Directory.GetFiles Method

Reference

Definition

Namespace:: System.IO

Assemblies:: mscorlib.dll, System.IO.FileSystem.dll

Assembly:: System.IO.FileSystem.dll

Assembly:: System.Runtime.dll

Assembly:: mscorlib.dll

Assembly:: netstandard.dll

Important

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Returns the names of files that meet specified criteria.

Overloads

GetFiles(String)	Returns the names of files (including their paths) in the specified directory.
GetFiles(String, String)	Returns the names of files (including their paths) that match the specified search pattern in the specified directory.
GetFiles(String, String, EnumerationOptions)	Returns the names of files (including their paths) that match the specified search pattern and enumeration options in the specified directory.
GetFiles(String, String, SearchOption)	Returns the names of files (including their paths) that match the specified search pattern in the specified directory, using a value to determine whether to search subdirectories.

GetFiles(String)

Source:: Directory.cs

Source:: Directory.cs

Source:: Directory.cs

Returns the names of files (including their paths) in the specified directory.

public:
 static cli::array <System::String ^> ^ GetFiles(System::String ^ path);

public static string[] GetFiles (string path);

static member GetFiles : string -> string[]

Public Shared Function GetFiles (path As String) As String()

Parameters

path: String

The relative or absolute path to the directory to search. This string is not case-sensitive.

Returns

String[]

An array of the full names (including paths) for the files in the specified directory, or an empty array if no files are found.

Exceptions

IOException

path is a file name.

-or-

A network error has occurred.

UnauthorizedAccessException

The caller does not have the required permission.

ArgumentException

.NET Framework and .NET Core versions older than 2.1: path is a zero-length string, contains only white space, or contains one or more invalid characters. You can query for invalid characters by using the GetInvalidPathChars() method.

ArgumentNullException

path is null.

PathTooLongException

The specified path, file name, or both exceed the system-defined maximum length.

DirectoryNotFoundException

The specified path is not found or is invalid (for example, it is on an unmapped drive).

Examples

The following example demonstrates how to use the GetFiles method to return file names from a user-specified location. The example is configured to catch all errors common to this method.

// For Directory::GetFiles and Directory::GetDirectories
// For File::Exists, Directory::Exists
using namespace System;
using namespace System::IO;
using namespace System::Collections;

// Insert logic for processing found files here.
void ProcessFile( String^ path )
{
   Console::WriteLine( "Processed file '{0}'.", path );
}


// Process all files in the directory passed in, recurse on any directories 
// that are found, and process the files they contain.
void ProcessDirectory( String^ targetDirectory )
{
   
   // Process the list of files found in the directory.
   array<String^>^fileEntries = Directory::GetFiles( targetDirectory );
   IEnumerator^ files = fileEntries->GetEnumerator();
   while ( files->MoveNext() )
   {
      String^ fileName = safe_cast<String^>(files->Current);
      ProcessFile( fileName );
   }

   
   // Recurse into subdirectories of this directory.
   array<String^>^subdirectoryEntries = Directory::GetDirectories( targetDirectory );
   IEnumerator^ dirs = subdirectoryEntries->GetEnumerator();
   while ( dirs->MoveNext() )
   {
      String^ subdirectory = safe_cast<String^>(dirs->Current);
      ProcessDirectory( subdirectory );
   }
}

int main( int argc, char *argv[] )
{
   for ( int i = 1; i < argc; i++ )
   {
      String^ path = gcnew String(argv[ i ]);
      if ( File::Exists( path ) )
      {
         
         // This path is a file
         ProcessFile( path );
      }
      else
      if ( Directory::Exists( path ) )
      {
         
         // This path is a directory
         ProcessDirectory( path );
      }
      else
      {
         Console::WriteLine( "{0} is not a valid file or directory.", path );
      }

   }
}

// For Directory.GetFiles and Directory.GetDirectories
// For File.Exists, Directory.Exists
using System;
using System.IO;
using System.Collections;

public class RecursiveFileProcessor
{
    public static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        foreach(string path in args)
        {
            if(File.Exists(path))
            {
                // This path is a file
                ProcessFile(path);
            }
            else if(Directory.Exists(path))
            {
                // This path is a directory
                ProcessDirectory(path);
            }
            else
            {
                Console.WriteLine("{0} is not a valid file or directory.", path);
            }
        }
    }

    // Process all files in the directory passed in, recurse on any directories
    // that are found, and process the files they contain.
    public static void ProcessDirectory(string targetDirectory)
    {
        // Process the list of files found in the directory.
        string [] fileEntries = Directory.GetFiles(targetDirectory);
        foreach(string fileName in fileEntries)
            ProcessFile(fileName);

        // Recurse into subdirectories of this directory.
        string [] subdirectoryEntries = Directory.GetDirectories(targetDirectory);
        foreach(string subdirectory in subdirectoryEntries)
            ProcessDirectory(subdirectory);
    }

    // Insert logic for processing found files here.
    public static void ProcessFile(string path)
    {
        Console.WriteLine("Processed file '{0}'.", path);	
    }
}

module RecursiveFileProcessor

open System.IO

// Insert logic for processing found files here.
let processFile path =
    printfn $"Processed file '%s{path}'."

