How do I remove/delete a folder that is not empty?

python

file-operations

exception-handling

directory-deletion

byNikita Barsukov·Dec 29, 2024

Obliterate a non-empty directory in Python using shutil.rmtree. Here's how:

import shutil; 
shutil.rmtree('your_directory_path')  # Godzilla is unleashed!

Replace 'your_directory_path' with the actual directory path. This snippet razes the directory as well as all its contents, practically a Godzilla for your files!

When removing a folder transfixed with read-only files, you can add the ignore_errors=True parameter:

import shutil; 
shutil.rmtree('your_directory_path', ignore_errors=True)  # Godzilla doesn't care about read-only!

This will enforce deletion, even if the files in the directory are read-only, making for a more fool-proof solution.

Dealing with Permission Issues

You may encounter protected files that resist deletion. shutil.rmtree lets you override with an onerror handler:

import shutil, errno

def handle_errors(func, path, exc):
    excvalue = exc[1]
    if func in (os.rmdir, os.remove) and excvalue.errno == errno.EACCES:
        os.chmod(path, stat.S_IRWXU)  # 'You shall not pass!' 'I shall. 😎'
        func(path)
    else:
        raise

shutil.rmtree('your_directory_path', onerror=handle_errors)

This allows you to dodge Gandalf-like exceptions, leaving them no choice but to let you pass.

Surgical Directory Deletion

If you wish to filter what gets deleted, os.walk() is your scalpel. Pair it with os.rmdir() and os.remove() to perform precision operations.

import os

for root, dirs, files in os.walk('your_directory_path', topdown=False):
    for name in files:
        os.remove(os.path.join(root, name))  # 'File, you're fired!'
    for name in dirs:
        os.rmdir(os.path.join(root, name))  # 'Some of you may lose your jobs…'

Setting topdown=False ensures that you're not putting the cart before the horse by trying to remove a directory before its contents.

Exception Handling for File Operations

Trust but verify with exception handling during file ops:

import os, shutil

def safe_folder_delete(folder_path):
    try:
        shutil.rmtree(folder_path)
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"Error occurred: {e}")  # 'Ooops! Godzilla tripped...'