Windows SDK File System: How to delete a directory and subdirectories?

[cilu]

Q: How to delete a directory and its subdirectories using the Shell API?

A: You can use 'SHFileOperation', which copies, removes, renames or deletes a file system object. In the example below it is used to delete a folder in a recursive manner:

#include <windows.h>
#include <tchar.h>
#include <shellapi.h>

bool DeleteDirectory(LPCTSTR lpszDir, bool noRecycleBin = true)
{
  int len = _tcslen(lpszDir);
  TCHAR *pszFrom = new TCHAR[len+2];
  _tcscpy(pszFrom, lpszDir);
  pszFrom[len] = 0;
  pszFrom[len+1] = 0;
  
  SHFILEOPSTRUCT fileop;
  fileop.hwnd   = NULL;    // no status display
  fileop.wFunc  = FO_DELETE;  // delete operation
  fileop.pFrom  = pszFrom;  // source file name as double null terminated string
  fileop.pTo    = NULL;    // no destination needed
  fileop.fFlags = FOF_NOCONFIRMATION|FOF_SILENT;  // do not prompt the user
  
  if(!noRecycleBin)
    fileop.fFlags |= FOF_ALLOWUNDO;

  fileop.fAnyOperationsAborted = FALSE;
  fileop.lpszProgressTitle     = NULL;
  fileop.hNameMappings         = NULL;

  int ret = SHFileOperation(&fileop);
  delete [] pszFrom;  
  return (ret == 0);
}

int main() 
{
  DeleteDirectory("d:\\Test", false);
  return 0;
}