Recursive glob search in php

glob_recursive.php

/*
 * License: DWTFYW
 */

/**
 * Search recusively for files in a base directory matching a glob pattern.
 * The `GLOB_NOCHECK` flag has no effect.
 *
 * @param  string $base Directory to search
 * @param  string $pattern Glob pattern to match files
 * @param  int $flags Glob flags from https://www.php.net/manual/function.glob.php
 * @return string[] Array of files matching the pattern
 */
function glob_recursive($base, $pattern, $flags = 0) {
	$flags = $flags & ~GLOB_NOCHECK;
	
	if (substr($base, -1) !== DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR) {
		$base .= DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR;
	}

	$files = glob($base.$pattern, $flags);
	if (!is_array($files)) {
		$files = [];
	}

	$dirs = glob($base.'*', GLOB_ONLYDIR|GLOB_NOSORT|GLOB_MARK);
	if (!is_array($dirs)) {
		return $files;
	}
	
	foreach ($dirs as $dir) {
		$dirFiles = glob_recursive($dir, $pattern, $flags);
		$files = array_merge($files, $dirFiles);
	}

	return $files;
}

Also GLOB_NOCHECK still returns an array with the pattern as a string not just the string pattern.

glob("*.txt", GLOB_NOCHECK)
// returns ["*.txt"] if no files found not "*.txt"

Here is a version that works with GLOB_NOCHECK

function glob_recursive($base, $pattern, $flags = 0) {
	$glob_nocheck = $flags & GLOB_NOCHECK;
	$flags = $flags & ~GLOB_NOCHECK;

	function check_folder($base, $pattern, $flags) {
		if (substr($base, -1) !== DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR) {
			$base .= DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR;
		}

		$files = glob($base.$pattern, $flags);
		if (!is_array($files)) {
			$files = [];
		}

		$dirs = glob($base.'*', GLOB_ONLYDIR|GLOB_NOSORT|GLOB_MARK);
		if (!is_array($dirs)) {
			return $files;
		}

		foreach ($dirs as $dir) {
			$dirFiles = check_folder($dir, $pattern, $flags);
			$files = array_merge($files, $dirFiles);
		}
		
		return $files;
	}
	$files = check_folder($base, $pattern, $flags);

	if ($glob_nocheck && count($files) === 0) {
		return [$pattern];
	}
	
	return $files;
}

Hi there, I used your marvelous second function glob_recursive, but, I need to say there is an issue when we want using the function glob_recursive twice or more per php run execution.

that one

The issue lead to a FATAL ERROR: Fatal error: Cannot redeclare check_folder() (previously declared in ....

SO... I found where is the issue:
you used a declaration of a sub-function in your second version of glob_recursive(), then unlike class methods, functions (or sub-functions are exported to a global namespace (OR) custom local and of course you certainly know function are not class).
sub-function (I call them like that but it's just a function that will be declared once the main parent function will be called).. cause an issue because once we call ONE time glob_recursive() the function is registered in the PHP execution... (meant : declared!)
finally if we call a second time glob_recursive() it lead to a force re-declare check_folder() function as it is a part of glob_recursive().

The fix is easy, (and I think you just forgot it, as your function is amazing):

Before line:
function check_folder($base, $pattern, $flags) {

Add just:
if (!function_exists('check_folder')) {

And we now must close the newly added "if" statement, so ...

Before line:
$files = check_folder($base, $pattern, $flags);

Add just an another :
}

And now, the glob_recursive() function can be called infinite amount of attempts !

By the way, thanks for the function !!

Thanks for this function! Do you have a package with it for composer?