How to Recursively Search for Files in Subfolders with PHP: Glob vs. RecursiveDirectoryIterator?

PHP Glob: Recursive Search for Files in Subfolders

When scanning a server for files, the need often arises to extend the search beyond the root folder to include subfolders and sub-subfolders. Here's how to achieve this using PHP's glob function and RecursiveDirectoryIterator.

Glob with Recursion

Glob provides a limited form of recursive search with the glob() function. However, it lacks support for certain options like GLOB_BRACE. To overcome this, you can use a custom function rglob() that recursively traverses the directory structure and returns a merged array of matching files:

function rglob($pattern, $flags = 0) {
    $files = glob($pattern, $flags); 
    foreach (glob(dirname($pattern).'/*', GLOB_ONLYDIR|GLOB_NOSORT) as $dir) {
        $files = array_merge(
            [],
            ...[$files, rglob($dir . "/" . basename($pattern), $flags)]
        );
    }
    return $files;
}

RecursiveDirectoryIterator

Another option for recursive search is the RecursiveDirectoryIterator class. It offers a more robust and extensible approach:

function rsearch($folder, $regPattern) {
    $dir = new RecursiveDirectoryIterator($folder);
    $ite = new RecursiveIteratorIterator($dir);
    $files = new RegexIterator($ite, $regPattern, RegexIterator::GET_MATCH);
    $fileList = array();
    foreach($files as $file) {
        $fileList = array_merge($fileList, $file);
    }
    return $fileList;
}

Comparison and Usage

Both rglob() and rsearch() can perform recursive file searches. RecursiveDirectoryIterator offers additional flexibility through its extensibility options. The choice between the two depends on your specific requirements and desired level of control.

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