// Process all files in the directory passed in, recurse on any directories
// that are found, and process the files they contain.
let rec processDirectory targetDirectory =
    // Process the list of files found in the directory.
    let fileEntries = Directory.GetFiles targetDirectory
    for fileName in fileEntries do
        processFile fileName

    // Recurse into subdirectories of this directory.
    let subdirectoryEntries = Directory.GetDirectories targetDirectory
    for subdirectory in subdirectoryEntries do
        processDirectory subdirectory

[<EntryPoint>]
let main args =
    for path in args do
        if File.Exists path then
            // This path is a file
            processFile path
        elif Directory.Exists path then
            // This path is a directory
            processDirectory path
        else
            printfn $"{path} is not a valid file or directory."
    0

' For Directory.GetFiles and Directory.GetDirectories
' For File.Exists, Directory.Exists 

Imports System.IO
Imports System.Collections

Public Class RecursiveFileProcessor

    Public Overloads Shared Sub Main(ByVal args() As String)
        Dim path As String
        For Each path In args
            If File.Exists(path) Then
                ' This path is a file.
                ProcessFile(path)
            Else
                If Directory.Exists(path) Then
                    ' This path is a directory.
                    ProcessDirectory(path)
                Else
                    Console.WriteLine("{0} is not a valid file or directory.", path)
                End If
            End If
        Next path
    End Sub


    ' Process all files in the directory passed in, recurse on any directories 
    ' that are found, and process the files they contain.
    Public Shared Sub ProcessDirectory(ByVal targetDirectory As String)
        Dim fileEntries As String() = Directory.GetFiles(targetDirectory)
        ' Process the list of files found in the directory.
        Dim fileName As String
        For Each fileName In fileEntries
            ProcessFile(fileName)

        Next fileName
        Dim subdirectoryEntries As String() = Directory.GetDirectories(targetDirectory)
        ' Recurse into subdirectories of this directory.
        Dim subdirectory As String
        For Each subdirectory In subdirectoryEntries
            ProcessDirectory(subdirectory)
        Next subdirectory

    End Sub

    ' Insert logic for processing found files here.
    Public Shared Sub ProcessFile(ByVal path As String)
        Console.WriteLine("Processed file '{0}'.", path)
    End Sub
End Class

Remarks

The EnumerateFiles and GetFiles methods differ as follows: When you use EnumerateFiles, you can start enumerating the collection of names before the whole collection is returned; when you use GetFiles, you must wait for the whole array of names to be returned before you can access the array. Therefore, when you are working with many files and directories, EnumerateFiles can be more efficient.

The returned file names are appended to the supplied path parameter.

This method is identical to GetFiles(String, String) with the asterisk (*) specified as the search pattern.

The path parameter can specify relative or absolute path information. Relative path information is interpreted as relative to the current working directory. To obtain the current working directory, see GetCurrentDirectory.

The order of the returned file names is not guaranteed; use the Sort method if a specific sort order is required.

The case-sensitivity of the path parameter corresponds to that of the file system on which the code is running. For example, it's case-insensitive on NTFS (the default Windows file system) and case-sensitive on Linux file systems.

For a list of common I/O tasks, see Common I/O Tasks.

Applies to

GetFiles(String, String)

Source:: Directory.cs

Source:: Directory.cs

Source:: Directory.cs

Returns the names of files (including their paths) that match the specified search pattern in the specified directory.

public:
 static cli::array <System::String ^> ^ GetFiles(System::String ^ path, System::String ^ searchPattern);

public static string[] GetFiles (string path, string searchPattern);

static member GetFiles : string * string -> string[]

Public Shared Function GetFiles (path As String, searchPattern As String) As String()

Parameters

path: String

The relative or absolute path to the directory to search. This string is not case-sensitive.

searchPattern: String

The search string to match against the names of files in path. This parameter can contain a combination of valid literal path and wildcard (* and ?) characters, but it doesn't support regular expressions.

Returns

String[]

An array of the full names (including paths) for the files in the specified directory that match the specified search pattern, or an empty array if no files are found.

Exceptions

IOException

path is a file name.

-or-

A network error has occurred.

UnauthorizedAccessException

The caller does not have the required permission.

ArgumentException

-or-

searchPattern doesn't contain a valid pattern.

