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  4. can not delete a file

can not delete a file

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  • G George_George

    Hello everyone, I am using the following program to delete all files in a specified directory. But when running, no files could be deleted, and the related error information is, failed with error 5 -- access denied. Anything wrong with the program? remove_non_empty_directory ("c:\\temp\\non_empty_dir\\*"); // ErrorExit implementation from MSDN // http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms680582.aspx int remove_non_empty_directory (const char* path) { WIN32_FIND_DATA FindFileData; HANDLE hFind; int rtn; hFind = FindFirstFile(path, &FindFileData); if (hFind == INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE) { FindClose(hFind); return -1; } else { // delete 1st file rtn = DeleteFile(&(FindFileData.cFileName)); if (0 == rtn) { ErrorExit (NULL); } // List all the other files in the directory and delete all files while (FindNextFile(hFind, &FindFileData) != 0) { rtn = DeleteFile(&(FindFileData.cFileName)); } FindClose(hFind); } return 0; } thanks in advance, George

    G Offline
    G Offline
    gvisgr8
    wrote on last edited by
    #12

    Are you sure that those files are not read only. As once i wasalso facing the same problem but after checking out read only attribute. it was working fine...

    Who am I? Do you know me....:omg:

    G 1 Reply Last reply
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    • G George_George

      Hello everyone, I am using the following program to delete all files in a specified directory. But when running, no files could be deleted, and the related error information is, failed with error 5 -- access denied. Anything wrong with the program? remove_non_empty_directory ("c:\\temp\\non_empty_dir\\*"); // ErrorExit implementation from MSDN // http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms680582.aspx int remove_non_empty_directory (const char* path) { WIN32_FIND_DATA FindFileData; HANDLE hFind; int rtn; hFind = FindFirstFile(path, &FindFileData); if (hFind == INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE) { FindClose(hFind); return -1; } else { // delete 1st file rtn = DeleteFile(&(FindFileData.cFileName)); if (0 == rtn) { ErrorExit (NULL); } // List all the other files in the directory and delete all files while (FindNextFile(hFind, &FindFileData) != 0) { rtn = DeleteFile(&(FindFileData.cFileName)); } FindClose(hFind); } return 0; } thanks in advance, George

      B Offline
      B Offline
      Bryster
      wrote on last edited by
      #13

      Hi I was just looking at your problem and why not try someting completely different. You could create a batch file which deletes the files within a folder. 1. Create a new text file for writing to (say on your c:\) with the extension of ".BAT" 2. Write to that file the path of the directory you want to delete, fprintf(cfile,"del %s\*.*",pathname) 3. Close the file 4. Using the SPOOL command run the file. Just a quick solution to your problem. Bry.:-D

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      • G George_George

        Thanks Jonathan, I have tried and slightly modified your program to make it compile. :-) Now the error condition is, error number 2 -- system can not find specified file. I am confused since the file actually exists. I need to using absolute path other than relative path to delete the file? int remove_non_empty_directory(const char* path) { WIN32_FIND_DATA FindFileData; int rtn; HANDLE hFind = FindFirstFile(path, &FindFileData); int bDelete = 0; if (hFind == INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE) { FindClose(hFind); return -1; } else { if((_tcscmp((LPCSTR)FindFileData.cFileName, "..") == 0) || (_tcscmp((LPCSTR)FindFileData.cFileName, ".") == 0)) { bDelete = 0; } if(bDelete) // delete 1st file { rtn = DeleteFile((LPCSTR)FindFileData.cFileName); // .... original error handling code } // List all the other files in the directory and delete all file while (FindNextFile(hFind, &FindFileData) != 0) { bDelete = 1; if((_tcscmp((LPCSTR)FindFileData.cFileName, "..") == 0) || (_tcscmp((LPCSTR)FindFileData.cFileName, ".") == 0)) { bDelete = 0; } if(bDelete) { rtn = DeleteFile((LPCSTR)FindFileData.cFileName); if (0 == rtn) { ErrorExit (NULL); } } } FindClose(hFind); } return 0; } regards, George

        J Offline
        J Offline
        Jonathan Darka
        wrote on last edited by
        #14

        George_George wrote:

        I have tried and slightly modified your program to make it compile.

        :-)

        George_George wrote:

        I need to using absolute path other than relative path to delete the file?

