PHP readdir() Function: Reading Directory Entries

The PHP readdir() function reads the next entry from an opened directory handle and returns the filename in the filesystem's sorting order.

Parameters

dir_handle – a resource representing the directory handle opened previously by opendir() .

Return value

Returns the filename as a string on success, or FALSE on failure.

Example

<?php
// Note: the !== operator does not exist before version 4.0.0‑RC2
if ($handle = opendir('/path/to/files')) {
    echo "Directory handle: $handle\n";
    echo "Files:\n";
    /* Correct way to iterate the directory */
    while (false !== ($file = readdir($handle))) {
        echo "$file\n";
    }
    /* Incorrect way to iterate the directory */
    while ($file = readdir($handle)) {
        echo "$file\n";
    }
    closedir($handle);
}
?>