[erlang-questions] Best way to check if a given directory is empty (or not)?

[Taavi Talvik]

On Mar 13, 2012, at 11:59 PM, Richard O'Keefe wrote:
>> On unix systems link_count=2 means, that directory is empty:
> 
> No it doesn't.  It means that the directory has no *subdirectories*.

Mental note to myself - verify before posting;) 
Sorry for confusion!

Yes - thats correct. Link count > 2 means, that there are subdirectories.
(On unix, mac os x behaves differently). 

Richard's opendir/readir C code is only reasonably portable way. 
Similar implementation for windows with _findfirst/_findnext is at
http://www.two-sdg.demon.co.uk/curbralan/code/dirent/dirent.html

C-code and port/NIF are way to go.

best regards,
taavi
--
"We should forget about small efficiencies, about 97 percent of the time. 
Premature optimization is the root of all evil." Donald Knuth

Taavi Talvik
taavi@REDACTED
+372 5656 9996