IFileSystem

Here you will find all the information you ever wanted to know about the File System in Source. How to open files, how to read files, how to create new directories and how to find a file on the local system.

My Game Directory

This does not deal specifically with the filesystem, but you might find this useful for your project.

//Server
char * pGameDir = new char[1024];
engine->GetGameDir(pGameDir, 1024);

//Client
const char *pGameDir = engine->GetGameDirectory();

Create Directory

To create a directory you need to know two things; the relative path containing the new directory name and Path ID where the path will be created — called a Path ID because it does not appear to be possible to create a directory using anything other than a search path id.

Default Path Ids

• DEFAULT_WRITE_PATH
• MOD
• GAME
• GAMEBIN

char * relpath = new char[1024];
Q_snprintf(relpath, 1024, "stuff\\%s", "newdirectory");
filesystem->CreateDirHierarchy( path, "MOD" );

This code will create a newdirectory in your stuff directory, which if does not exist will be created along with newdirectory inside of your MOD directory.

Search Files

To iterate through a list of files in a given Path ID you would do the following.

FileFindHandle_t findHandle;
const char *pFilename = filesystem->FindFirstEx( "*.*", "MOD", &findHandle );
while ( pFilename != NULL )
{
    pFilename = filesystem->FindNext( findHandle );
}
filesystem->FindClose( findHandle );

*.* is wildcard for to match the file against. "MOD" is the Path ID.