How do I use os.scandir() to return DirEntry objects recursively on a directory tree?

Question

Python 3.5’s os.scandir(path) function returns lightweight DirEntry objects that are very helpful with information about files. However, it only works for the immediate path handed to it. Is there a way to wrap it in a recursive function so that it visits all subdirectories beneath the given path?

Asked By: Mark

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Source

Answer 1

You can scan recursively using os.walk(), or if you need DirEntry objects or more control, write a recursive function like scantree() below:

try:
    from os import scandir
except ImportError:
    from scandir import scandir  # use scandir PyPI module on Python < 3.5

def scantree(path):
    """Recursively yield DirEntry objects for given directory."""
    for entry in scandir(path):
        if entry.is_dir(follow_symlinks=False):
            yield from scantree(entry.path)  # see below for Python 2.x
        else:
            yield entry

if __name__ == '__main__':
    import sys
    for entry in scantree(sys.argv[1] if len(sys.argv) > 1 else '.'):
        print(entry.path)

Notes:

There are a few more examples in PEP 471 and in the os.scandir() docs.
You can also add various logic in the for loop to skip directories or files starting with '.' and that kind of thing.
You typically want follow_symlinks=false on the is_dir() calls in recursive functions like this, to avoid symlink loops.

On Python 2.x, replace the yield from line with:

for entry in scantree(entry.path):
    yield entry

Answered By: Ben Hoyt

How do I use os.scandir() to return DirEntry objects recursively on a directory tree?

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