DirectoryInfo Class

Definition

Namespace:

System.IO

Assembly:

System.Runtime.dll

Source:

DirectoryInfo.cs

Exposes instance methods for creating, moving, and enumerating through directories and subdirectories. This class cannot be inherited.

public ref class DirectoryInfo sealed : System::IO::FileSystemInfo

public sealed class DirectoryInfo : System.IO.FileSystemInfo

type DirectoryInfo = class
    inherit FileSystemInfo

Public NotInheritable Class DirectoryInfo
Inherits FileSystemInfo

Inheritance

Object

MarshalByRefObject

FileSystemInfo

DirectoryInfo

Examples

The following example demonstrates some of the main members of the DirectoryInfo class.

using namespace System;
using namespace System::IO;
int main()
{
   
   // Specify the directories you want to manipulate.
   DirectoryInfo^ di = gcnew DirectoryInfo( "c:\\MyDir" );
   try
   {
      
      // Determine whether the directory exists.
      if ( di->Exists )
      {
         
         // Indicate that the directory already exists.
         Console::WriteLine( "That path exists already." );
         return 0;
      }
      
      // Try to create the directory.
      di->Create();
      Console::WriteLine( "The directory was created successfully." );
      
      // Delete the directory.
      di->Delete();
      Console::WriteLine( "The directory was deleted successfully." );
   }
   catch ( Exception^ e ) 
   {
      Console::WriteLine( "The process failed: {0}", e );
   }

}

using System;
using System.IO;

class Test
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        // Specify the directories you want to manipulate.
        DirectoryInfo di = new DirectoryInfo(@"c:\MyDir");
        try
        {
            // Determine whether the directory exists.
            if (di.Exists)
            {
                // Indicate that the directory already exists.
                Console.WriteLine("That path exists already.");
                return;
            }

            // Try to create the directory.
            di.Create();
            Console.WriteLine("The directory was created successfully.");

            // Delete the directory.
            di.Delete();
            Console.WriteLine("The directory was deleted successfully.");
        }
        catch (Exception e)
        {
            Console.WriteLine("The process failed: {0}", e.ToString());
        }
        finally {}
    }
}

open System.IO

// Specify the directories you want to manipulate.
let di = DirectoryInfo @"c:\MyDir"
try
    // Determine whether the directory exists.
    if di.Exists then
        // Indicate that the directory already exists.
        printfn "That path exists already."
    else
        // Try to create the directory.
        di.Create()
        printfn "The directory was created successfully."

        // Delete the directory.
        di.Delete()
        printfn "The directory was deleted successfully."
with e ->
    printfn $"The process failed: {e}"

Imports System.IO

Public Class Test
    Public Shared Sub Main()
        ' Specify the directories you want to manipulate.
        Dim di As DirectoryInfo = New DirectoryInfo("c:\MyDir")
        Try
            ' Determine whether the directory exists.
            If di.Exists Then
                ' Indicate that it already exists.
                Console.WriteLine("That path exists already.")
                Return
            End If

            ' Try to create the directory.
            di.Create()
            Console.WriteLine("The directory was created successfully.")

            ' Delete the directory.
            di.Delete()
            Console.WriteLine("The directory was deleted successfully.")

        Catch e As Exception
            Console.WriteLine("The process failed: {0}", e.ToString())
        End Try
    End Sub
End Class

The following example demonstrates how to copy a directory and its contents.

using System;
using System.IO;

class CopyDir
{
    public static void CopyAll(DirectoryInfo source, DirectoryInfo target)
    {
        if (source.FullName.ToLower() == target.FullName.ToLower())
        {
            return;
        }

        // Check if the target directory exists, if not, create it.
        if (Directory.Exists(target.FullName) == false)
        {
            Directory.CreateDirectory(target.FullName);
        }

        // Copy each file into it's new directory.
        foreach (FileInfo fi in source.GetFiles())
        {
            Console.WriteLine(@"Copying {0}\{1}", target.FullName, fi.Name);
            fi.CopyTo(Path.Combine(target.ToString(), fi.Name), true);
        }

