finder
Finds files and directories via an intuitive fluent interface
A standalone PHP library for searching files and folders using a chainable, readable API, filter by name pattern, type, size, or age without writing manual loops.
Symfony Finder is a PHP library that helps code search for files and folders stored on a computer. Developers include it in PHP projects when they need to scan through directories and filter results based on criteria like file type, name pattern, size, or age. The library's key selling point, as stated in its README, is a fluent interface, which means you chain together short method calls in a sequence that reads almost like a sentence rather than writing nested loops and manual checks by hand.
The library is one piece of Symfony, a widely used collection of PHP tools and frameworks. Symfony structures much of its internal functionality as independent components so that developers can pull in only what they need, without adopting the full Symfony framework. Finder is one of those standalone components: you can add it to any PHP project, Symfony-based or not.
The README for this repository is minimal. It provides one descriptive sentence, then links to the full Symfony documentation site for usage guides, and to the main Symfony GitHub repository for reporting bugs or submitting changes. No installation instructions, code examples, or configuration details appear in the README itself. Anyone looking to understand how to use Finder in practice will need to visit the external documentation link.
Because the project is part of Symfony's broader ecosystem, it has a large user base and a long track record. The README's brevity reflects the fact that the real documentation lives elsewhere, not that the project lacks depth.
Where it fits
- Scan a directory tree and filter files by name pattern or extension in a PHP project using chainable method calls.
- Find files modified within the last week and larger than 1 MB without writing nested loops or manual checks.
- Add file-search logic to any PHP project, with or without the full Symfony framework, by installing this single component.