How to use C# Directory Class

Directory class in CSharp exposes methods to create , delete , move etc. operations to directories and subdirectories . Because of the static nature of C# Directory class , we do not have to instantiate the class. We can call the methods in the C# Directory class directly from the Directory class itself.

How to create a directory using Directory class in C# ?

In order to create a new directory using Directory class in C# , we can call CreateDirectory method directly from Directory class.

Syntax
Directory.CreateDirectory(string DirPath)
  1. DirPath : The name of the new directory
Directory.CreateDirectory("c:\\testDir1");

How to check a directory exist or not using Directory class in C# ?

Before we creating a directory or folder , we usually check that directory or folder exist or not. In C# we are using Exists method in the Directory class.

Syntax
bool Directory.Exist(string DirPath)
  1. DirPath : The name of the directory
  2. bool : Returns true or false
Directory.Exists("c:\\testDir1")

How to move a Directory using Directory class in C# ?

If we want to move a directory and its contents from one location to another , we can use the Move method in the C# Directory class.

Syntax
void Directory.Move(string sourceDirName,string destDirName)
  1. sourceDirName : The source directory we want to move.
  2. destDirName : The destinations directory name.
Directory.Move("c:\\testDir1\\testDir2", "c:\\testDir");

How to delete a Directory using Directory class in C# ?

When we want to delete a directory we can use the Delete method in the C# Directory class.

Syntax
void Directory.Delete(string DirPath)
  1. DirPath : The Directory we want to delete.
Directory.Delete("c:\\testDir1");

The following C# source code shows some operations in Directory class

Full Source C#
using System; using System.Windows.Forms; using System.IO; namespace WindowsApplication1 { public partial class Form1 : Form { public Form1() { InitializeComponent(); } private void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e) { if (Directory.Exists("c:\\testDir1")) { //shows message if testdir1 exist MessageBox.Show ("Directory 'testDir' Exist "); } else { //create the directory testDir1 Directory.CreateDirectory("c:\\testDir1"); MessageBox.Show("testDir1 created ! "); //create the directory testDir2 Directory.CreateDirectory("c:\\testDir1\\testDir2"); MessageBox.Show("testDir2 created ! "); //move the directory testDir2 as testDir in c:\ Directory.Move("c:\\testDir1\\testDir2", "c:\\testDir"); MessageBox.Show("testDir2 moved "); //delete the directory testDir1 Directory.Delete("c:\\testDir1"); MessageBox.Show("testDir1 deleted "); } } } }