FileSystemEntry.moveTo()

This is an experimental technology
Because this technology's specification has not stabilized, check the compatibility table for usage in various browsers. Also note that the syntax and behavior of an experimental technology is subject to change in future versions of browsers as the specification changes.

Non-standard
This feature is non-standard and is not on a standards track. Do not use it on production sites facing the Web: it will not work for every user. There may also be large incompatibilities between implementations and the behavior may change in the future.

The FileSystemEntry interface's method moveTo() moves the file specified by the entry to a new location on the file system, or renames the file if the destination directory is the same as the source. There are some typical restrictions on what you can do:

  • A directory can't be moved into itself.
  • An entry can't be moved into its parent directory unless you specify a new name. Specifying a new name lets moveTo() double as a rename operation.
  • When moving a directory, the move is always recursive; you can't leave out subfolders.
  • You can't move a file such that it replaces an existing directory, and you can't move a directory such that it replaces an existing file. However, a file can replace a file and a directory can replace a directory.
  • You can only overwrite a directory if it's empty.

Syntax

JavaScript
FileSystemEntry.moveTo(newParent[, newName][, successCallback][, errorCallback]);

Parameters

newParent
A FileSystemDirectoryEntry object specifying the destination directory for the move operation.
newName Optional
If this parameter is provided, the entry is renamed to have this string as its new file or directory name.
successCallback Optional
A function which is called when the move operation is succesfully completed. Receives a single input parameter: a FileSystemEntry based object providing the moved item's new details.
errorCallback Optional
An optional callback which is executed if an error occurs while moving the items. There's a single parameter: a FileError describing what went wrong.

Return value

undefined.

Errors

FileError.INVALID_MODIFICATION_ERR
The requested operation involves an impossible change, such as moving a directory inside itself or one of its own child directories, or copying an item within the same directory without renaming it.
FileError.QUOTA_EXCEEDED_ERR
The operation exceeded the user's storage quota, or there isn't enough storage space left to complete the operation.

Example

This example shows how a temporary log file might be moved into a more permanent "log" directory when it exceeds a megabyte in size.

JavaScript
workingDirectory.getFile("tmp/log.txt", {}, function(fileEntry) {
  fileEntry.getMetadata(function(metadata) {
    if (metadata.size > 1048576) {
      workingDirectory.getDirectory("log", {}, function(dirEntry) {
        fileEntry.moveTo(dirEntry);
      }, handleError);
    }
  });
}, handleError);

Specifications

Specification Status Comment
File and Directory Entries API
The definition of 'moveTo()' in that specification.
Editor's Draft Initial specification.

This API has no official W3C or WHATWG specification.

Browser compatibility

Feature Chrome Firefox (Gecko) Internet Explorer Opera Safari (WebKit)
Basic support 13 webkit No support No support No support No support
Feature Android Chrome for Android Firefox Mobile (Gecko) IE Phone Opera Mobile Safari Mobile
Basic support No support 0.16webkit No support No support No support No support

See also

License

© 2016 Mozilla Contributors
Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License v2.5 or later.
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-us/docs/web/api/filesystementry/moveto

API File and Directory Entries API File System API Files FileSystemEntry Method moveTo Non-Standard Non-standard Reference