---
title: "contentsOfDirectory(atPath:)"
framework: foundation
role: symbol
role_heading: Instance Method
path: "foundation/filemanager/contentsofdirectory(atpath:)"
---

# contentsOfDirectory(atPath:)

Performs a shallow search of the specified directory and returns the paths of any contained items.

## Declaration

```swift
func contentsOfDirectory(atPath path: String) throws -> [String]
```

## Parameters

- `path`: The path to the directory whose contents you want to enumerate.

## Return Value

Return Value An array of NSString objects, each of which identifies a file, directory, or symbolic link contained in path. Returns an empty array if the directory exists but has no contents. In Objective-C, if an error occurs, this method returns nil and assigns an appropriate error object to the error parameter.

## Discussion

Discussion This method performs a shallow search of the directory and therefore does not traverse symbolic links or return the contents of any subdirectories. This method also does not return URLs for the current directory (”.”), parent directory (”..”), or resource forks (files that begin with “._”) but it does return other hidden files (files that begin with a period character). If you need to perform a deep enumeration, use the enumeratorAtURL:includingPropertiesForKeys:options:errorHandler: method instead. The order of the files in the returned array is undefined. note: In Swift, this method returns a nonoptional result and is marked with the throws keyword to indicate that it throws an error in cases of failure. You call this method in a try expression and handle any errors in the catch clauses of a do statement, as described in Error Handling in The Swift Programming Language and About Imported Cocoa Error Parameters.

## See Also

### Related Documentation

- [fileExists(atPath:isDirectory:)](foundation/filemanager/fileexists(atpath:isdirectory:).md)
- [currentDirectoryPath](foundation/filemanager/currentdirectorypath.md)

### Discovering directory contents

- [contentsOfDirectory(at:includingPropertiesForKeys:options:)](foundation/filemanager/contentsofdirectory(at:includingpropertiesforkeys:options:).md)
- [enumerator(at:includingPropertiesForKeys:options:errorHandler:)](foundation/filemanager/enumerator(at:includingpropertiesforkeys:options:errorhandler:).md)
- [enumerator(atPath:)](foundation/filemanager/enumerator(atpath:).md)
- [FileManager.DirectoryEnumerator](foundation/filemanager/directoryenumerator.md)
- [mountedVolumeURLs(includingResourceValuesForKeys:options:)](foundation/filemanager/mountedvolumeurls(includingresourcevaluesforkeys:options:).md)
- [FileManager.VolumeEnumerationOptions](foundation/filemanager/volumeenumerationoptions.md)
- [subpathsOfDirectory(atPath:)](foundation/filemanager/subpathsofdirectory(atpath:).md)
- [subpaths(atPath:)](foundation/filemanager/subpaths(atpath:).md)