getfilenames.m

Do a recursive search for files.

Description

Returns a cell array of all files matching the wildcard expression "refiles" beginning in the root folder "root". Includes subdirectories.

%---Example:
mfiles = getfilenames('c:\','*.m') will return all .m files on the c drive to the cell array "mfiles".

• MATLAB release: MATLAB 6.1 (R12.1)
• Other requirements: Tested only on Win 2000

[anonymous anonymous]

Nice file, but one request - Can you rewrite this so that instead of CD-ing between directories, your recursive calls to DIR include the right path information? This way if the program errors or is halted (say, with cntrl-c), you don't end up in some strange directory. This would also make the program more robust to potential network problems, too (eg, such as getting "abandoned" in a stale filesystem if a network drive is suddenly disconnnected after you've CD-ed into it).

If you can do that, I'd give this file a 4 or 5!

[Jerry Wagner]

Very good. Saved me a lot of time.

[Max Brugel]

Best thing since sliced bread.

[Shi vera]

it works well in Matlab2008a(7.6).Thanks for sharing!

[Steen Johansen]

Very nice. It is surprisingly fast. This will save me a lot of time.

[Marco]

Does not work for linux, because it uses the function "ismac" instead of isunix.
Additionally, I do not see why the wildcard should be set to an empty string on a mac, a '*' would make more sense, right?

Why not use the Matlab-original function 'what'? At least for Matlab-related files, it gives you exactly what you want to do with getfilenames.

[Nitin Kumar]

Works great... fast as well

[K E]

Useful. Wish Matlab had more builtins for file searching and management, since I write mfiles that have to be used by Windows users (no perl)

[K E]

No longer works recursively on R2010b, even thought it does on R2010a. I am not sure why.

[Sami Kanderian]

To make this code work for Matlab 2010b as well as other versions for both PC and Mac replace the lines 30 to 34:

if ispc
    wildcard='*.*';
elseif ismac
    wildcard='';
end

with:

wildcard='';

Now it will work with version 2010b