        // Copy each subdirectory using recursion.
        foreach (DirectoryInfo diSourceSubDir in source.GetDirectories())
        {
            DirectoryInfo nextTargetSubDir =
                target.CreateSubdirectory(diSourceSubDir.Name);
            CopyAll(diSourceSubDir, nextTargetSubDir);
        }
    }

    public static void Main()
    {
        string sourceDirectory = @"c:\sourceDirectory";
        string targetDirectory = @"c:\targetDirectory";

        DirectoryInfo diSource = new DirectoryInfo(sourceDirectory);
        DirectoryInfo diTarget = new DirectoryInfo(targetDirectory);

        CopyAll(diSource, diTarget);
    }

    // Output will vary based on the contents of the source directory.
}

open System.IO

let rec copyAll (source: DirectoryInfo) (target: DirectoryInfo) =
    if source.FullName.ToLower() <> target.FullName.ToLower() then
        // Check if the target directory exists, if not, create it.
        if not (Directory.Exists target.FullName) then
            Directory.CreateDirectory target.FullName |> ignore

        // Copy each file into it's new directory.
        for fi in source.GetFiles() do
            printfn $@"Copying {target.FullName}\{fi.Name}"
            fi.CopyTo(Path.Combine(string target, fi.Name), true) |> ignore

        // Copy each subdirectory using recursion.
        for diSourceSubDir in source.GetDirectories() do
            target.CreateSubdirectory diSourceSubDir.Name
            |> copyAll diSourceSubDir

let sourceDirectory = @"c:\sourceDirectory"
let targetDirectory = @"c:\targetDirectory"

let diSource = DirectoryInfo sourceDirectory
let diTarget = DirectoryInfo targetDirectory

copyAll diSource diTarget

// Output will vary based on the contents of the source directory.

Imports System.IO

Class CopyDir
    Shared Sub CopyAll(ByVal source As DirectoryInfo, ByVal target As DirectoryInfo)
        If (source.FullName.ToLower() = target.FullName.ToLower()) Then
            Return
        End If

        ' Check if the target directory exists, if not, create it.
        If Directory.Exists(target.FullName) = False Then
            Directory.CreateDirectory(target.FullName)
        End If

        ' Copy each file into it's new directory.
        For Each fi As FileInfo In source.GetFiles()
            Console.WriteLine("Copying {0}\{1}", target.FullName, fi.Name)
            fi.CopyTo(Path.Combine(target.ToString(), fi.Name), True)
        Next

        ' Copy each subdirectory using recursion.
        For Each diSourceSubDir As DirectoryInfo In source.GetDirectories()
            Dim nextTargetSubDir As DirectoryInfo = target.CreateSubdirectory(diSourceSubDir.Name)
            CopyAll(diSourceSubDir, nextTargetSubDir)
        Next
    End Sub

    Shared Sub Main()
        Dim sourceDirectory As String = "c:\\sourceDirectory"
        Dim targetDirectory As String = "c:\\targetDirectory"

        Dim diSource As DirectoryInfo = New DirectoryInfo(sourceDirectory)
        Dim diTarget As DirectoryInfo = New DirectoryInfo(targetDirectory)

        CopyAll(diSource, diTarget)
    End Sub
    ' Output will vary based on the contents of the source directory.
End Class

Remarks

Use the DirectoryInfo class for typical operations such as copying, moving, renaming, creating, and deleting directories.

If you are going to reuse an object several times, consider using the instance method of DirectoryInfo instead of the corresponding static methods of the Directory class, because a security check will not always be necessary.

Note

In members that accept a path as an input string, that path must be well-formed or an exception is raised. For example, if a path is fully qualified but begins with a space, the path is not trimmed in methods of the class. Therefore, the path is malformed and an exception is raised. Similarly, a path or a combination of paths cannot be fully qualified twice. For example, "c:\temp c:\windows" also raises an exception in most cases. Ensure that your paths are well-formed when using methods that accept a path string.

