DirTree Lua Reference Documentation
chilkat.DirTree
Current Version: 11.7.0
Markdown version of this page for AI tools (v 11.7.0) · all AI docs
Chilkat.DirTree
Iterate through the contents of a base directory, either recursively or
one level at a time.
Get the current item's full path, relative path, UNC path, size, and
directory/file status.
Traverse entire directory trees when an application needs to process all
nested files and folders.
Limit iteration to the immediate contents of the base directory when
deeper traversal is not needed.
Use absolute or relative paths depending on whether the application needs
filesystem access or archive-style relative names.
Use
For an extended overview, see
DirTree Class Overview.
Iterate through files and subdirectories under a base directory.
Chilkat.DirTree is a lightweight directory-tree iterator for
traversing files and subdirectories under a selected base directory. It
supports recursive and non-recursive traversal and exposes useful information
about the current item, including absolute path, UNC path, relative path,
file size, and whether the current item is a directory.
Directory traversal
Current-item details
Recursive scanning
Non-recursive listing
Path-friendly output
Error-aware iteration
DoneIterating to distinguish normal completion from an
error when an iteration method returns false.
DoneIterating when iteration stops to determine whether traversal
completed normally or ended because of an error.
Object Creation
local chilkat = require("chilkat")
local dir_tree = chilkat.DirTree.new()Creates the object (chilkat.DirTree() does the same). Lua's garbage collector frees it when it is no longer referenced; dir_tree:dispose() frees it at once, and in Lua 5.4 and later local dir_tree <close> = chilkat.DirTree.new() frees it when the block ends. Calling a method of a disposed object raises an error.
Errors
A method that fails returns nil followed by the error text, as io.open does: local body, err = dir_tree:method(...), where err is the object's last_error_text. Wrap the call in assert() to raise an error with that text instead. Methods that answer a question return true or false, numbers are returned as they are (check last_method_success where the description says a value means failure), and property reads and writes never fail for Chilkat reasons.
Misuse raises a Lua error: a wrong argument type or a missing argument (bad argument #1 to ...), an unknown property name, a write to a read-only property, an out-of-range integer, or an object of the wrong class.
Names are Chilkat's in snake_case: QuickGetStr is quick_get_str, LastErrorText is last_error_text. Properties are fields (dir_tree.verbose_logging = true) and methods use the colon (dir_tree:method(...)). Strings are UTF-8; binary data is a Lua string of bytes. Indexes are 0-based, as in every Chilkat API. Unlocking: call chilkat.unlock_bundle("...") once at startup.
Properties
BaseDir
local strVal = dir_tree.base_dir
dir_tree.base_dir = strVal
Specifies the root directory whose contents are traversed. Set this property before calling BeginIterate.
The value may be an absolute filesystem path or a relative path. A relative path is resolved from the calling process's current working directory.
Recurse property determines whether nested levels are included.
DebugLogFilePath
local strVal = dir_tree.debug_log_file_path
dir_tree.debug_log_file_path = strVal
If set to a file path, this property logs the LastErrorText of each Chilkat method or property call to the specified file. This logging helps identify the context and history of Chilkat calls leading up to any crash or hang, aiding in debugging.
Enabling the VerboseLogging property provides more detailed information. This property is mainly used for debugging rare instances where a Chilkat method call causes a hang or crash, which should generally not happen.
Possible causes of hangs include:
- A timeout property set to 0, indicating an infinite timeout.
- A hang occurring within an event callback in the application code.
- An internal bug in the Chilkat code causing the hang.
DoneIterating
local boolVal = dir_tree.done_iterating
Indicates whether the traversal has reached its normal end and no current item remains.
This property is especially important because both BeginIterate and AdvancePosition can return false for either normal completion or an error:
| Method result | DoneIterating |
Meaning |
|---|---|---|
false |
true |
The directory was empty, or the last item has been passed. This is normal completion. |
false |
false |
An error occurred. Examine LastErrorText. |
FileSize32
local intVal = dir_tree.file_size32
Returns the size of the current file in bytes as a 32-bit integer. The value is 0 when the current item is a directory.
FileSize64 when the language binding provides it, or FileSizeStr when a decimal string is more portable.
FileSize64
local intVal = dir_tree.file_size64
Returns the size of the current file in bytes as a 64-bit integer. The value is 0 when the current item is a directory.
This is the preferred numeric size property for files that may exceed the range of FileSize32. In bindings that do not expose a 64-bit integer property, use FileSizeStr.
FileSizeStr
local strVal = dir_tree.file_size_str
Returns the size of the current file in bytes as an unsigned decimal string. The value is 0 when the current item is a directory.
