CFileFinder - Extend the functionality of CFileFind MFC class

• Download source files & demo project - 36 Kb

Introduction

CFileFinder uses CFileFind to perform a file search starting from a directory and including optionally it's subdirectories in the search.

• A list of file paths is mantained internally.
• If we make use of the callback mechanism, new found file paths can be obtained immediatly.
• The class allows not only searches based on a file mask but also on the file size, file dates, text contents and file attributes.

Class methods

FindFiles

int FindFiles(LPCTSTR szBaseFolder, LPCTSTR szFileMask, BOOL bSubFolders = FALSE)

Search for files which match the mask szFileMask. This file mask can include one or more wildcard characters (* and ?)

Find

int Find(CFileFinder::CFindOpts &opts)

Find files matching the conditions established in the CFindOpts class parameter (See explanation of CFindOpts below)

FindTextInFile

BOOL FindTextInFile(LPCTSTR szFile, LPCTSTR szText)

Return TRUE if the text szText was found in the file szFile. It's internally used by the Find method. It's declared public to allow applications make use of this functionality.

GetFileCount

int GetFileCount()

Return the count of items found up to the moment the call is performed or the total of files found in the last Find or FindFiles operation.

GetFilePath

CPath GetFilePath(int nIndex)

Return a CPath object with the required file index path. In the CPath class there are two useful operators defined: operator LPCTSTR () and operator = (LPCTSTR szPath) which allows, for instance, direct assign from and to a CString object.

// ...

CString str1("c:\\temp\\list.txt"), str2;
CPath path;

path = str1;
str2 = path;

// at this point, str2 contains the 
// string "c:\temp\list.txt"

For more information about the CPath class see the related article.

FindPathItem

int FindPathItem(LPCTSTR szPath)

Return the index of the file whose path matches szPath or -1 if the file is not in the list.

RemoveAt

void RemoveAt(int nIndex)

Remove item at nIndex position.

RemoveAll

void RemoveAll()

Remove all items from the list.

SetCallback

void SetCallback(FILEFINDERPROC pFileFinderProc, void *pCustomParam)

Set the callback function pointer used by the search process from the Find method. The callback function is defined in the following way:

void FileFinderProc(CFileFinder *pFinder, 
        DWORD   dwCode, void    *pCustomParam);

• pFinder .- The calling CFileFinder object
• dwCode .- The calling reason:
• FF_FOUND - A new file was found
• FF_DISCARDED - A file matched the file mask but not all the conditions
• FF_FOLDER - The search in a new folder started
• FF_FINDTEXT - Searching for text in a file. This gives our applications the chance to process messages while searching text on big files.
• pCustomParam .- The same pointer passed to the function SetCallback.

The name of the new found file, when the dwCode parameter is FF_FOUND, can be obtained with a call like this:

pFinder->GetFilePath(pFinder->GetFileCount() - 1);

StopSearch

void StopSearch()

If this method is called from within the FileFinderProc callback function, the find process is stopped but the list of files is not deleted.

GetSearchingFolder

LPCTSTR GetSearchingFolder()

Calling this method from FileFinderProc when the dwCode parameter is FF_FOLDER, the name of the folder being searched is retrieved.

The CFindOpts class

This class help us configuring the search to be carried out. Its methods are simple helpers to set the class members easily for the most common searches.

Class members explained

• dwOptionsFlags - This flags indicate the constrains to be taken into account apart from the file mask
• FIND_SIZE - If the size of a file that matches the file mask is not in the range [nMinSize, nMaxSize], the file is discarded.
• FIND_DATEMODIFIED - The last modified file date must be in the range [tMinModified, tMaxModified]
• FIND_DATECREATED - The creation file date must be in the range [tMinCreated, tMaxCreated]
• FIND_DATEACCESSED - The last accessed file date must be in the range [tMinAccessed, tMaxAccessed]
• FIND_ATTRIBUTES - The attributes of the file found must match the dwFileAttributes member (this member can take the same values as the one with the same name in WIN32_FIND_DATA struct)
• FIND_TEXT - The file has to contain the text specified in sFindText
• sBaseFolder - The search root folder
• sFileMask - The file mask (e.g.: "*.txt", "fi?e.*")
• sFindText - Text that must be found in a file to consider it a match. Note that the flag FIND_TEXT must be added to dwOptionsFlags. If sFindText is empty the text search is not performed even if the FIND_TEXT is set
• bSubfolders - A boolean indicating whether the search must include subdirectories or not
• nMinSize / nMinSize - The file size range when the FIND_SIZE flag is set
• tMinCreated / tMaxCreated - The file creation date range when the FIND_DATECREATED flag is set
• tMinModified / tMaxModified - The file last modified range when the FIND_DATEMODIFIED flag is set
• tMinAccessed / tMaxAccessed - The file last accessed range when the FIND_DATEACCESSED flag is set
• dwFileAttributes - The file attributes when the FIND_ATTRIBUTES is set

Class methods

void Reset()

• empty sBaseFolder
• set sFileMask to "*.*"
• set bSubFolders to FALSE
• set nMinSize, nMaxSize to 0
• reset dwFileAttributes and dwOptionsFlags flags
• set all date members to the current date and time

void FindNormalFiles()

• add normal files (FILE_ATTRIBUTE_ARCHIVE) to the search
• add FIND_ATTRIBUTES to dwOptionsFlags

void FindAllFiles()

• add all files attributes to the search, even hidden files, system files.
• add FIND_ATTRIBUTES to dwOptionsFlags

void FindDirectories()

• add directories to the search (directories have an own attribute: FILE_ATTRIBUTE_DIRECTORY)
• add FIND_ATTRIBUTES to dwOptionsFlags

void FindText(LPCTSTR szText)

• set sFindText to szText
• add FIND_TEXT to dwOptionsFlags

Notes

The CPath class requires linking with the library shlwapi.lib

Sample code can be found in the source of the sample application provided with this article