What causes "editor::lang.filesystem.error_deleting_dir_not_empty" in octobercms/october?

Expand the directory in the sidebar and select ALL of its contents together with the directory itself (the strlen sort then removes children first)

octobercms/october · warning · ApplicationException

editor::lang.filesystem.error_deleting_dir_not_empty

Error message

editor::lang.filesystem.error_deleting_dir_not_empty

What it means

Thrown by editorDeleteFileOrDirectory when a selected path is an existing directory that is NOT empty (File::isDirectoryEmpty returns false, lines 138-145). By design the delete command only removes empty directories — there is no recursive delete. The usort by strlen descending deletes leaves first, so a multi-select containing a parent AND all its children works, but any unselected child aborts with 'Error deleting directory :name. The directory is not empty.'.

Source

Thrown at modules/editor/traits/FileSystemFunctions.php:141

        foreach ($fileList as $path) {
            if (!$this->validateFileSystemPath($path)) {
                throw new ApplicationException(Lang::get('editor::lang.filesystem.invalid_path'));
            }

            $fullPath = $basePath.'/'.$path;
            if (File::exists($fullPath)) {
                if (!File::isDirectory($fullPath)) {
                    if (!@File::delete($fullPath)) {
                        throw new ApplicationException(Lang::get(
                            'editor::lang.filesystem.error_deleting_file',
                            ['name' => $path]
                        ));
                    }
                }
                else {
                    $empty = File::isDirectoryEmpty($fullPath);
                    if (!$empty) {
                        throw new ApplicationException(Lang::get(
                            'editor::lang.filesystem.error_deleting_dir_not_empty',
                            ['name' => $path]
                        ));
                    }

                    if (!@rmdir($fullPath)) {
                        throw new ApplicationException(Lang::get(
                            'editor::lang.filesystem.error_deleting_dir',
                            ['name' => $path]
                        ));
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    }

    /**
     * editorMoveFilesOrDirectories

View on GitHub (pinned to b608633a7e)

Solutions

Expand the directory in the sidebar and select ALL of its contents together with the directory itself (the strlen sort then removes children first)
Empty the directory first (delete its files), then delete the directory in a second step
Refresh the tree and retry if another session may have written files meanwhile
Remove invisible leftovers on disk (rm -rf themes/<theme>/assets/<dir>) when the sidebar cannot see them

Example fix

// before
files = ['js/lib']                    // contains jquery.js -> blocked
// after
files = ['js/lib/jquery.js', 'js/lib'] // child first, parent then empties

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

foreach ($files as $path) {
    $full = $assetsBase.'/'.$path;
    if (is_dir($full) && !(new \FilesystemIterator($full))->valid()) {
        // directory has entries: include them in $files or empty it first
    }
}

Prevention

Always include ALL children (recursively) in the delete selection alongside the folder
Remember the API deletes empty directories only — there is no recursive delete
Refresh before deleting if build tools may have written files into the folder

When it happens

Trigger: command_onAssetDelete where 'files' includes a directory but not every entry inside it (the sidebar selection missed nested or hidden files), or a file was created inside the directory between selection and the request. Because processing is longest-path-first, a missed child typically fails the parent AFTER some children were already deleted.

Common situations: Selecting a folder node without expanding/selecting its contents in the tree; dotfiles (.gitkeep, .DS_Store) not shown in the sidebar but counted by isDirectoryEmpty; concurrent uploads/builds writing into the directory during the delete.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of octobercms/october@b608633a7e (2026-08-21). Data as JSON: /api/errors/52488e0339194d26. Report an issue: GitHub.