C++ || How To Get A List Of Files At A Given Path Directory Using C++

December 08, 2020 admin No comments

The following is a module with functions which demonstrates how to get a list of files at a given directory path using C++.

The function demonstrated on this page returns a list of std::filesystem::directory_entry, which contains information about the files in the given directory.

1. Get Files In Directory

The example below demonstrates the use of ‘Utils::getFilesInDirectory‘ to get a list of files at a given path directory.

The optional function parameter lets you specify the search option. Set the search option to True to limit the search to just the current directory. Set the search option to False to expand the search to the current directory and all subdirectories when searching for files.





		
		
			1. Get Files In Directory
			
C++
			
			// Get Files In Directory

// Declare path
std::string directory = "C:\\Users\\Name\\Desktop";

// Get files at the specified directory
auto files = Utils::getFilesInDirectory(directory);

// Display info about the files
for (const auto& file : files) {
    std::cout << "File: " << file.path().u8string() << std::endl;
}

// example output:
/*
    File: C:\Users\Name\Desktop\text.txt
    File: C:\Users\Name\Desktop\image.png
    File: C:\Users\Name\Desktop\document.docx
*/
			
				
					
				
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						// Get Files In Directory
 
// Declare path
std::string directory = "C:\\Users\\Name\\Desktop";
 
// Get files at the specified directory
auto files = Utils::getFilesInDirectory(directory);
 
// Display info about the files
for (const auto& file : files) {
    std::cout << "File: " << file.path().u8string() << std::endl;
}
 
// example output:
/*
    File: C:\Users\Name\Desktop\text.txt
    File: C:\Users\Name\Desktop\image.png
    File: C:\Users\Name\Desktop\document.docx
*/

2. Utils Namespace

The following is the Utils Namespace. Include this in your project to start using!





		
		
			Utils Namespace
			
C++
			
			// ============================================================================
//    Author: Kenneth Perkins
//    Date:   Dec 8, 2020
//    Taken From: http://programmingnotes.org/
//    File:  Utils.h
//    Description: Handles general utility functions
// ============================================================================
#pragma once
#include <vector>
#include <filesystem>

namespace Utils {
    /**
    * FUNCTION: getFilesInDirectory 
    * USE: Returns a 'directory_entry' list of the files in the given directory
    * @param directory: The relative or absolute path to the directory to search
    * @param topDirectoryOnly: If True, limits the search to just the current 
    *   directory. If False, expands the search to the current directory 
    *   and all subdirectories
    * @return: A list of 'directory_entry' in the given directory
    */
    auto getFilesInDirectory(const std::string& directory, bool topDirectoryOnly = true) {
        namespace fs = std::filesystem;
        std::vector<fs::directory_entry> results;
        auto fill = [&results](const auto& iter) {
            for (const fs::directory_entry& entry : iter) {
                if (!entry.is_regular_file()) {
                    continue;
                }
                results.push_back(entry);
            }
        };
        if (topDirectoryOnly) {
            fill(fs::directory_iterator(directory));
        } else {
            fill(fs::recursive_directory_iterator(directory));
        }
        return results;
    }
}// http://programmingnotes.org/
			
				
					
				
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						// ============================================================================
//    Author: Kenneth Perkins
//    Date:   Dec 8, 2020
//    Taken From: http://programmingnotes.org/
//    File:  Utils.h
//    Description: Handles general utility functions
// ============================================================================
#pragma once
#include <vector>
#include <filesystem>
 
namespace Utils {
    /**
    * FUNCTION: getFilesInDirectory 
    * USE: Returns a 'directory_entry' list of the files in the given directory
    * @param directory: The relative or absolute path to the directory to search
    * @param topDirectoryOnly: If True, limits the search to just the current 
    *   directory. If False, expands the search to the current directory 
    *   and all subdirectories
    * @return: A list of 'directory_entry' in the given directory
    */
    auto getFilesInDirectory(const std::string& directory, bool topDirectoryOnly = true) {
        namespace fs = std::filesystem;
        std::vector<fs::directory_entry> results;
        auto fill = [&results](const auto& iter) {
            for (const fs::directory_entry& entry : iter) {
                if (!entry.is_regular_file()) {
                    continue;
                }
                results.push_back(entry);
            }
        };
        if (topDirectoryOnly) {
            fill(fs::directory_iterator(directory));
        } else {
            fill(fs::recursive_directory_iterator(directory));
        }
        return results;
    }
}// http://programmingnotes.org/

3. More Examples

Below are more examples demonstrating the use of the ‘Utils‘ Namespace. Don’t forget to include the module when running the examples!





		
		
			More Examples
			
C++
			
			// ============================================================================
//    Author: Kenneth Perkins
//    Date:   Dec 8, 2020
//    Taken From: http://programmingnotes.org/
//    File:  program.cpp
//    Description: The following demonstrates the use of the Utils Namespace
// ============================================================================
#include <iostream>
#include <string>
#include <exception>
#include "Utils.h"

void display(const std::string& message);

int main() {
    try {
        // Declare path
        std::string directory = "C:\\Users\\Name\\Desktop";

        // Get files at the specified directory
        auto files = Utils::getFilesInDirectory(directory);

        // Display info about the files
        for (const auto& file : files) {
            std::cout << "File: " << file.path().u8string() << std::endl;
        }
    } catch (std::exception& e) {
        display("\nAn error occurred: " + std::string(e.what()));
    }

    std::cin.get();
    return 0;
}

void display(const std::string& message) {
    std::cout << message << std::endl;
}// http://programmingnotes.org/
			
				
					
				
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						// ============================================================================
//    Author: Kenneth Perkins
//    Date:   Dec 8, 2020
//    Taken From: http://programmingnotes.org/
//    File:  program.cpp
//    Description: The following demonstrates the use of the Utils Namespace
// ============================================================================
#include <iostream>
#include <string>
#include <exception>
#include "Utils.h"
 
void display(const std::string& message);
 
int main() {
    try {
        // Declare path
        std::string directory = "C:\\Users\\Name\\Desktop";
 
        // Get files at the specified directory
        auto files = Utils::getFilesInDirectory(directory);
 
        // Display info about the files
        for (const auto& file : files) {
            std::cout << "File: " << file.path().u8string() << std::endl;
        }
    } catch (std::exception& e) {
        display("\nAn error occurred: " + std::string(e.what()));
    }
 
    std::cin.get();
    return 0;
}
 
void display(const std::string& message) {
    std::cout << message << std::endl;
}// http://programmingnotes.org/

QUICK NOTES:
The highlighted lines are sections of interest to look out for.

The code is heavily commented, so no further insight is necessary. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below.

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Posted in: Advanced, C++ Tags: c++, get files

C++ || How To Get A List Of Files At A Given Path Directory Using C++

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