In members that accept a path, the path can refer to a file or just a directory. The specified path can also refer to a relative path or a Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path for a server and share name. For example, all the following are acceptable paths:

• "c:\\MyDir\\MyFile.txt" in C#, or "c:\MyDir\MyFile.txt" in Visual Basic.

• "c:\\MyDir" in C#, or "c:\MyDir" in Visual Basic.

• "MyDir\\MySubdir" in C#, or "MyDir\MySubDir" in Visual Basic.

• "\\\\MyServer\\MyShare" in C#, or "\\MyServer\MyShare" in Visual Basic.

By default, full read/write access to new directories is granted to all users.

For a list of common I/O tasks, see Common I/O Tasks.

Constructors

DirectoryInfo(String)

Initializes a new instance of the DirectoryInfo class on the specified path.

Fields

FullPath	Represents the fully qualified path of the directory or file. (Inherited from FileSystemInfo)
OriginalPath	The path originally specified by the user, whether relative or absolute. (Inherited from FileSystemInfo)

Properties

Attributes	Gets or sets the attributes for the current file or directory. (Inherited from FileSystemInfo)
CreationTime	Gets or sets the creation time of the current file or directory. (Inherited from FileSystemInfo)
CreationTimeUtc	Gets or sets the creation time, in coordinated universal time (UTC), of the current file or directory. (Inherited from FileSystemInfo)
Exists	Gets a value indicating whether the directory exists.
Extension	Gets the extension part of the file name, including the leading dot . even if it is the entire file name, or an empty string if no extension is present. (Inherited from FileSystemInfo)
FullName	Gets the full path of the directory or file. (Inherited from FileSystemInfo)
LastAccessTime	Gets or sets the time the current file or directory was last accessed. (Inherited from FileSystemInfo)
LastAccessTimeUtc	Gets or sets the time, in coordinated universal time (UTC), that the current file or directory was last accessed. (Inherited from FileSystemInfo)
LastWriteTime	Gets or sets the time when the current file or directory was last written to. (Inherited from FileSystemInfo)
LastWriteTimeUtc	Gets or sets the time, in coordinated universal time (UTC), when the current file or directory was last written to. (Inherited from FileSystemInfo)
LinkTarget	Gets the target path of the link located in FullName, or null if this FileSystemInfo instance doesn't represent a link. (Inherited from FileSystemInfo)
Name	Gets the name of this DirectoryInfo instance.
Parent	Gets the parent directory of a specified subdirectory.
Root	Gets the root portion of the directory.
UnixFileMode	Gets or sets the Unix file mode for the current file or directory. (Inherited from FileSystemInfo)

