Read all text files in a folder with StreamReader

Question

I am trying to read all .txt files in a folder using stream reader. I have this now and it works fine for one file but I need to read all files in the folder. This is what I have so far. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

using (var reader = new StreamReader(File.OpenRead(@"C:\ftp\inbox\test.txt")))

possible duplicate of [how to read all files inside particular folder](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/5840443/how-to-read-all-files-inside-particular-folder) — Otiel, Jan 31 '13 at 16:22

score 8 · Answer 1 · answered Jan 31 '13 at 16:21

You can use Directory.EnumerateFiles() method instead of.

Returns an enumerable collection of file names that match a search pattern in a specified path.

var txtFiles = Directory.EnumerateFiles(sourceDirectory, "*.txt");
foreach (string currentFile in txtFiles)
{
   ...
}

score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Jan 31 '13 at 16:20

1

You can call Directory.EnumerateFiles() to find all files in a folder.

answered Jan 31 '13 at 16:20

SLaks

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Thank for the reply. I am new to programming and I have no idea how to use it. – robert woods Jan 31 '13 at 16:32
What specifically don't you understand? It sounds like you need to learn C#. – SLaks Jan 31 '13 at 16:33
Yes I do need to learn C#. That is why I'm in here. Can I use Directory.EnumerateFiles() along with stream reader? – robert woods Jan 31 '13 at 16:44
@robertwoods: Yes. You need to loop over the returned collection so that you can read each file. – SLaks Jan 31 '13 at 16:56

score 1 · Answer 3 · edited May 23 '17 at 12:32

You can retrieve the files of a directory:

string[] filePaths = Directory.GetFiles(@"c:\MyDir\");

Therefore you can iterate each file performing whatever you want. Ex: reading all lines.

And also you can use a file mask as a second argument for the GetFiles method.

Edit:

Inside this post you can see the difference between EnumerateFiles and GetFiles.

What is the difference between Directory.EnumerateFiles vs Directory.GetFiles?

Read all text files in a folder with StreamReader

3 Answers3