getFiles

getFiles

Retrieves only the files within a specified directory. It can optionally return detailed metadata arrays for each file, including extension, converted human-readable file size, creation, modification, and access timestamps, as well as permissions.

📌 This method normalizes file paths into standardized URLs (file://) using a configured directory separator. It automatically filters out directories, dot directories (. and ..), and symlinks.

Usage

getFiles(?string $directory = null, bool $details = false, bool $perms = false): array|bool

Parameters

directory (string) : The directory path to scan. If null, defaults to the directory where the script initially ran. ^(optional)^

If no $directory argument is supplied, the method automatically targets $this->path, running the scan on the initialization directory where the script first executed.

details (bool) : If set to true, returns a multidimensional array containing detailed metadata for each file. If set to false, returns a flat array of file names. (default: false) ^(optional)^

perms (bool) : If set to true (and $details is true), includes converted octal permission string in the metadata. (default: false) ^(optional)^

Return Value

(array|bool) : Returns an array containing only the found files (either as string names or metadata arrays). : Returns false if the directory does not exist or cannot be parsed by either the main iterator or the fallback handler.

Public Properties

Upon a successful scan, this method automatically updates the following public properties on the object:

• $files (int) - The total number of files discovered. Defaults to 0 if the scan fails.

Examples

1. Basic Structure ($details = false)

Returns a simple list of folder names.

$file->getFiles($directory)
// Result: 
[
    'index.php',
    'README.md'
]

2. Detailed Structure ($details = true, $perms = true)

Returns descriptive associative arrays for each file found.

$file->getFiles($directory, true, true)
// Result:
[
    [
        'file'      => 'index.php',
        'path'      => '/var/www/project/index.php',
        'ext'       => 'php',
        'size'      => '14.2 KB',
        'created'   => 'MM/DD/YYYY MM:SS AM|PM',
        'modified'  => 'MM/DD/YYYY MM:SS AM|PM',
        'accessed'  => 'MM/DD/YYYY MM:SS AM|PM',
        'perms'     => '0644'
    ],
    [
        'file'      => 'README.md',
        'path'      => '/var/www/project/README.md',
        'ext'       => 'md',
        'size'      => '2.5 KB',
        'created'   => 'MM/DD/YYYY MM:SS AM|PM',
        'modified'  => 'MM/DD/YYYY MM:SS AM|PM',
        'accessed'  => 'MM/DD/YYYY MM:SS AM|PM',
        'perms'     => '0644'
    ]
]

Debug Errors

• Triggers a warning if the target directory does not exist or if the fallback reader fails to open the stream.

Related Methods

getDirectory | getFolders

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