How Can I Find Files Matching Wildcard Patterns in Java Using Apache Commons-IO?

Finding Files with Wildcard Patterns in Java

The question at hand involves finding a way to identify files that match a wildcard string, such as "../Test?/sample*.txt," in Java. Despite the availability of Apache commons-io's WildcardFileFilter, there may be some confusion about its implementation for finding files in relative directory paths.

Using Apache Commons-IO

To utilize FileUtils from Apache commons-io, the following code snippet can be employed:

File dir = new File(".");
FileFilter fileFilter = new WildcardFileFilter("sample*.java");
File[] files = dir.listFiles(fileFilter);

This code will return an array of matching files within the current directory.

Handling Directories

To search for files within subdirectories, such as "Test1" and "Test4" from the sample pattern, an additional loop can be added:

File[] dirs = new File(".").listFiles(new WildcardFileFilter("Test*.java");
for (int i=0; i<dirs.length; i++) {
   File dir = dirs[i];
   if (dir.isDirectory()) {
       File[] files = dir.listFiles(new WildcardFileFilter("sample*.java"));
   }
}

This will recursively locate and list files that match the specified wildcard pattern.

Other Considerations

An alternative approach mentioned in the question is to examine the source code of Apache Ant, which uses a wildcard syntax. However, this may not be the most straightforward solution for most users.

Additionally, it's worth noting that the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) automatically parses simple wildcards in command-line arguments, simplifying the process for basic scenarios.

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