Java - Search for files in a directory

Using Java 8+ features we can write the code in few lines:

protected static Collection<Path> find(String fileName, String searchDirectory) throws IOException { try (Stream<Path> files = Files.walk(Paths.get(searchDirectory))) { return files .filter(f -> f.getFileName().toString().equals(fileName)) .collect(Collectors.toList()); } } 

Files.walk returns a Stream<Path> which is "walking the file tree rooted at" the given searchDirectory. To select the desired files only a filter is applied on the Stream files. It compares the file name of a Path with the given fileName.

Note that the documentation of Files.walk requires

This method must be used within a try-with-resources statement or similar control structure to ensure that the stream's open directories are closed promptly after the stream's operations have completed.

I'm using the try-resource-statement.

For advanced searches an alternative is to use a PathMatcher:

protected static Collection<Path> find(String searchDirectory, PathMatcher matcher) throws IOException { try (Stream<Path> files = Files.walk(Paths.get(searchDirectory))) { return files .filter(matcher::matches) .collect(Collectors.toList()); } } 

An example how to use it to find a certain file:

public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException { String searchDirectory = args[0]; String fileName = args[1]; PathMatcher matcher = FileSystems.getDefault().getPathMatcher("regex:.*" + fileName); Collection<Path> find = find(searchDirectory, matcher); System.out.println(find); } 

More about it: Oracle Finding Files tutorial

With **Java 8* there is an alternative that use streams and lambdas:

public static void recursiveFind(Path path, Consumer<Path> c) { try (DirectoryStream<Path> newDirectoryStream = Files.newDirectoryStream(path)) { StreamSupport.stream(newDirectoryStream.spliterator(), false) .peek(p -> { c.accept(p); if (p.toFile() .isDirectory()) { recursiveFind(p, c); } }) .collect(Collectors.toList()); } catch (IOException e) { e.printStackTrace(); } } 

So this will print all the files recursively:

recursiveFind(Paths.get("."), System.out::println); 

And this will search for a file:

recursiveFind(Paths.get("."), p -> { if (p.toFile().getName().toString().equals("src")) { System.out.println(p); } }); 

This looks like a homework question, so I'll just give you a few pointers:

Try to give good distinctive variable names. Here you used "fileName" first for the directory, and then for the file. That is confusing, and won't help you solve the problem. Use different names for different things.

You're not using Scanner for anything, and it's not needed here, get rid of it.

Furthermore, the accept method should return a boolean value. Right now, you are trying to return a String. Boolean means that it should either return true or false. For example return a > 0; may return true or false, depending on the value of a. But return fileName; will just return the value of fileName, which is a String.

If you want to use a dynamic filename filter you can implement FilenameFilter and pass in the constructor the dynamic name.

Of course this implies taht you must instantiate every time the class (overhead), but it works

Example:

public class DynamicFileNameFilter implements FilenameFilter { private String comparingname; public DynamicFileNameFilter(String comparingName){ this.comparingname = comparingName; } @Override public boolean accept(File dir, String name) { File file = new File(name); if (name.equals(comparingname) && !file.isDirectory()) return false; else return true; } } 

then you use where you need:

FilenameFilter fileNameFilter = new DynamicFileNameFilter("thedynamicNameorpatternYouAreSearchinfor"); File[] matchingFiles = dir.listFiles(fileNameFilter); 

I have used a different approach to search for a file using stack.. keeping in mind that there could be folders inside a folder. Though its not faster than windows search(and I was not expecting that though) but it definitely gives out correct result. Please modify the code as you wish to. This code was originally made to extract the file path of certain file extension :). Feel free to optimize.

import java.io.File; import java.io.IOException; import java.util.ArrayList; import java.util.List; /** * @author Deepankar Sinha */ public class GetList { public List<String> stack; static List<String> lnkFile; static List<String> progName; int index=-1; public static void main(String args[]) throws IOException { //var-- progFile:Location of the file to be search. String progFile="C:\\"; GetList obj=new GetList(); String temp=progFile; int i; while(!"&%@#".equals(temp)) { File dir=new File(temp); String[] directory=dir.list(); if(directory!=null){ for(String name: directory) { if(new File(temp+name).isDirectory()) obj.push(temp+name+"\\"); else if(new File(temp+name).isFile()) { try{ //".exe can be replaced with file name to be searched. Just exclude name.substring()... you know what to do.:) if(".exe".equals(name.substring(name.lastIndexOf('.'), name.length()))) { //obj.addFile(temp+name,name); System.out.println(temp+name); } }catch(StringIndexOutOfBoundsException e) { //debug purpose System.out.println("ERROR******"+temp+name); } } }} temp=obj.pop(); } obj.display(); // for(int i=0;i<directory.length;i++) // System.out.println(directory[i]); } public GetList() { this.stack = new ArrayList<>(); this.lnkFile=new ArrayList<>(); this.progName=new ArrayList<>(); } public void push(String dir) { index++; //System.out.println("PUSH : "+dir+" "+index); this.stack.add(index,dir); } public String pop() { String dir=""; if(index==-1) return "&%@#"; else { dir=this.stack.get(index); //System.out.println("POP : "+dir+" "+index); index--; } return dir; } public void addFile(String name,String name2) { lnkFile.add(name); progName.add(name2); } public void display() { GetList.lnkFile.stream().forEach((lnkFile1) -> { System.out.println(lnkFile1); }); } } 

