closedir
getcwd
Directory Functions
PHP Manual

# dir

Return an instance of the Directory class

### Description

Directory dir ( string `$directory` [, resource `$context` ] )

A pseudo-object oriented mechanism for reading a directory. The given `directory` is opened.

### Parameters

`directory`

  Directory to open

`context`

  > Note: Context support was added with PHP 5.0.0. For a description of contexts, refer to Streams.

### Return Values

Returns an instance of Directory, or `NULL` with wrong parameters, or `FALSE` in case of another error.

### Examples

Example #1 dir example

Please note the fashion in which Directory::read's return value is checked in the example below. We are explicitly testing whether the return value is identical to (equal to and of the same type as - see Comparison Operators for more information) `FALSE` since otherwise, any directory entry whose name evaluates to `FALSE` will stop the loop.

`<?php
$d = dir("/etc/php5");
echo "Handle: " . $d->handle . "\n";
echo "Path: " . $d->path . "\n";
while (false !== ($entry = $d->read())) {
echo $entry."\n";
}
$d->close();
?>`

The above example will output something similar to:

    Handle: Resource id #2
    Path: /etc/php5
    .
    ..
    apache
    cgi
    cli

### Notes

> Note:

> The order in which directory entries are returned by the read method is system-dependent.