ArgumentNullException

path or searchPattern is null.

PathTooLongException

The specified path, file name, or both exceed the system-defined maximum length.

DirectoryNotFoundException

The specified path is not found or is invalid (for example, it is on an unmapped drive).

Examples

The following example counts the number of files that begin with the specified letter.

using namespace System;
using namespace System::IO;
int main()
{
   try
   {
      
      // Only get files that begin with the letter "c".
      array<String^>^dirs = Directory::GetFiles( "c:\\", "c*" );
      Console::WriteLine( "The number of files starting with c is {0}.", dirs->Length );
      Collections::IEnumerator^ myEnum = dirs->GetEnumerator();
      while ( myEnum->MoveNext() )
      {
         Console::WriteLine( myEnum->Current );
      }
   }
   catch ( Exception^ e ) 
   {
      Console::WriteLine( "The process failed: {0}", e );
   }

}

using System;
using System.IO;

class Test
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        try
        {
            // Only get files that begin with the letter "c".
            string[] dirs = Directory.GetFiles(@"c:\", "c*");
            Console.WriteLine("The number of files starting with c is {0}.", dirs.Length);
            foreach (string dir in dirs)
            {
                Console.WriteLine(dir);
            }
        }
        catch (Exception e)
        {
            Console.WriteLine("The process failed: {0}", e.ToString());
        }
    }
}

open System.IO

try
    // Only get files that begin with the letter "c".
    let dirs = Directory.GetFiles(@"c:\", "c*")
    printfn $"The number of files starting with c is {dirs.Length}."
    for dir in dirs do
        printfn $"{dir}"
with e ->
    printfn $"The process failed: {e}"

Imports System.IO

Public Class Test
    Public Shared Sub Main()
        Try
            ' Only get files that begin with the letter "c".
            Dim dirs As String() = Directory.GetFiles("c:\", "c*")
            Console.WriteLine("The number of files starting with c is {0}.", dirs.Length)
            Dim dir As String
            For Each dir In dirs
                Console.WriteLine(dir)
            Next
        Catch e As Exception
            Console.WriteLine("The process failed: {0}", e.ToString())
        End Try
    End Sub
End Class

Remarks

The returned file names are appended to the supplied path parameter and the order of the returned file names is not guaranteed; use the Sort method if a specific sort order is required.

searchPattern can be a combination of literal and wildcard characters, but it doesn't support regular expressions. The following wildcard specifiers are permitted in searchPattern.

Wildcard specifier	Matches
* (asterisk)	Zero or more characters in that position.
? (question mark)	Exactly one character in that position.

Characters other than the wildcard are literal characters. For example, the searchPattern string "*t" searches for all names in path ending with the letter "t". The searchPattern string "s*" searches for all names in path beginning with the letter "s".

searchPattern cannot end in two periods ("..") or contain two periods ("..") followed by DirectorySeparatorChar or AltDirectorySeparatorChar, nor can it contain any invalid characters. You can query for invalid characters by using the GetInvalidPathChars method.

Note

.NET Framework only: When you use the asterisk wildcard character in searchPattern and you specify a three-character file extension, for example, "*.txt", this method also returns files with extensions that begin with the specified extension. For example, the search pattern "*.xls" returns both "book.xls" and "book.xlsx". This behavior only occurs if an asterisk is used in the search pattern and the file extension provided is exactly three characters. If you use the question mark wildcard character somewhere in the search pattern, this method returns only files that match the specified file extension exactly. The following table depicts this anomaly in .NET Framework.

Files in directory	Search pattern	.NET 5+ returns	.NET Framework returns
file.ai, file.aif	*.ai	file.ai	file.ai
book.xls, book.xlsx	*.xls	book.xls	book.xls, book.xlsx
ello.txt, hello.txt, hello.txtt	?ello.txt	hello.txt	hello.txt

Note

Because this method checks against file names with both the 8.3 file name format and the long file name format, a search pattern similar to "*1*.txt" may return unexpected file names. For example, using a search pattern of "*1*.txt" returns "longfilename.txt" because the equivalent 8.3 file name format is "LONGFI~1.TXT".

For a list of common I/O tasks, see Common I/O Tasks.

Applies to

GetFiles(String, String, EnumerationOptions)

Source:: Directory.cs

Source:: Directory.cs

Source:: Directory.cs

Returns the names of files (including their paths) that match the specified search pattern and enumeration options in the specified directory.

public:
 static cli::array <System::String ^> ^ GetFiles(System::String ^ path, System::String ^ searchPattern, System::IO::EnumerationOptions ^ enumerationOptions);

public static string[] GetFiles (string path, string searchPattern, System.IO.EnumerationOptions enumerationOptions);

static member GetFiles : string * string * System.IO.EnumerationOptions -> string[]

Public Shared Function GetFiles (path As String, searchPattern As String, enumerationOptions As EnumerationOptions) As String()

Parameters

path: String

The relative or absolute path to the directory to search. This string is not case-sensitive.

searchPattern: String

The search string to match against the names of files in path. This parameter can contain a combination of valid literal and wildcard characters, but it doesn't support regular expressions.

enumerationOptions: EnumerationOptions

An object that describes the search and enumeration configuration to use.

