Go list directory

last modified April 11, 2024

In this article we show how to work with directories in Golang. We create directories, delete them, rename them, and list their contents.

Directory definition

A directory is a unit in a computer's file system for storing and locating files. Directories are hierarchically organized into a tree. Directories have parent-child relationships. A directory is sometimes also called a folder.

We work with the os and filepath packages.

$ go version
go version go1.22.2 linux/amd64

We use Go version 1.22.2.

Go create directory with os.Mkdir

The os.Mkdir creates a new directory with the specified name and permission bits.

create_directory.go

package main

import (
    "log"
    "os"
)

func main() {

    err := os.Mkdir("tmp", 0755)

    if err != nil {
        log.Fatal(err)
    }
}

The example creates a directory named tmp. The 0755 means read and execute access for everyone and also write access for the owner of the file.

Go create multiple directories with os.MkdirAll

The MkdirAll function creates a directory, along with any necessary parents, and returns nil, or else returns an error. The permission bits are used for all directories that the function creates. If the directory already exists, MkdirAll does nothing and returns nil.

makeall.go

package main

import (
    "fmt"
    "log"
    "os"
)

func main() {

    path := "tmp/doc/new"

    err := os.MkdirAll(path, 0755)

    if err != nil {
        log.Fatal(err)
    }

    fmt.Println("directory created")
}

In the code example, we create a directory called new along with its parents.

Go get current working directory with os.Getwd

The os.Getwd returns a rooted path name corresponding to the current directory.

current_directory.go

package main

import (
    "fmt"
    "log"
    "os"
)

func main() {

    path, err := os.Getwd()

    if err != nil {
        log.Println(err)
    }

    fmt.Println(path)
}

The example prints the current working directory. It is the directory in which we launch the program.

Go check if directory exists

The IsNotExist returns a boolean value indicating whether the error is known to report that a file or directory does not exist.

check_dir_exists.go

package main

import (
    "fmt"
    "os"
)

func main() {

    path := "tmp"

    if _, err := os.Stat(path); os.IsNotExist(err) {

        os.Mkdir(path, 0755)
        fmt.Println("Directory created")
    } else {

        fmt.Println("Directory already exists")
    }
}

In the code example, we create a directory if it does not exists. If it exists, we print a message.

if _, err := os.Stat(path); os.IsNotExist(err) {

First, we use the Stat function, which returns the FileInfo structure describing file. If this function returns an error, we use the IsNotExist to determine if the error is caused by the fact that the directory already exists.

Go rename directory with os.Rename

The Rename function renames (moves) a source to a destination.

rename_directory.go

package main

import (
    "fmt"
    "log"
    "os"
)

func main() {

    oldpath := "tmp"
    newpath := "tmp2"

    err := os.Rename(oldpath, newpath)

    if err != nil {
        log.Fatal(err)
    }

    fmt.Println("directory renamed")
}

The example renames a directory tmp to tmp2.

Go delete directory with os.Remove

With the os.Remove function, we remove a single directory; the directory must be empty.

remove_single.go

package main

import (
    "log"
    "os"
)

func main() {

    err := os.Remove("tmp")

    if err != nil {
        log.Fatal(err)
    }
}

The example removes an empty tmp directory.

Go delete directory and its contents with os.RemoveAll

The RemoveAll removes the directory and its contents recursively.

remove_all.go

package main

import (
    "log"
    "os"
)

func main() {

    err := os.RemoveAll("tmp")

    if err != nil {
        log.Fatal(err)
    }
}

The example deletes the tmp directory and all its files and subdirectories.