Is there any way to collect the file list from UTL_FILE_DIR.

Question

I expect the use "Oracle supplied package UTL_FILE" to import our customer order shipments to table by XML format files. I already did the procedure to import one XML file into Table by DBMS_XMLSave.insertXML and UTL_FILE. GET_LINE. And it did work.
My question is :
Is there any way to collect the file list from UTL_FILE_DIR. (I put all import XML files into `/usr/tmp?, I want to get all file names from this folder and feed them into UTL_FILE.FOPEN.)
Thanks in advance

Answer 1

UTL_FILE_DIR is a very dangerous and deprecated parameter. Oracle very specifically recommends not using it. You should be using directory objects instead.
As for doing a directory listing, you can use Java stored proc. External procs/functions are not required.
The following sample shows how to use such a Java stored proc to insert the result of a directory listing into a session temporary table:
create or replace and compile java source named "ListFiles" as
import java.io.*;
import java.sql.*;
public class ListFiles
        public static void getList(String directory, String filter)
        throws SQLException
                File path = new File( directory );
                final String ExpressionFilter =  filter;
                FilenameFilter fileFilter = new FilenameFilter() {
                        public boolean accept(File dir, String name) {
                                if(name.equalsIgnoreCase(ExpressionFilter))
                                        return true;
                                if(name.matches("." + ExpressionFilter))
                                        return true;
                                return false;
                String[] list = path.list(fileFilter);
                String element;
                for(int i = 0; i < list.length; i++)
                        element = list;
#sql {
insert
into directory_list
( directory, filename )
values
( :directory, :element )