The Following code helps to search for a file in directory and open its location

import java.io.*; import java.util.*; import java.awt.Desktop; public class Filesearch2 { public static void main(String[] args)throws IOException { Filesearch2 fs = new Filesearch2(); Scanner scan = new Scanner(System.in); System.out.println("Enter the file to be searched.. " ); String name = scan.next(); System.out.println("Enter the directory where to search "); String directory = scan.next(); fs.findFile(name,new File(directory)); } public void findFile(String name,File file1)throws IOException { File[] list = file1.listFiles(); if(list!=null) { for(File file2 : list) { if (file2.isDirectory()) { findFile(name,file2); } else if (name.equalsIgnoreCase(file2.getName())) { System.out.println("Found"); System.out.println("File found at : "+file2.getParentFile()); System.out.println("Path diectory: "+file2.getAbsolutePath()); String p1 = ""+file2.getParentFile(); File f2 = new File(p1); Desktop.getDesktop().open(f2); } } } } } 

This method will recursively search thru each directory starting at the root, until the fileName is found, or all remaining results come back null.

public static String searchDirForFile(String dir, String fileName) { File[] files = new File(dir).listFiles(); for(File f:files) { if(f.isDirectory()) { String loc = searchDirForFile(f.getPath(), fileName); if(loc != null) return loc; } if(f.getName().equals(fileName)) return f.getPath(); } return null; } 

public class searchingFile { static String path;//defining(not initializing) these variables outside main static String filename;//so that recursive function can access them static int counter=0;//adding static so that can be accessed by static methods public static void main(String[] args) //main methods begins { Scanner sc=new Scanner(System.in); System.out.println("Enter the path : "); path=sc.nextLine(); //storing path in path variable System.out.println("Enter file name : "); filename=sc.nextLine(); //storing filename in filename variable searchfile(path);//calling our recursive function and passing path as argument System.out.println("Number of locations file found at : "+counter);//Printing occurences } public static String searchfile(String path)//declaring recursive function having return //type and argument both strings { File file=new File(path);//denoting the path File[] filelist=file.listFiles();//storing all the files and directories in array for (int i = 0; i < filelist.length; i++) //for loop for accessing all resources { if(filelist[i].getName().equals(filename))//if loop is true if resource name=filename { System.out.println("File is present at : "+filelist[i].getAbsolutePath()); //if loop is true,this will print it's location counter++;//counter increments if file found } if(filelist[i].isDirectory())// if resource is a directory,we want to inside that folder { path=filelist[i].getAbsolutePath();//this is the path of the subfolder searchfile(path);//this path is again passed into the searchfile function //and this countinues untill we reach a file which has //no sub directories } } return path;// returning path variable as it is the return type and also // because function needs path as argument. } } 

I tried many ways to find the file type I wanted, and here are my results when done.

public static void main( String args[]){ final String dir2 = System.getProperty("user.name"); \\get user name String path = "C:\\Users\\" + dir2; digFile(new File(path)); \\ path is file start to dig for (int i = 0; i < StringFile.size(); i++) { System.out.println(StringFile.get(i)); } } private void digFile(File dir) { FilenameFilter filter = new FilenameFilter() { public boolean accept(File dir, String name) { return name.endsWith(".mp4"); } }; String[] children = dir.list(filter); if (children == null) { return; } else { for (int i = 0; i < children.length; i++) { StringFile.add(dir+"\\"+children[i]); } } File[] directories; directories = dir.listFiles(new FileFilter() { @Override public boolean accept(File file) { return file.isDirectory(); } public boolean accept(File dir, String name) { return !name.endsWith(".mp4"); } }); if(directories!=null) { for (File directory : directories) { digFile(directory); } } }