        Yes, in this case you should. regards,

        Jonathan Wilkes Darka[Xanya.net]

        G 1 Reply Last reply
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        • D Don Box

          Hello George_George, I'll tell u the exact problem u r having and how to rectify it. Your Code:------------------------------------------------- int remove_non_empty_directory (const char* path) { WIN32_FIND_DATA FindFileData; HANDLE hFind; int rtn; hFind = FindFirstFile(path, &FindFileData); if (hFind == INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE) { FindClose(hFind); return -1; } else { // delete 1st file rtn = DeleteFile(&(FindFileData.cFileName)); `` if (0 == rtn) { ErrorExit (NULL); } // List all the other files in the directory and delete all files while (FindNextFile(hFind, &FindFileData) != 0) { rtn = DeleteFile(&(FindFileData.cFileName)); `} FindClose(hFind); }` `` ---------------------------------------------------------- The problem lies in the highlighted lines. FindFileData.cFileName contains only the FILE NAME, NOT PATH. So the problem. Rectify it by replacing the highlighted lines by DeleteFile(path);

          Come online at:- jubinc@skype

          J Offline
          J Offline
          Jonathan Darka
          wrote on last edited by
          #15

          Don Box wrote:

          Rectify it by replacing the highlighted lines by DeleteFile(path);

          That won't work as he is most likely passing in just a folder name, or a folder name with a wildcard attached. He should take the original path (excluding wildcard) and then add the filename from FindFileData.cFileName and then Delete that. regards,

          Jonathan Wilkes Darka[Xanya.net]

          G 1 Reply Last reply
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          • J Jonathan Darka

            which line is producing error 2, and what is the value of FindFileData.cFileName at that point ?

            Jonathan Wilkes Darka[Xanya.net]

            G Offline
            G Offline
            George_George
            wrote on last edited by
            #16

            Relative file name. regards, George

            1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • J Jonathan Darka

              George_George wrote:

              I have tried and slightly modified your program to make it compile.

              :-)

              George_George wrote:

              I need to using absolute path other than relative path to delete the file?

              Yes, in this case you should. regards,

              Jonathan Wilkes Darka[Xanya.net]

              G Offline
              G Offline
              George_George
              wrote on last edited by
              #17

              Thanks Jonathan, I have tried that if I am using absolute path, it works! regards, George

              1 Reply Last reply
              0
              • J Jonathan Darka

                George_George wrote:

                Any further debug ideas?

                See my last post regarding '.' and '..'

                Jonathan Wilkes Darka[Xanya.net]

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                G Offline
                George_George
                wrote on last edited by
                #18

                Yes, they are the key points. regards, George

                1 Reply Last reply
                0
                • S SandipG

                  I think it happens because FindFile Handle i.e. hFind is open. I have faced similar issue with CFileFind.Try to delete after you close the handle.

                  G Offline
                  G Offline
                  George_George
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #19

                  Hi SandipG, I have tried that it does not matter. regards, George

                  1 Reply Last reply
                  0
                  • D Don Box

                    Hello George_George, I'll tell u the exact problem u r having and how to rectify it. Your Code:------------------------------------------------- int remove_non_empty_directory (const char* path) { WIN32_FIND_DATA FindFileData; HANDLE hFind; int rtn; hFind = FindFirstFile(path, &FindFileData); if (hFind == INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE) { FindClose(hFind); return -1; } else { // delete 1st file rtn = DeleteFile(&(FindFileData.cFileName)); `` if (0 == rtn) { ErrorExit (NULL); } // List all the other files in the directory and delete all files while (FindNextFile(hFind, &FindFileData) != 0) { rtn = DeleteFile(&(FindFileData.cFileName)); `} FindClose(hFind); }` `` ---------------------------------------------------------- The problem lies in the highlighted lines. FindFileData.cFileName contains only the FILE NAME, NOT PATH. So the problem. Rectify it by replacing the highlighted lines by DeleteFile(path);

                    Come online at:- jubinc@skype

                    G Offline
                    G Offline
                    George_George
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #20

                    Thanks Don! It works! Cool! regards, George

                    1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • J Jonathan Darka

                      Don Box wrote:

                      Rectify it by replacing the highlighted lines by DeleteFile(path);

                      That won't work as he is most likely passing in just a folder name, or a folder name with a wildcard attached. He should take the original path (excluding wildcard) and then add the filename from FindFileData.cFileName and then Delete that. regards,

                      Jonathan Wilkes Darka[Xanya.net]

                      G Offline
                      G Offline
                      George_George
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #21

                      You are always right, Jonathan! regards, George

                      J 1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • G gvisgr8

                        Are you sure that those files are not read only. As once i wasalso facing the same problem but after checking out read only attribute. it was working fine...

