Retrieve Files from a Directory in PHP

How can I access the filenames within a directory in PHP? Identifying the proper command has proven challenging. This question aims to provide assistance to individuals seeking similar solutions.

PHP offers several methods for obtaining file listings from a directory:

DirectoryIterator (Recommended)

This class allows for the iteration over files in a directory:

foreach (new DirectoryIterator('.') as $file) {
    if($file->isDot()) continue;
    print $file->getFilename() . '
';
}

scandir

This function retrieves an array of files and directories in a directory:

$files = scandir('.');
foreach($files as $file) {
    if($file == '.' || $file == '..') continue;
    print $file . '
';
}

readdir and opendir

This combination of functions provides access to a directory handle:

if ($handle = opendir('.')) {
    while (false !== ($file = readdir($handle))) {
        if($file == '.' || $file == '..') continue;
        print $file . '
';
    }
    closedir($handle);
}

glob

This function is useful for matching files based on patterns:

foreach (glob("*") as $file) {
    if($file == '.' || $file == '..') continue;
    print $file . '
';
}

Additional Notes

glob allows for more complex file matching using patterns, such as ''.txt' for text files or 'image_' for files starting with the prefix 'image_'.