Thread: Seraching through files in a folder for a pattern match inside the files.

I am new to java and I am having a problem with some code. I am trying to create a java GUI whereby users enter a piece of text to search and a folder to search. The code will then search iteratively through each file for the text and append the results in a jtextarea. My search works for just one file if I exclude the loop through the files. When looping it does not produce any errors but I receive no output. My code is:

package searchfile;
 
import java.io.*;
import javax.swing.*;
import java.nio.ByteBuffer;
import java.nio.CharBuffer;
import java.nio.channels.FileChannel;
import java.nio.charset.Charset;
import java.util.regex.Matcher;
import java.util.regex.Pattern;
import java.text.DateFormat;
import java.util.Date;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.List;
 
private void jButton1ActionPerformed(java.awt.event.ActionEvent evt) { 
//Runs the method to search through the files in a folder, this does not work yet!
DoSearchFolder();
} 
 
/*Method to search iteratively through a folder and check all files for
text search criteria - This is not working but yet produces no errors!
*/
public void DoSearchFolder(){
 
try {
 
/*This bit appears to work as I get the message if the directory
does not exist */
File folder = new File(fileLocation.getText());
String[] directory = folder.list();
if (directory == null){
JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null, "This is not a directory or the directory does not exist");
} else {
/*From hear is where the problems seems to be, if only I got 
errors! */
for (int i=0; i<directory.length; i++){
String listFilenames = directory[i];
 
 
Pattern pattern =
Pattern.compile(searchText.getText());
 
Matcher matcher =
pattern.matcher(fromFile(listFilenames));
 
boolean found = false;
 
while (matcher.find()) {
String group = matcher.group();
int start = matcher.start();
int end = matcher.end();
String endMatch = Integer.toString(end);
String startMatch = Integer.toString(start);
 
outputScreen.append("I found the text " + group + " starting at character " + startMatch + " and ending at character " + endMatch + " " + "from file " + listFilenames);
 
found = true;
 
 
}
 
if(!found){
 
JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null, "No Match Found");
 
}}}
 
 
} catch (IOException e) {
 
}}
 
}

I have only included the code I am having issues with and removed the rest. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I've added highlight tags, but that is way too much code for most of us to wade through. I suggest you throw together an SSCCE that demonstrates the problem. I only needs to be a few lines long; you can hardcode the pattern to search and output it to the command prompt.

I'd love to help, but that's not an SSCCE because it contains references to stuff that you don't define. Like I said, a simple main method that searches for a hardcoded pattern and outputs to the command line in a barebones program would be best.

This thread has been cross posted here:

http://www.java-forums.org/new-java/43383-searching-through-folder-find-text-inside-all-files.html

Although cross posting is allowed, for everyone's benefit, please read:

Java Programming Forums Cross Posting Rules

The Problems With Cross Posting