Checking for specific files via extensions in a folder

[mojito]

I want to list only xml files in a folder, so far I have the directory showing all files..[code]

$file_dir="test";

$dir=opendir($file_dir);
while ($file=readdir($dir))
{
if ($file != "." && $file != "..")
{
echo "<a href=".$file_dir."/".$file." target=_blank>".$file."</a>";
echo "<br>";
}
}

[/code]

what is the following line doing ? [font=Verdana]if ($file != "." && $file != "..")[/font]

How can I read the extension, do I have to manually do the string operation of looking for the last "."

thanks

[taith]

simplify...

[code]
$xmlfiles=glob('yourfolder/*.xml');
[/code]

and the "if ($file != "." && $file != "..")" removes the two directories from the top... (.==self  ..==parent)

[tuuga]

i use this function

[CODE]
//$catName -- string ex: './pictures/'
//$allowTypes (optional) - set file types -- array ex: $allowTypes = array('jpg', 'gif');
function openPics ($catName, $allowTypes=NULL) {
//open catalog
$open = opendir($catName);
//check every file
while (false !== ($file = readdir($open))) {
if ($file != '.' && $file != '..' && !is_dir($file)) {
$ex = explode('.', $file);
//if allowTypes is set
if (isset($allowTypes)) {
//if is right type
$type = $ex[count($ex)-1];
if (in_array($type, $allowTypes)) {
$pictures[] = $file;
}
}
//take all file names in array
else {
$pictures[] = $file;
}
}
}
return $pictures;
closedir($open);
}
[/CODE]

[mojito]

That last bit of code is working well except for scope, I cant read $allowTypes=array("xml","txt"); which I have set outside the function.

I think I need to modify some php.ini values to read it, or declare it global ?

[mojito]

I get the  [font=Verdana]unexpected T_GLOBAL[/font] when using   

inside function [
  global $allowTypes

]

something not set up right in my config ?

[trq]

Whats wrong with?

[code=php:0]
$xmlfiles=glob('yourfolder/*.xml');
[/code]

[mojito]

I didnt understand it or how to use it, i can appreciate its simplicity and wildcard but what is glob ?
I do thank you for your neat coding, i'm a flash guy normally so struggle with all this php.
thanks

[trq]

If you dont know how a function works, [url=http://php.net/glob]look it up[/url].

[taith]

glob() looks in the specified folder, and returns anything alikened to it... *<-- all files *.xml <-- all xml files etc... therefore...

[code]$xmlfiles=glob('yourfolder/*.xml');
print_r($xmlfiles);[/code]

that makes $xmlfiles an array() of all the files in that folder.

[code]
output
array("0"=>"test.xml", "1"=>"blah.xml")
[/code]

[mojito]

ahhh, that seems simpler glob looked like a custom function. Thanks I will use that.