{"id":4381,"date":"2013-02-15T09:00:28","date_gmt":"2013-02-15T14:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.mathworks.com\/pick\/?p=4381"},"modified":"2013-02-14T19:17:58","modified_gmt":"2013-02-15T00:17:58","slug":"recursive-directory-searching-for-multiple-file-specs-revisited","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.mathworks.com\/pick\/2013\/02\/15\/recursive-directory-searching-for-multiple-file-specs-revisited\/","title":{"rendered":"Recursive directory searching for multiple file specs…Revisited"},"content":{"rendered":"
\r\n <\/introduction>\r\n

Brett<\/a>'s Pick this week is DIR2<\/a>, by Jonathan Sullivan<\/a>.\r\n <\/p>\r\n

And now...A Recursive DIR<\/tt> Command that Accommodates a Complex Filterspec!\r\n <\/p>\r\n

In my most recent blog post<\/a>, I commented on the fact that we don't have a ready way in MATLAB of providing a complex filter specifier in a call to DIR<\/tt>. I laid out a list of things I'd like<\/i> to be able to do with DIR<\/tt>, and challenged our readers to jump in the game.\r\n <\/p>\r\n

And jump in you did!<\/p>\r\n

I also promised to feature in my next Pick of the Week (i.e., this one), the first author and submission that met all of the\r\n criteria I laid out. The submission, I wrote, should:\r\n <\/p>\r\n

\r\n
    \r\n
  1. enable searching for multiple file formats;<\/li>\r\n
  2. allow recursive or non-recursive searches;<\/li>\r\n
  3. provide a command-line (non-GUI) interface;<\/li>\r\n
  4. work \"out-of-the-box\" in R2012b--without requiring a lot of effort on my (a user's) part;<\/li>\r\n
  5. return results in the same format that the dir<\/tt> command returns; and\r\n <\/li>\r\n
  6. be shared under a BSD license.<\/li>\r\n <\/ol>\r\n <\/div>\r\n

    The ink had barely dried on my Post before I received a link from Evgeny to a file that appears to meet most<\/i> of my criteria. But that file is not shared on the File Exchange. And I have the sense that if I were better at understanding\r\n his instructions and writing my own regular expressions, Evgeny's dirwalk<\/a> could be coerced to do what I requested. For his efforts, we'll be sending Evgeny some MATLAB swag.\r\n <\/p>\r\n

    Only slightly later in the afternoon, Jonathan shared his own submission to \"DIR2: Recursive Directory Searching for Multiple File Specs\"<\/a>. I was already thrilled with Jonathan's submission--he had earned this honor--when it got even better. Less than two weeks\r\n after the challenge was issued and DIR2 was uploaded, Jonathan improved his submission by converting it to MEX<\/a> to speed it up. And it is fast! Very nice job, Jonathan--your file does everything I requested, and is exceptionally easy\r\n to use! For your efforts and code, an A+, a Pick-of-the-Week tag, and some cool swag coming your way!\r\n <\/p>\r\n

    Before I move on: Mikko, if you can show me how to get ls2<\/a> to do what I requested, I'll send you some swag, too. I tried, but can't seem to get the desired results.\r\n <\/p>\r\n

    As always, I welcome your thoughts and comments<\/a>.\r\n <\/p>