code that readers can test and adapt while learning.

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PHP directory functions

PHP directory handling

dirname(): get the parent path

is_dir(): check whether a path is a directory

Subhendu Mohapatra