This representation is useful for very large files and for language bindings where a 64-bit integer is unavailable or inconvenient. Convert the string to an appropriate arbitrary-precision or 64-bit numeric type only when arithmetic is required.
topFullPath
local strVal = dir_tree.full_path
Returns the absolute filesystem path of the current file or subdirectory, including the item's name.
The path uses the native path syntax for the operating system. For a path relative to BaseDir, use RelativePath.
FullUncPath
local strVal = dir_tree.full_unc_path
Returns the current item's Windows extended-length absolute path. For example, a local path may be returned as \\?\C:\data\reports\file.txt; a network path may use the \\?\UNC\server\share\... form.
\\?\ prefix asks Windows to use extended-length path parsing and is useful when working with paths that may exceed legacy path-length limits. Use FullPath when an ordinary native absolute path is preferred.
IsDirectory
local boolVal = dir_tree.is_directory
Returns true when the current item is a subdirectory and false when it is a file.
Check this property before using a file-size property. Directory items report a size of 0.
LastErrorHtml
local strVal = dir_tree.last_error_html
Provides HTML-formatted information about the last called method or property. If a method call fails or behaves unexpectedly, check this property for details. Note that information is available regardless of the method call's success.
topLastErrorText
local strVal = dir_tree.last_error_text
Provides plain text information about the last called method or property. If a method call fails or behaves unexpectedly, check this property for details. Note that information is available regardless of the method call's success.
LastErrorXml
local strVal = dir_tree.last_error_xml
Provides XML-formatted information about the last called method or property. If a method call fails or behaves unexpectedly, check this property for details. Note that information is available regardless of the method call's success.
topLastMethodSuccess
local boolVal = dir_tree.last_method_success
dir_tree.last_method_success = boolVal
Indicates the success or failure of the most recent method call: true means success, false means failure. This property remains unchanged by property setters or getters. This method is present to address challenges in checking for null or Nothing returns in certain programming languages. Note: This property does not apply to methods that return integer values or to boolean-returning methods where the boolean does not indicate success or failure.
Recurse
local boolVal = dir_tree.recurse
dir_tree.recurse = boolVal
Controls whether traversal descends into nested subdirectories.
true |
Visit files and directories throughout the complete tree rooted at BaseDir. |
|---|---|
false |
Visit only the immediate contents of BaseDir. |
The default value is true. Set this property before calling BeginIterate.
RelativePath
local strVal = dir_tree.relative_path
Returns the path of the current file or subdirectory relative to BaseDir, including the item's name.
For example, if BaseDir is C:\data and the current item is C:\data\images\logo.png, this property returns images\logo.png on Windows. Path separators follow the operating system's native convention.
UncommonOptions
local strVal = dir_tree.uncommon_options
dir_tree.uncommon_options = strVal
Provides a comma-separated list of specialized compatibility options. The default is the empty string, and applications should normally leave it unchanged.
| Keyword | Effect |
|---|---|
Q_EncodePaths |
Returns path-valued output properties in Chilkat's Q-encoded representation. Introduced in Chilkat v11.1.0. This changes only the returned string representation; it does not change which filesystem items are traversed. |
VerboseLogging
local boolVal = dir_tree.verbose_logging
dir_tree.verbose_logging = boolVal
If set to true, then the contents of LastErrorText (or LastErrorXml, or LastErrorHtml) may contain more verbose information. The default value is false. Verbose logging should only be used for debugging. The potentially large quantity of logged information may adversely affect peformance.
Version
local strVal = dir_tree.version
Methods
AdvancePosition
local ok, err = dir_tree:advance_position()
Advances the traversal from the current item to the next file or subdirectory.
If the method returns true, the current-item properties—such as FullPath, RelativePath, IsDirectory, and the file-size properties—describe the newly selected item.
| Return value | DoneIterating |
Meaning |
|---|---|---|
true |
false |
The iterator advanced successfully and a current item is available. |
false |
true |
The last item has been passed; traversal completed normally. |
false |
false |
An error occurred. Examine LastErrorText. |
Returns true on success, nil, err on failure. The second return value, err, is the object's last_error_text; wrap the call in assert() to raise an error instead.
BeginIterate
local ok, err = dir_tree:begin_iterate()
Initializes a new traversal using the current BaseDir and Recurse settings.
If the method returns true, the iterator is positioned at the first file or subdirectory, and the current-item properties can be read immediately. Continue by processing that item and then calling AdvancePosition.
| Return value | DoneIterating |
Meaning |
|---|---|---|
true |
false |
The first item is available. |
false |
true |
The directory contains no items in the selected traversal scope. This is not an error. |
false |
false |
Initialization failed. Examine LastErrorText. |
BeginIterate or AdvancePosition.
Returns true on success, nil, err on failure. The second return value, err, is the object's last_error_text; wrap the call in assert() to raise an error instead.