My.Computer.FileSystem.GetFiles Method
Returns a read-only collection of strings representing the names of files within a directory.
' Usage
Dim value As System.Collections.ObjectModel.ReadOnlyCollection(Of String) = My.Computer.FileSystem.GetFiles(directory)
Dim value As System.Collections.ObjectModel.ReadOnlyCollection(Of String) = My.Computer.FileSystem.GetFiles(directory ,searchType ,wildcards)
' Declaration
Public Function GetFiles( _
ByVal directory As String _
) As System.Collections.ObjectModel.ReadOnlyCollection(Of String)
' -or-
Public Function GetFiles( _
ByVal directory As String, _
ByVal searchType As SearchOption, _
ByVal wildcards As String() _
) As System.Collections.ObjectModel.ReadOnlyCollection(Of String)
Parameters
directory
String. Directory to be searched. Required.searchType
SearchOption Enumeration. Whether to include subfolders. Default is SearchOption.SearchTopLevelOnly. Required.wildcards
String. Pattern to be matched. Required.
Return Value
Read-only collection of strings.
Exceptions
The following conditions may cause an exception:
The path is not valid for one of the following reasons: it is a zero-length string; it contains only white space; it contains invalid characters; or it is a device path (starts with \\.\) (ArgumentException).
The path is not valid because it is Nothing (ArgumentNullException).
directory does not exist (DirectoryNotFoundException).
directory points to an existing file (IOException).
The path exceeds the system-defined maximum length (PathTooLongException).
A file or directory name in the path contains a colon (:) or is in an invalid format (NotSupportedException).
The user lacks necessary permissions to view the path (SecurityException).
The user lacks necessary permissions (UnauthorizedAccessException).
Remarks
An empty collection is returned if no files matching the specified pattern are found.
Tasks
The following table lists examples of tasks involving the My.Computer.FileSystem.GetFiles method.
To |
See |
|---|---|
Get the collection of files in a directory |
How to: Get the Collection of Files in a Directory in Visual Basic |
Find files with a specific pattern in a directory |
Example
The following example returns all files in the directory and adds them to ListBox1.
For Each foundFile As String In My.Computer.FileSystem.GetFiles _
(My.Computer.FileSystem.SpecialDirectories.MyDocuments)
ListBox1.Items.Add(foundFile)
Next
This example requires that you have a ListBox named ListBox1 on your form.
This example returns all files in the directory with the extension .dll and adds them to ListBox1.
For Each foundFile As String In My.Computer.FileSystem.GetFiles _
(My.Computer.FileSystem.SpecialDirectories.MyDocuments, _
FileIO.SearchOption.SearchTopLevelOnly, "*.txt")
ListBox1.Items.Add(foundFile)
Next
This example requires that you have a ListBox named ListBox1 on your form.
Requirements
Namespace:Microsoft.VisualBasic.MyServices
Class:FileSystemProxy (provides access to FileSystem)
Assembly: Visual Basic Runtime Library (in Microsoft.VisualBasic.dll)
Availability by Project Type
Project type |
Available |
|---|---|
Windows Application |
Yes |
Class Library |
Yes |
Console Application |
Yes |
Windows Control Library |
Yes |
Web Control Library |
Yes |
Windows Service |
Yes |
Web Site |
Yes |
Permissions
The following permission may be necessary:
Permission |
Description |
|---|---|
Controls the ability to access files and folders. Associated enumeration: Unrestricted. |
For more information, see Code Access Security and Requesting Permissions.
See Also
Tasks
How to: Find Files with a Specific Pattern in Visual Basic
How to: Get the Collection of Files in a Directory in Visual Basic