PHP scandir() Function

Example

List files and directories inside the images directory:

<?php
$dir = "/images/";

// Sort in ascending order - this is default
$a = scandir($dir);

// Sort in descending order
$b = scandir($dir,1);

print_r($a);
print_r($b);
?>

Result:

Array
(
[0] => .
[1] => ..
[2] => cat.gif
[3] => dog.gif
[4] => horse.gif
[5] => myimages
)
Array
(
[0] => myimages
[1] => horse.gif
[2] => dog.gif
[3] => cat.gif
[4] => ..
[5] => .
)

Definition and Usage

The scandir() function returns an array of files and directories of the specified directory.

Syntax

scandir(directory, order, context)

Parameter Values

Parameter	Description
directory	Required. Specifies the directory to be scanned
order	Optional. Specifies the sorting order. Default sort order is alphabetical in ascending order (0). Set to SCANDIR_SORT_DESCENDING or 1 to sort in alphabetical descending order, or SCANDIR_SORT_NONE to return the result unsorted
context	Optional. Specifies the context of the directory handle. Context is a set of options that can modify the behavior of a stream

Technical Details

Return Value:	An array of files and directories on success, FALSE on failure. Throws an E_WARNING if directory is not a directory
PHP Version:	5.0+
PHP Changelog:	PHP 5.4: The order constants were added

❮ PHP Directory Reference