31 Input/output library [input.output]

31.12 File systems [filesystems]

31.12.11 Class directory_iterator [fs.class.directory.iterator]

31.12.11.1 General [fs.class.directory.iterator.general]

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An object of type directory_iterator provides an iterator for a sequence of directory_entry elements representing the path and any cached attribute values ([fs.class.directory.entry]) for each file in a directory or in an implementation-defined directory-like file type.
[Note 1: 
For iteration into subdirectories, see class recursive_directory_iterator ([fs.class.rec.dir.itr]).
— end note]
namespace std::filesystem { class directory_iterator { public: using iterator_category = input_iterator_tag; using value_type = directory_entry; using difference_type = ptrdiff_t; using pointer = const directory_entry*; using reference = const directory_entry&; // [fs.dir.itr.members], member functions directory_iterator() noexcept; explicit directory_iterator(const path& p); directory_iterator(const path& p, directory_options options); directory_iterator(const path& p, error_code& ec); directory_iterator(const path& p, directory_options options, error_code& ec); directory_iterator(const directory_iterator& rhs); directory_iterator(directory_iterator&& rhs) noexcept; ~directory_iterator(); directory_iterator& operator=(const directory_iterator& rhs); directory_iterator& operator=(directory_iterator&& rhs) noexcept; const directory_entry& operator*() const; const directory_entry* operator->() const; directory_iterator& operator++(); directory_iterator& increment(error_code& ec); bool operator==(default_sentinel_t) const noexcept { return *this == directory_iterator(); } // other members as required by [input.iterators], input iterators }; }
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directory_iterator meets the Cpp17InputIterator requirements ([input.iterators]).
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If an iterator of type directory_iterator reports an error or is advanced past the last directory element, that iterator shall become equal to the end iterator value.
The directory_iterator default constructor shall create an iterator equal to the end iterator value, and this shall be the only valid iterator for the end condition.
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The end iterator is not dereferenceable.
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Two end iterators are always equal.
An end iterator shall not be equal to a non-end iterator.
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The result of calling the path() member of the directory_entry object obtained by dereferencing a directory_iterator is a reference to a path object composed of the directory argument from which the iterator was constructed with the filename of the directory entry appended as if by operator/=.
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Directory iteration shall not yield directory entries for the current (dot) and parent (dot-dot) directories.
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The order of directory entries obtained by dereferencing successive increments of a directory_iterator is unspecified.
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Constructors and non-const directory_iterator member functions store the values of any cached attributes ([fs.class.directory.entry]) in the directory_entry element returned by operator*().
directory_iterator member functions shall not directly or indirectly call any directory_entry refresh function.
[Note 2: 
The exact mechanism for storing cached attribute values is not exposed to users.
For exposition, class directory_iterator is shown in [fs.class.directory.entry] as a friend of class directory_entry.
— end note]
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[Note 3: 
A path obtained by dereferencing a directory iterator might not actually exist; it could be a symbolic link to a non-existent file.
Recursively walking directory trees for purposes of removing and renaming entries might invalidate symbolic links that are being followed.
— end note]
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[Note 4: 
If a file is removed from or added to a directory after the construction of a directory_iterator for the directory, it is unspecified whether or not subsequently incrementing the iterator will ever result in an iterator referencing the removed or added directory entry.
See POSIX readdir.
— end note]