Node.js fs-extra emptyDirSync() Function

The emptyDirSync() function is the synchronous version of the emptyDir() function. The function ensures that the given directory is empty. If the directory is not empty, it will delete all the content present in that directory. The directory itself is not deleted. If the directory does not exist, it will be created by the function itself.

Syntax:

fs.emptyDirSync(dir)
// OR
fs.emptydirSync(dir)

Parameters: This function accepts the following parameter:

• dir: It is a string that contains the path of the directory.

Return value: The function does not return anything.

Follow the steps to implement the function:

Step 1: The module can be installed by using the following command:

npm install fs-extra

Step 2: After the installation of the module you can check the version of the installed module by using this command:

npm ls fs-extra

Step 3: Create a file with the name index.js and require the fs-extra module in the file using the following command:

const fs = require('fs-extra');

Step 4: To run the file write the following command in the terminal:

node index.js

Project Structure: The project structure will look like this.

Example 1:

Filename: index.js

Javascript

// Requiring module
const fs = require("fs-extra");

// Function to calculate number of files in directory
const numberOfFiles = (dir) => {
    const noOfFiles = fs.readdirSync(dir);
    return noOfFiles.length;
};

// Directory path
// This directory have 2 files in it
let dir = "dir";

// Number of files before calling the function
let before = numberOfFiles(dir);
console.log(
    `Number of files in directory before calling the function: ${before}`
);

// Function call
fs.emptyDirSync(dir);

// Number of files after calling the function
const after = numberOfFiles(dir);
console.log(`Number of files in directory after` +
    ` calling the function: ${after}`);
console.log("Directory is empty now");

Run the index.js file using the following command:

node index.js

Output:

Number of files in directory before calling the function: 2
Number of files in directory after calling the function: 0
Directory is empty now

Example 2:

Filename: index.js

Javascript

// Requiring module
const fs = require("fs-extra");

// Function to calculate number of files in directory
let numberOfFiles = (dir) => {
    let noOfFiles = fs.readdirSync(dir);
    return noOfFiles.length;
};

// Directory path
// This directory has only 1 file
const dir = "dir/direc";

// Number of files before calling the function
const before = numberOfFiles(dir);
console.log(
    `Number of files in directory before calling the function: ${before}`
);

// Function call
fs.emptyDirSync(dir);

// Number of files after calling the function
const after = numberOfFiles(dir);
console.log(`Number of files in directory after` +
    ` calling the function: ${after}`);
console.log("Directory is empty now");

Run the index.js file using the following command:

node index.js

Output:

Number of files in directory before calling the function: 1
Number of files in directory after calling the function: 0
Directory is empty now

Reference: https://github.com/jprichardson/node-fs-extra/blob/HEAD/docs/emptyDir-sync.md