Methods

Create()	Creates a directory.
CreateAsSymbolicLink(String)	Creates a symbolic link located in FullName that points to the specified pathToTarget. (Inherited from FileSystemInfo)
CreateObjRef(Type)	Creates an object that contains all the relevant information required to generate a proxy used to communicate with a remote object. (Inherited from MarshalByRefObject)
CreateSubdirectory(String)	Creates a subdirectory or subdirectories on the specified path. The specified path can be relative to this instance of the DirectoryInfo class.
Delete()	Deletes this DirectoryInfo if it is empty.
Delete(Boolean)	Deletes this instance of a DirectoryInfo, specifying whether to delete subdirectories and files.
EnumerateDirectories()	Returns an enumerable collection of directory information in the current directory.
EnumerateDirectories(String)	Returns an enumerable collection of directory information that matches a specified search pattern.
EnumerateDirectories(String, EnumerationOptions)	Returns an enumerable collection of directory information that matches the specified search pattern and enumeration options.
EnumerateDirectories(String, SearchOption)	Returns an enumerable collection of directory information that matches a specified search pattern and search subdirectory option.
EnumerateFiles()	Returns an enumerable collection of file information in the current directory.
EnumerateFiles(String)	Returns an enumerable collection of file information that matches a search pattern.
EnumerateFiles(String, EnumerationOptions)	Returns an enumerable collection of file information that matches the specified search pattern and enumeration options.
EnumerateFiles(String, SearchOption)	Returns an enumerable collection of file information that matches a specified search pattern and search subdirectory option.
EnumerateFileSystemInfos()	Returns an enumerable collection of file system information in the current directory.
EnumerateFileSystemInfos(String)	Returns an enumerable collection of file system information that matches a specified search pattern.
EnumerateFileSystemInfos(String, EnumerationOptions)	Returns an enumerable collection of file system information that matches the specified search pattern and enumeration options.
EnumerateFileSystemInfos(String, SearchOption)	Returns an enumerable collection of file system information that matches a specified search pattern and search subdirectory option.
Equals(Object)	Determines whether the specified object is equal to the current object. (Inherited from Object)
GetDirectories()	Returns the subdirectories of the current directory.
GetDirectories(String)	Returns an array of directories in the current DirectoryInfo matching the given search criteria.
GetDirectories(String, EnumerationOptions)	Returns an array of directories in the current DirectoryInfo matching the specified search pattern and enumeration options.
GetDirectories(String, SearchOption)	Returns an array of directories in the current DirectoryInfo matching the given search criteria and using a value to determine whether to search subdirectories.
GetFiles()	Returns a file list from the current directory.
GetFiles(String)	Returns a file list from the current directory matching the given search pattern.
GetFiles(String, EnumerationOptions)	Returns a file list from the current directory matching the specified search pattern and enumeration options.
GetFiles(String, SearchOption)	Returns a file list from the current directory matching the given search pattern and using a value to determine whether to search subdirectories.
GetFileSystemInfos()	Returns an array of strongly typed FileSystemInfo entries representing all the files and subdirectories in a directory.
GetFileSystemInfos(String)	Retrieves an array of strongly typed FileSystemInfo objects representing the files and subdirectories that match the specified search criteria.
GetFileSystemInfos(String, EnumerationOptions)	Retrieves an array of strongly typed FileSystemInfo objects representing the files and subdirectories that match the specified search pattern and enumeration options.
GetFileSystemInfos(String, SearchOption)	Retrieves an array of FileSystemInfo objects that represent the files and subdirectories matching the specified search criteria.
GetHashCode()	Serves as the default hash function. (Inherited from Object)
GetLifetimeService()	Obsolete. Retrieves the current lifetime service object that controls the lifetime policy for this instance. (Inherited from MarshalByRefObject)
GetObjectData(SerializationInfo, StreamingContext)	Obsolete. Sets the SerializationInfo object with the file name and additional exception information. (Inherited from FileSystemInfo)
GetType()	Gets the Type of the current instance. (Inherited from Object)
InitializeLifetimeService()	Obsolete. Obtains a lifetime service object to control the lifetime policy for this instance. (Inherited from MarshalByRefObject)
MemberwiseClone()	Creates a shallow copy of the current Object. (Inherited from Object)
MemberwiseClone(Boolean)	Creates a shallow copy of the current MarshalByRefObject object. (Inherited from MarshalByRefObject)
MoveTo(String)	Moves a DirectoryInfo instance and its contents to a new path.
Refresh()	Refreshes the state of the object. (Inherited from FileSystemInfo)
ResolveLinkTarget(Boolean)	Gets the target of the specified link. (Inherited from FileSystemInfo)
ToString()	Returns the original path that was passed to the DirectoryInfo constructor. Use the FullName or Name properties for the full path or file/directory name instead of this method.

Extension Methods

Create(DirectoryInfo, DirectorySecurity)	Creates a new directory, ensuring it is created with the specified directory security. If the directory already exists, nothing is done.
GetAccessControl(DirectoryInfo)	Returns the security information of a directory.
GetAccessControl(DirectoryInfo, AccessControlSections)	Returns the security information of a directory.
SetAccessControl(DirectoryInfo, DirectorySecurity)	Changes the security attributes of an existing directory.

See also

• File
• Attributes
• FileSystemWatcher
• Directory
• Path
• File and Stream I/O
• How to: Read Text from a File
• How to: Write Text to a File
• How to: Read and Write to a Newly Created Data File