NAME¶
fileutil_traverse - Iterative directory traversal
SYNOPSIS¶
package require
Tcl 8.3
package require
fileutil::traverse ?0.4.3?
package require
fileutil
package require
control
::fileutil::traverse ?
objectName?
path ?
option
value...?
$traverser command ?
arg arg ...?
$traverser files
$traverser foreach filevar script
$traverser next filevar
DESCRIPTION¶
This package provides objects for the programmable traversal of directory
hierarchies. The main command exported by the package is:
- ::fileutil::traverse ?objectName? path ?option
value...?
- The command creates a new traversal object with an associated global Tcl
command whose name is objectName. This command may be used to
invoke various operations on the traverser. If the string %AUTO% is
used as the objectName then a unique name will be generated by the
package itself.
Regarding the recognized options see section OPTIONS. Note that all
these options can be set only during the creation of the traversal object.
Changing them later is not possible and causes errors to be thrown if
attempted.
The object command has the following general form:
- $traverser command ?arg arg ...?
- Command and its arguments determine the exact behavior of
the object.
The following commands are possible for traversal objects:
- $traverser files
- This method is the most highlevel one provided by traversal objects. When
invoked it returns a list containing the names of all files and
directories matching the current configuration of the traverser.
- $traverser foreach filevar script
- The highlevel files method (see above) is based on this mid-level
method. When invoked it finds all files and directories matching per the
current configuration and executes the script for each path. The
current path under consideration is stored in the variable named by
filevar. Both variable and script live / are executed in the
context of the caller of the method. In the method files the script
simply saves the found paths into the list to return.
- $traverser next filevar
- This is the lowest possible interface to the traverser, the core all
higher methods are built on. When invoked it returns a boolean value
indicating whether it found a path matching the current configuration (
True), or not (False). If a path was found it is stored into
the variable named by filevar, in the context of the caller. The
foreach method simply calls this method in a loop until it returned
False. This method is exposed so that we are also able to
incrementally traverse a directory hierarchy in an event-based
manner.
OPTIONS¶
- -prefilter command_prefix
- This callback is executed for directories. Its result determines if the
traverser recurses into the directory or not. The default is to always
recurse into all directories. The callback is invoked with a single
argument, the absolute path of the directory, and has to return a
boolean value, True when the directory passes the filter, and
False if not.
- -filter command_prefix
- This callback is executed for all paths. Its result determines if the
current path is a valid result, and returned by next. The default
is to accept all paths as valid. The callback is invoked with a single
argument, the absolute path to check, and has to return a boolean
value, True when the path passes the filter, and False if
not.
- -errorcmd command_prefix
- This callback is executed for all paths the traverser has trouble with.
Like being unable to change into them, get their status, etc. The default
is to ignore any such problems. The callback is invoked with a two
arguments, the absolute path for which the error occured, and the
error message. Errors thrown by the filter callbacks are handled through
this callback too. Errors thrown by the error callback itself are not
caught and ignored, but allowed to pass to the caller, i.e. however
invoked the next. Any other results from the callback are
ignored.
BUGS, IDEAS, FEEDBACK¶
This document, and the package it describes, will undoubtedly contain bugs and
other problems. Please report such in the category
fileutil of the
Tcllib Trackers [
http://core.tcl.tk/tcllib/reportlist]. Please also
report any ideas for enhancements you may have for either package and/or
documentation.
KEYWORDS¶
directory traversal, traversal
CATEGORY¶
Programming tools