                        Who am I? Do you know me....:omg:

                        G Offline
                        G Offline
                        George_George
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #22

                        Sure, gvisgr8. I have enough privilege. regards, George

                        D 1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • B Bryster

                          Hi I was just looking at your problem and why not try someting completely different. You could create a batch file which deletes the files within a folder. 1. Create a new text file for writing to (say on your c:\) with the extension of ".BAT" 2. Write to that file the path of the directory you want to delete, fprintf(cfile,"del %s\*.*",pathname) 3. Close the file 4. Using the SPOOL command run the file. Just a quick solution to your problem. Bry.:-D

                          G Offline
                          G Offline
                          George_George
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #23

                          Thanks Bryster, I need to implement through Windows API to be more efficient. :-) regards, George

                          1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • G George_George

                            You are always right, Jonathan! regards, George

                            J Offline
                            J Offline
                            Jonathan Darka
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #24

                            George_George wrote:

                            You are always right, Jonathan!

                            Only most of the time ;-) best wishes,

                            Jonathan Wilkes Darka[Xanya.net]

                            1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • G George_George

                              Hello everyone, I am using the following program to delete all files in a specified directory. But when running, no files could be deleted, and the related error information is, failed with error 5 -- access denied. Anything wrong with the program? remove_non_empty_directory ("c:\\temp\\non_empty_dir\\*"); // ErrorExit implementation from MSDN // http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms680582.aspx int remove_non_empty_directory (const char* path) { WIN32_FIND_DATA FindFileData; HANDLE hFind; int rtn; hFind = FindFirstFile(path, &FindFileData); if (hFind == INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE) { FindClose(hFind); return -1; } else { // delete 1st file rtn = DeleteFile(&(FindFileData.cFileName)); if (0 == rtn) { ErrorExit (NULL); } // List all the other files in the directory and delete all files while (FindNextFile(hFind, &FindFileData) != 0) { rtn = DeleteFile(&(FindFileData.cFileName)); } FindClose(hFind); } return 0; } thanks in advance, George

                              D Offline
                              D Offline
                              David Crow
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #25

                              George_George wrote:

                              I am using the following program to delete all files in a specified directory.

                              Why not just use SHFileOperation()?

                              "A good athlete is the result of a good and worthy opponent." - David Crow

                              "To have a respect for ourselves guides our morals; to have deference for others governs our manners." - Laurence Sterne

                              G 1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • G George_George

                                Sure, gvisgr8. I have enough privilege. regards, George

                                D Offline
                                D Offline
                                David Crow
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #26

                                George_George wrote:

                                Sure, gvisgr8.

                                I'm not gvisgr8.

                                George_George wrote:

                                I have enough privilege.

                                I was not concerned with privileges. I was simply suggesting replacing dozens of lines of code with a single one.

                                "A good athlete is the result of a good and worthy opponent." - David Crow

                                "To have a respect for ourselves guides our morals; to have deference for others governs our manners." - Laurence Sterne

                                G 1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • D David Crow

                                  George_George wrote:

                                  I am using the following program to delete all files in a specified directory.

                                  Why not just use SHFileOperation()?

                                  "A good athlete is the result of a good and worthy opponent." - David Crow

                                  "To have a respect for ourselves guides our morals; to have deference for others governs our manners." - Laurence Sterne

                                  G Offline
                                  G Offline
                                  George_George
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #27

                                  Because I suspect on Windows Mobile it is not supported -- I need to write program for both Windows desktop and Window CE. regards, George

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  0
                                  • D David Crow

                                    George_George wrote:

                                    Sure, gvisgr8.

                                    I'm not gvisgr8.

                                    George_George wrote:

                                    I have enough privilege.

                                    I was not concerned with privileges. I was simply suggesting replacing dozens of lines of code with a single one.

                                    "A good athlete is the result of a good and worthy opponent." - David Crow

                                    "To have a respect for ourselves guides our morals; to have deference for others governs our manners." - Laurence Sterne

                                    G Offline
                                    G Offline
                                    George_George
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #28

                                    How?

                                    DavidCrow wrote:

                                    I was simply suggesting replacing dozens of lines of code with a single one.

                                    regards, George

                                    D 1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • G George_George

                                      How?

                                      DavidCrow wrote:

                                      I was simply suggesting replacing dozens of lines of code with a single one.

                                      regards, George

                                      D Offline
                                      D Offline
                                      David Crow
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #29

                                      George_George wrote:

                                      How?

                                      By using SHFileOperation() instead.

                                      "A good athlete is the result of a good and worthy opponent." - David Crow

                                      "To have a respect for ourselves guides our morals; to have deference for others governs our manners." - Laurence Sterne

                                      G 1 Reply Last reply
                                      0
                                      • D David Crow

                                        George_George wrote:

                                        How?

                                        By using SHFileOperation() instead.

                                        "A good athlete is the result of a good and worthy opponent." - David Crow

                                        "To have a respect for ourselves guides our morals; to have deference for others governs our manners." - Laurence Sterne

                                        G Offline
                                        G Offline
                                        George_George
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #30

                                        Thanks DavidCrow, This function is convenient to use, but I am not sure whether we can use it on Windows CE. regards, George

                                        1 Reply Last reply
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