Name
FileSystemObject.DeleteFile Method
Syntax
oFileSysObj
.DeleteFileFileSpec
[,Force
]
oFileSysObj
Use: Required
Data Type: FileSystemObject object
A FileSystemObject object.
FileSpec
Use: Required
Data Type: String
The name and path of the file or files to delete.
Force
Use: Optional
Data Type: Boolean
If set to
True
, the read-only flag on a file is ignored and the file deleted. Its default value isFalse
; read-only files will not be deleted.
Description
Permanently removes a given file or files.
Rules at a Glance
FileSpec
can contain wildcard characters as the final path component, which allows multiple files to be deleted.FileSpec
can be a relative or absolute path.If any of the files specified for deletion are open, the method fails with a “Permission Denied” error.
If the specified file or files can’t be found, the method fails.
If only a filename is used in
FileSpec
, the application’s current drive and directory is assumed.
Programming Tips and Gotchas
If
FileSpec
specifies a path not ending in a path separator, the method will fail without generating an error. IfFileSpec
specifies a path that ends in a path separator, the method fails and generates runtime error 53, “File not found.”The DeleteFile method differs from the Delete method of the File object in several respects. First, it allows you to delete a file directly, without first obtaining an object reference to it. Second, by supporting wildcards, it allows you to delete multiple files at once.
If an error occurs while deleting more ...
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