PHP rename() Function

The PHP rename() function attempts to rename a file or directory, moving it between directories if necessary. If renaming a file and newname exists, it will be overwritten. If renaming a directory and newname exists, this function will raise a warning.

Syntax

rename(oldname, newname, context)

Parameters

Return Value

Returns true on success or false on failure.

Example:

Lets assume that we have a file called test.txt in the current working directory. The example below demonstrates on using this function to rename this file.

<?php
$oldname = 'test.txt';
$newname = 'demo.txt';

//renaming the file
$success = rename($oldname, $newname);

if($success) {
  echo "$oldname is renamed to $newname.\n";
} else {
  echo "$oldname can not be renamed to $newname.\n";
}
?>

The output of the above code will be:

test.txt is renamed to demo.txt.

Example:

Consider one more example where this function is used to rename a directory.

<?php
//creating a folder in the current directory
mkdir("temp1");

$oldname = 'temp1';
$newname = 'temp2';

//renaming the directory
$success = rename($oldname, $newname);

if($success) {
  echo "$oldname is renamed to $newname.\n";
} else {
  echo "$oldname can not be renamed to $newname.\n";
}
?>

The output of the above code will be:

temp1 is renamed to temp2.