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DirectoryGetFiles Method (String, String, SearchOption)
Returns the names of files (including their paths) that match the specified search pattern in the specified directory, using a value to determine whether to search subdirectories.

Namespace: System.IO
Assembly: mscorlib (in mscorlib.dll) Version: 4.0.0.0
Syntax
C#
Copy
public static string[] GetFiles(
	string path,
	string searchPattern,
	SearchOption searchOption
)

Parameters

path
Type: SystemString
The directory to search.
searchPattern
Type: SystemString
The search string to match against the names of files in path. The parameter cannot end in two periods ("..") or contain two periods ("..") followed by DirectorySeparatorChar or AltDirectorySeparatorChar, nor can it contain any of the characters in InvalidPathChars.
searchOption
Type: System.IOSearchOption
One of the SearchOption values that specifies whether the search operation should include all subdirectories or only the current directory.

Return Value

Type: String
A String array containing the names of files in the specified directory that match the specified search pattern. File names include the full path.
Exceptions
ExceptionCondition
ArgumentExceptionpath is a zero-length string, contains only white space, or contains one or more invalid characters as defined by InvalidPathChars. -or- searchPattern does not contain a valid pattern.
ArgumentNullExceptionpath or searchpattern is null.
ArgumentOutOfRangeExceptionsearchOption is not a valid SearchOption value.
UnauthorizedAccessExceptionThe caller does not have the required permission.
DirectoryNotFoundExceptionThe specified path is invalid (for example, it is on an unmapped drive).
PathTooLongExceptionThe specified path, file name, or both exceed the system-defined maximum length. For example, on Windows-based platforms, paths must be less than 248 characters and file names must be less than 260 characters.
IOExceptionpath is a file name.-or-A network error has occurred.
See Also