C# Directory Class: Folder Operations

In C#, the Directory class, part of the System.IO namespace, provides methods for working with directories (folders). In this tutorial, we'll cover the most common folder operations using the Directory class.

Importing the System.IO namespace:

To use the Directory class, you need to import the System.IO namespace:

using System.IO;

Creating a directory:

To create a new directory, use the CreateDirectory() method:

string folderPath = @"C:\MyNewFolder";
Directory.CreateDirectory(folderPath);

Checking if a directory exists:

To check if a directory exists, use the Exists() method:

bool directoryExists = Directory.Exists(folderPath);

Getting a list of files and subdirectories:

To get an array of file and subdirectory names in a directory, use the GetFiles() and GetDirectories() methods:

string[] files = Directory.GetFiles(folderPath);
string[] subdirectories = Directory.GetDirectories(folderPath);

Moving a directory:

To move a directory to a new location, use the Move() method:

string sourcePath = @"C:\MyNewFolder";
string destinationPath = @"C:\MyNewFolderMoved";
Directory.Move(sourcePath, destinationPath);

Deleting a directory:

To delete a directory, use the Delete() method. Note that by default, this method throws an exception if the directory is not empty. To delete a non-empty directory, pass true as the second parameter:

string folderToDelete = @"C:\MyNewFolderMoved";
Directory.Delete(folderToDelete, true);

Here's a complete example demonstrating folder operations using the Directory class in C#:

using System;
using System.IO;

namespace DirectoryTutorial
{
    class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            string folderPath = @"C:\MyNewFolder";

            // Creating a directory
            Console.WriteLine("Creating directory...");
            Directory.CreateDirectory(folderPath);

            // Checking if a directory exists
            bool directoryExists = Directory.Exists(folderPath);
            Console.WriteLine($"Directory exists: {directoryExists}");

            // Getting a list of files and subdirectories
            string[] files = Directory.GetFiles(folderPath);
            string[] subdirectories = Directory.GetDirectories(folderPath);
            Console.WriteLine("Files and subdirectories:");
            foreach (string file in files)
            {
                Console.WriteLine(file);
            }
            foreach (string subdir in subdirectories)
            {
                Console.WriteLine(subdir);
            }

            // Moving a directory
            Console.WriteLine("Moving directory...");
            string destinationPath = @"C:\MyNewFolderMoved";
            Directory.Move(folderPath, destinationPath);

            // Deleting a directory
            Console.WriteLine("Deleting directory...");
            Directory.Delete(destinationPath, true);

            // Verifying the directory was deleted
            bool directoryDeleted = !Directory.Exists(destinationPath);
            Console.WriteLine($"Directory deleted: {directoryDeleted}");
        }
    }
}

This example demonstrates how to perform common folder operations using the Directory class in C#.

C# Directory class example:

Description: The Directory class in C# provides static methods for working with directories (folders) in the file system.

Code:

using System;
using System.IO;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        // Example using Directory class
        string directoryPath = @"C:\ExampleDirectory";

        if (Directory.Exists(directoryPath))
        {
            Console.WriteLine("Directory exists!");
        }
        else
        {
            Console.WriteLine("Directory does not exist.");
        }
    }
}

Creating a directory in C#:
- Description: The Directory.CreateDirectory method is used to create a new directory.
- Code:
```
string newDirectoryPath = @"C:\NewDirectory";
Directory.CreateDirectory(newDirectoryPath);
```

Checking if a directory exists in C#:

Description: The Directory.Exists method is used to check if a directory exists.

Code:

string directoryPath = @"C:\ExistingDirectory";
if (Directory.Exists(directoryPath))
{
    Console.WriteLine("Directory exists!");
}

Listing files in a directory with C# Directory class:

Description: The Directory.GetFiles method is used to retrieve an array of file names in a directory.

Code:

string directoryPath = @"C:\SomeDirectory";
string[] files = Directory.GetFiles(directoryPath);
foreach (string file in files)
{
    Console.WriteLine(file);
}

Deleting a directory in C#:
- Description: The Directory.Delete method is used to delete a directory.
- Code:
```
string directoryToDelete = @"C:\DirectoryToDelete";
Directory.Delete(directoryToDelete);
```

C# Directory class for moving folders:

Description: The Directory.Move method allows you to move a directory to a new location.

Code:

string sourceDirectory = @"C:\SourceDirectory";
string destinationDirectory = @"D:\DestinationDirectory";
Directory.Move(sourceDirectory, destinationDirectory);

Getting directory information in C#:

Description: The DirectoryInfo class provides more detailed information about a directory.

Code:

string directoryPath = @"C:\SomeDirectory";
DirectoryInfo directoryInfo = new DirectoryInfo(directoryPath);

Console.WriteLine($"Directory Name: {directoryInfo.Name}");
Console.WriteLine($"Creation Time: {directoryInfo.CreationTime}");

Renaming a directory in C#:
- Description: The Directory.Move method can be used to rename a directory by moving it to a new location with a different name.
- Code:
```
string oldDirectoryName = @"C:\OldName";
string newDirectoryName = @"C:\NewName";
Directory.Move(oldDirectoryName, newDirectoryName);
```