Returns

String[]

An array of the full names (including paths) for the files in the specified directory that match the specified search pattern and enumeration options, or an empty array if no files are found.

Exceptions

IOException

path is a file name.

-or-

A network error has occurred.

UnauthorizedAccessException

The caller does not have the required permission.

ArgumentException

-or-

searchPattern doesn't contain a valid pattern.

ArgumentNullException

path or searchPattern is null.

PathTooLongException

The specified path, file name, or both exceed the system-defined maximum length.

DirectoryNotFoundException

The specified path is not found or is invalid (for example, it is on an unmapped drive).

Remarks

The returned file names are appended to the supplied path parameter and the order of the returned file names is not guaranteed; use the Sort method if a specific sort order is required.

searchPattern can be a combination of literal and wildcard characters, but it doesn't support regular expressions. The following wildcard specifiers are permitted in searchPattern.

Wildcard specifier	Matches
* (asterisk)	Zero or more characters in that position.
? (question mark)	Exactly one character in that position.

Note

Files in directory	Search pattern	.NET 5+ returns	.NET Framework returns
file.ai, file.aif	*.ai	file.ai	file.ai
book.xls, book.xlsx	*.xls	book.xls	book.xls, book.xlsx
ello.txt, hello.txt, hello.txtt	?ello.txt	hello.txt	hello.txt

Note

For a list of common I/O tasks, see Common I/O Tasks.

Applies to

GetFiles(String, String, SearchOption)

Source:: Directory.cs

Source:: Directory.cs

Source:: Directory.cs

Returns the names of files (including their paths) that match the specified search pattern in the specified directory, using a value to determine whether to search subdirectories.

public:
 static cli::array <System::String ^> ^ GetFiles(System::String ^ path, System::String ^ searchPattern, System::IO::SearchOption searchOption);

public static string[] GetFiles (string path, string searchPattern, System.IO.SearchOption searchOption);

static member GetFiles : string * string * System.IO.SearchOption -> string[]

Public Shared Function GetFiles (path As String, searchPattern As String, searchOption As SearchOption) As String()

Parameters

path: String

The relative or absolute path to the directory to search. This string is not case-sensitive.

searchPattern: String

searchOption: SearchOption

One of the enumeration values that specifies whether the search operation should include all subdirectories or only the current directory.

Returns

String[]

An array of the full names (including paths) for the files in the specified directory that match the specified search pattern and option, or an empty array if no files are found.

Exceptions

ArgumentException

-or-

searchPattern does not contain a valid pattern.

ArgumentNullException

path or searchpattern is null.

ArgumentOutOfRangeException

searchOption is not a valid SearchOption value.

UnauthorizedAccessException

The caller does not have the required permission.

DirectoryNotFoundException

The specified path is not found or is invalid (for example, it is on an unmapped drive).

PathTooLongException

The specified path, file name, or both exceed the system-defined maximum length.

IOException

path is a file name.

-or-

A network error has occurred.

Remarks

The returned file names are appended to the supplied parameter path and the order of the returned file names is not guaranteed; use the Sort method if a specific sort order is required.

searchPattern can be a combination of literal and wildcard characters, but it doesn't support regular expressions. The following wildcard specifiers are permitted in searchPattern.

Wildcard specifier	Matches
* (asterisk)	Zero or more characters in that position.
? (question mark)	Exactly one character in that position.

Note

Files in directory	Search pattern	.NET 5+ returns	.NET Framework returns
file.ai, file.aif	*.ai	file.ai	file.ai
book.xls, book.xlsx	*.xls	book.xls	book.xls, book.xlsx
ello.txt, hello.txt, hello.txtt	?ello.txt	hello.txt	hello.txt

Note

The file names include the full path.

For a list of common I/O tasks, see Common I/O Tasks.

Applies to

Share via

Directory.GetFiles Method

Definition

Overloads

GetFiles(String)

Parameters

Returns

Exceptions

Examples

Remarks

See also

Applies to

GetFiles(String, String)

Parameters

Returns

Exceptions

Examples

Remarks

See also

Applies to

GetFiles(String, String, EnumerationOptions)

Parameters

Returns

Exceptions

Remarks

Applies to

GetFiles(String, String, SearchOption)

Parameters

Returns

Exceptions

Remarks

See also

Applies to

Additional resources