How to use tinydir in Windows with Unicode?

Define UNICODE and _UNICODE before including tinydir.h, as stated in the README, to ensure proper handling of wide-character file names on Windows.

Tinydir vs dirent for cross-platform C projects?

TinyDir wraps dirent for POSIX and FindFirstFile for Windows, providing a consistent API across platforms, whereas dirent is POSIX-only and requires separate handling for Windows.

How to recursively list directories with tinydir?

You must implement recursion manually by checking file.is_dir and calling tinydir_open on subdirectories, as the library does not include built-in recursive functions.

Does tinydir support file attributes like size or modification time?

No, tinydir only provides basic information like file name and whether it's a directory; for attributes, you need to use platform-specific APIs or another library.

Tinydir example with error handling?

The README examples omit error checking, but you should check return values of functions like tinydir_open and handle failures, as the library relies on standard C error patterns.

How to build tinydir with CMake?

The GitHub repository includes a CMake workflow, so you can integrate it via CMakeLists.txt, but since it's a single-header library, you can also just include tinydir.h directly.

Open-Awesome

tinydir

NOASSERTIONC1.2.6

A lightweight, portable C library for reading directories and files across POSIX and Windows systems.

GitHub

866 stars131 forks0 contributors

What is tinydir?

TinyDir is a lightweight, portable C library for reading directories and enumerating files across different operating systems. It wraps platform-specific APIs like dirent for POSIX and FindFirstFile for Windows, providing a consistent and easy-to-use interface for file system operations in C projects.

Target Audience

C developers who need a simple, cross-platform solution for directory traversal and file enumeration without external dependencies or complex setup.

Value Proposition

Developers choose TinyDir for its minimalism, portability, and ease of integration—it's a single-header library that works on both POSIX and Windows with a straightforward API, making it ideal for embedded systems, games, or tools where lightweight file system access is needed.

Overview

Lightweight, portable and easy to integrate C directory and file reader

Use Cases

Best For

Cross-platform C projects requiring directory listing
Embedded systems where lightweight file system access is critical
Game development for asset loading and directory traversal
Command-line tools that need to enumerate files and folders
Educational projects teaching file system APIs in C
Porting POSIX directory code to Windows or vice versa

Not Ideal For

Applications requiring recursive directory traversal without manual implementation
Windows projects dealing with extended-length paths beyond 260 characters
Systems where directory contents change frequently and race conditions are a concern
C++ projects that could leverage more comprehensive libraries like std::filesystem

Pros & Cons

Pros

Cross-Platform Simplicity

Abstracts dirent for POSIX and FindFirstFile for Windows with a unified API, making it easy to write portable C code for both systems.

Lightweight and Portable

Single-header ANSI C (C90) implementation with no external dependencies, ideal for embedded systems or projects minimizing bloat.

Easy Integration

Simple API with functions like tinydir_open and tinydir_readfile, as shown in the example code, requiring minimal setup.

Unicode Support

Supports Windows Unicode when UNICODE and _UNICODE are defined, ensuring compatibility with international file names.

Cons

Path Length Limitations

Windows paths are limited to 260 characters and overall path/filename sizes are constrained, which can fail in deep directory structures.

Race Condition Vulnerability

Has a known bug where reading a directory with changing content can cause race conditions, as admitted in issue #13.

Basic Feature Set

Only provides basic directory reading; lacks advanced features like recursive traversal, file filtering, or metadata access beyond is_dir.

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