FileSystemDirectoryEntry: removeRecursively() method
Deprecated: This feature is no longer recommended. Though some browsers might still support it, it may have already been removed from the relevant web standards, may be in the process of being dropped, or may only be kept for compatibility purposes. Avoid using it, and update existing code if possible; see the compatibility table at the bottom of this page to guide your decision. Be aware that this feature may cease to work at any time.
Non-standard: This feature is not standardized. We do not recommend using non-standard features in production, as they have limited browser support, and may change or be removed. However, they can be a suitable alternative in specific cases where no standard option exists.
The FileSystemDirectoryEntry interface's method
removeRecursively() removes
the directory as well as all of its content, hierarchically iterating over its entire
subtree of descendant files and directories.
To remove a single file, or an empty directory, you can also use
FileSystemEntry.remove().
Syntax
removeRecursively(successCallback)
removeRecursively(successCallback, errorCallback)
Parameters
successCallback-
A function to call once the directory removal process has completed. The callback has no parameters.
errorCallbackOptional-
A function to be called if an error occurs while attempting to remove the directory subtree. Receives a
DOMExceptiondescribing the error which occurred as input.
Return value
None (undefined).
Exceptions
If an error occurs and an errorCallback was specified, it gets called with
a single parameter: a DOMException object describing the error. The
DOMException.code specifies what type of error occurred, as follows:
DOMException.INVALID_MODIFICATION_ERR-
An attempt was made to remove the root directory; this is not permitted.
DOMException.NO_MODIFICATION_ALLOWED_ERR-
The file system's state doesn't permit modification.
DOMException.NOT_FOUND_ERR-
The directory represented by the
FileSystemDirectoryEntryno longer exists. DOMException.NOT_READABLE_ERR-
The directory is not accessible; perhaps it's in use by another application or is locked at the operating system level.
DOMException.SECURITY_ERR-
The directory could not be removed for security reasons. Possible reasons include:
- The directory and/or its contents may not be safe to access from a Web application.
- Too many file system calls are being made.
- Other security concerns as raised by the user agent or the operating system.
Note:
If you try to delete a directory which contains one or more files that can't be
removed, or if an error occurs while deletion of a number of files is underway, some
files may not be deleted. You should provide an errorCallback to watch
for and handle this, perhaps by trying again.
Examples
directory.removeRecursively(
() => {
/* The directory was removed successfully */
},
() => {
/* an error occurred while removing the directory */
},
);
Browser compatibility
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Legend
Tip: you can click/tap on a cell for more information.
- Full support
- Full support
- No support
- No support
- Non-standard. Check cross-browser support before using.
- Deprecated. Not for use in new websites.