# Need ruby code to get a latest file from a Directory

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/need-ruby-code-to-get-a-latest-file-from-a-directory/146177>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [August 18, 2008, 7:25pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/need-ruby-code-to-get-a-latest-file-from-a-directory/146177 "2008-08-18T19:25:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Rajeswar\_reddy\_G](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/8c91f0/32.png) [@Rajeswar\_reddy\_G](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Rajeswar_reddy_G)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2008, 7:25pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/need-ruby-code-to-get-a-latest-file-from-a-directory/146177/1 "2008-08-18T19:25:37Z")

</div>

Hi All,

I am having log files with time stamp in a log directory, how to open a  
latest log file and read it?.

Eg:  
directory name log/  
files  
log/log20080812152634Lbuild.34.xml  
log/log20080812122634Lbuild.34.xml  
log/log20080812102634Lbuild.34.xml  
log/log20080811142634Lbuild.34.xml  
log/log20080811122634Lbuild.34.xml

If anybody know the solution, please let me know.

With Regards  
GRR

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Rajeswar\_reddy\_G](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/8c91f0/32.png) [@Rajeswar\_reddy\_G](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Rajeswar_reddy_G)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2008, 7:46pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/need-ruby-code-to-get-a-latest-file-from-a-directory/146177/2 "2008-08-18T19:46:49Z")

</div>

On Tue, Aug 19, 2008 at 02:23:07AM +0900, Rajeswar reddy Gaulla wrote:

> I am having log files with time stamp in a log directory, how to open a  
> latest log file and read it?.

Dir.entries(’.’).sort\_by {|f| File.mtime(f)}.reverse[0]

Does that do what you want?

–  
nathan  
nathan\_at\_nathanpowell\_dot\_org

If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular  
error.  
~ John Kenneth Galbraith

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Rajeswar\_reddy\_G](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/8c91f0/32.png) [@Rajeswar\_reddy\_G](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Rajeswar_reddy_G)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2008, 8:07pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/need-ruby-code-to-get-a-latest-file-from-a-directory/146177/3 "2008-08-18T20:07:20Z")

</div>

On Mon, Aug 18, 2008 at 1:23 PM, Rajeswar reddy Gaulla  
[removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> ```
> log/log20080811122634Lbuild.34.xml
> 
> ```
> 
> If anybody know the solution, please let me know.

Maybe something like:

newest\_file = Dir.entries(Dir::pwd).sort\_by{|e|

# assuming that the files are always log + TIMESTAMP + L:

scan(/log\d{14}L/)[0]  
}.last

File.open(newest\_file, “r”) do |f|  
#…  
end

?