PHP Delete File

Syntax

unlink($file);

Example

$file = "sample.txt";
if (!unlink($file)) {
  echo ("Error deleting $file");
} else {
  echo ("Deleted $file");
}

Output

Deleted sample.txt   

Explanation

The unlink() function is used to delete a file in PHP. It accepts the location of the file as a parameter and returns TRUE on success and FALSE on failure.

In the example above, the unlink() function is used to delete a file named "sample.txt". The if-else statement is used to check whether the file was successfully deleted or not. If the file is not deleted, an error message is printed to the console.

Use

The unlink() function is primarily used to delete files in PHP.

Important Points

• The unlink() function can only delete files and not directories.
• The function returns TRUE on success and FALSE on failure.

Summary

To summarize, the unlink() function is used to delete files in PHP. It accepts the location of the file as a parameter and returns TRUE on success and FALSE on failure. The function cannot be used to delete directories.