Enumerate Directories and Files

Problem : You need to get a (possibly recursive) list of all directories or files.

Solution: DirectoryInfo can retrieve a list of subdirectories and files inside of it.

string root = @"C:\";
//old way--get all strings up front
DirectoryInfo di = new DirectoryInfo(root);
DirectoryInfo[] directories = di.GetDirectories("*",
                                      SearchOption.AllDirectories);

//new in .Net 4--use an enumerator
di = new DirectoryInfo(root);
//to get files, use di.EnumerateFiles with the same type of arguments
IEnumerable<DirectoryInfo> dirInfo =  di.EnumerateDirectories("*",
                                           SearchOption.AllDirectories);
foreach (DirectoryInfo info in dirInfo)
{
    Console.WriteLine(info.Name);
}

Note

Be aware that you can easily get a SecurityException while enumerating files and folders, especially if you’re not running as an administrator.