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PHP rename() | Rename a File or Directory
The PHP rename() function is used when we need to change the name of a file or a directory. For example:
<?php
$chk = rename("myfile.txt", "yourfile.txt");
if($chk)
echo "<p>Name changed successfully!</p>";
else
echo "<p>Unable to change the name.</p>";
?>
The output of the above PHP example using the rename() function is shown in the snapshot given below:
That is, after executing the above PHP code, the name of the file myfile.txt gets changed to yourfile.txt.
PHP rename() Syntax
The syntax of the rename() function in PHP is:
rename(oldName, newName, context)
The first two (oldName and newName) parameters are required, whereas the last parameter is optional and is used to specify the context resource while renaming a file or a directory.
PHP rename() function example
Consider the following PHP code as another example of the rename() function:
PHP Code
<?php
$old_file_name = "old_file.txt";
$new_file_name = "new_file.txt";
if (file_exists($old_file_name)) {
if (rename($old_file_name, $new_file_name)) {
echo "File renamed successfully.";
} else {
echo "File renaming failed.";
}
} else {
echo "File does not exist.";
}
?>
Output
File renamed successfully.
And if the file "old_file.txt" does not exist in the current directory, then you will get the following output:
File does not exist.
Advantages of the rename() function in PHP
- Only a few lines of code are needed to rename a file or directory when using the rename() function.
- An easy and quick way to rename a file or directory on a server is to use the rename() function.
- The function outputs a boolean value that can be used to determine whether or not a file or directory was successfully renamed. This makes handling errors very simple.
Disadvantages of the rename() function in PHP
- The rename() function can introduce security flaws like directory traversal attacks if it is used without proper input validation.
- The rename() function cannot be easily undone once a file or directory has been renamed. This implies that before renaming something, it is crucial to give it careful thought.
- Only files and directories can be renamed using the rename() function. Use other functions or libraries if you need to perform more complicated operations.
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