Findallfiles question

[Ten_Mile_Hike]

I know that the following code doesn't use Try/Finally or create/free a Tstringlist.
It is just a simple example to get my question across.

The procedure below finds only 1345 *.txt files on my C: drive
but the excellent freeware program "Everything" finds 2232 *.txt files there.
Investigation finds that my code can not parse certain folders on my drive.
I assume that this is because of "Permissions". I have tried running the
executable outside of Lazarus "as admin", with no help.

HOW CAN I LIST ALL 2232 FILES ON MY C: DRIVE LIKE "EVERYTHING" DOES?

Latest Laz/FPC release, Win 11

procedure TForm1.Button1Click(Sender: TObject);
begin
  memo1.Lines  := FindAllFiles('.\C:\', '*.txt', True);
end; 


Thank You

[KodeZwerg]

Be aware that tools like "Everything" also list archive or cache/temp folder data ...
Untested, just written in here so there might be errors.

Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]

1. function FindFiles(const Path, Mask: string): TStringList;
2. var
3.   SearchRec: TSearchRec;
4.   CurrentPath: string;
5. begin
6.   Result := TStringList.Create;
7.   try
8.     if Path[Length(Path)] <> '\' then
9.       CurrentPath := Path + '\'
10.     else
11.       CurrentPath := Path;
12.  
13.     if FindFirst(CurrentPath + Mask, faAnyFile, SearchRec) =  0 then
14.     begin
15.       repeat
16.         Result.Add(CurrentPath + SearchRec.Name);
17.       until FindNext(SearchRec) <>  0;
18.       FindClose(SearchRec);
19.     end;
20.  
21.     if FindFirst(CurrentPath + '*', faDirectory, SearchRec) =  0 then
22.     begin
23.       repeat
24.         if (SearchRec.Attr and faDirectory <>  0) and (SearchRec.Name <> '.') and (SearchRec.Name <> '..') then
25.           Result.AddStrings(FindFiles(CurrentPath + SearchRec.Name, Mask));
26.       until FindNext(SearchRec) <>  0;
27.       FindClose(SearchRec);
28.     end;
29.   except
30.     Result.Free;
31.     raise;
32.   end;
33. end;

I guess the TStringList handling must be outsourced, right now it destroy itself I think

[Ten_Mile_Hike]

KodeZwerg,

Thank You. I will play with this this tomorrow.
I am surprised and relieved that it was not a
Windows "Permissions"/"Ownership" thingy.

[TRon]

@Ten_Mile_Hike:
I do not know the program you refer to but a quick glance at their webpage seem to suggest that the program is able to export a filelist (does require the program can export filenames with their full path).

Do export and then load the produced list into a stringlist. Then use the code from KodeZwerg to create a simlar list (full paths included) and load that into another stringlist. Now you can compare the two lists and try to determine which files are missing (if any). Make sure to allow for the stringlist to accept duplicates. (brain-farth, see also below. Thx for noticing Zvoni)

Instead of KodeZwerg's code you could also check against the findallfiles results from you own code.

[Bart]

Well, I tried similar (for stress testing) and got an exception because FindAllFiles tried to access folders it wasn't supposed to.
So that's gonna be an issue.

Bart

[Zvoni]

Make sure to allow for the stringlist to accept duplicates.

Whatever for????
A file including its complete Path is UNIQUE for the Volume it resides on.
If you take into account, that on Windows you have different Letters for "Drives", and on *nix you have a complete folder-tree starting at root (independent if there are mutiple physical Disks mounted somewhere in the tree), it's even UNIQUE across the board (=Computer)

[TRon]

Whatever for????

Are you familiar with the situation that your mind is saying one thing but your hands are still in the process of writing something down that happened 10 thoughts ago ? And that sometimes these two things mingle ?

It is a poor excuses from my side and one which is (or can be) expensive to the reader, so my apologies because you are absolutely right Zvoni. The thing I wrote down and that you quoted makes no sense whatsoever 

Should be corrected now. Thank you for having brought that to my attention.

[Zvoni]

Should be corrected now. Thank you for having brought that to my attention.

No Problem.
I suffer from the occasional brainfart, too

EDIT: The idea with the two StringLists is not a bad one, but I'd probably go for an InMemory (SQLite) Database with two tables.
Throw the first result into table1, the second result into table2, then Query with a Full outer join, which file (incl. Paths) is in which table resp. which file is missing where.
Pretty easy, IMO