BrowseFiles(IEasyUAFileTransfer,UAEndpointDescriptor,UANodeDescriptor,IReadOnlyList<String>) Method

Browses for files under the specified OPC UA directory, specifying the endpoint descriptor, the directory node descriptor, and directory path elements.

Syntax

Visual Basic
C#
C++/CLI

'Declaration
 
<ExtensionAttribute()>
Public Overloads Shared Function BrowseFiles( _
   ByVal fileTransfer As IEasyUAFileTransfer, _
   ByVal endpointDescriptor As UAEndpointDescriptor, _
   ByVal directoryNodeDescriptor As UANodeDescriptor, _
   ByVal directoryPathElements As IReadOnlyList(Of String) _
) As ValueTuple(Of UANodeDescriptor,Dictionary(Of String,UANodeDescriptor))

'Usage
 
Dim fileTransfer As IEasyUAFileTransfer
Dim endpointDescriptor As UAEndpointDescriptor
Dim directoryNodeDescriptor As UANodeDescriptor
Dim directoryPathElements As IReadOnlyList(Of String)
Dim value As ValueTuple(Of UANodeDescriptor,Dictionary(Of String,UANodeDescriptor))
 
value = IEasyUAFileTransferExtension.BrowseFiles(fileTransfer, endpointDescriptor, directoryNodeDescriptor, directoryPathElements)

[Extension()]
public static ValueTuple<UANodeDescriptor,Dictionary<string,UANodeDescriptor>> BrowseFiles( 
   IEasyUAFileTransfer fileTransfer,
   UAEndpointDescriptor endpointDescriptor,
   UANodeDescriptor directoryNodeDescriptor,
   IReadOnlyList<string> directoryPathElements
)

[Extension()]
public:
static ValueTuple<UANodeDescriptor^,Dictionary<String^,UANodeDescriptor^>^> BrowseFiles( 
   IEasyUAFileTransfer^ fileTransfer,
   UAEndpointDescriptor^ endpointDescriptor,
   UANodeDescriptor^ directoryNodeDescriptor,
   IReadOnlyList<String^>^ directoryPathElements
)

Parameters

fileTransfer

The OPC UA file transfer object that will perform the operation.

This is typically the EasyUAFileTransferClient object.

The value of this parameter cannot be null (Nothing in Visual Basic).

endpointDescriptor

Endpoint descriptor. Identifies the OPC-UA server.

Because the OpcLabs.EasyOpc.UA.UAEndpointDescriptor has implicit conversions from System.String and System.Uri, in languages that support implicit conversion operators (such as C# or VB.NET), you can simply use a string (representing the endpoint URL, or a so-called OPC UA endpoint descriptor string), or a System.Uri object, in place of this parameter, and the corresponding endpoint descriptor will be constructed automatically. When the implicit conversion operators are not supported (such as with Python.NET), you can use the OpcLabs.EasyOpc.UA.UAEndpointDescriptor.FromString or OpcLabs.EasyOpc.UA.UAEndpointDescriptor.FromUri static method instead.

Also, because the OpcLabs.EasyOpc.UA.Discovery.UAApplicationElement and OpcLabs.EasyOpc.UA.Discovery.UADiscoveryElement have an implicit conversion to OpcLabs.EasyOpc.UA.UAEndpointDescriptor, in languages that support implicit conversion operators (such as C# or VB.NET), you can simply use a OpcLabs.EasyOpc.UA.Discovery.UAApplicationElement or OpcLabs.EasyOpc.UA.Discovery.UADiscoveryElement (results from OPC UA discovery) in place of this parameter, and the corresponding endpoint descriptor will be constructed automatically. When the implicit conversion operators are not supported (such as with Python.NET), you can convert a (non-null) OpcLabs.EasyOpc.UA.Discovery.UAApplicationElement or OpcLabs.EasyOpc.UA.Discovery.UADiscoveryElement to OpcLabs.EasyOpc.UA.UAEndpointDescriptor using the ToUAEndpointDescriptor or ToUAEndpointDescriptor method instead.

If you are using OPC Wizard (for server development), an implicit conversion from OpcLabs.EasyOpc.UA.EasyUAServerCore can be used in the same way to simply pass the server object in place of this parameter, which will use its OpcLabs.EasyOpc.UA.EasyUAServerCore.EffectiveServerDescriptor property for the connection.

The value of this parameter cannot be null (Nothing in Visual Basic).

directoryNodeDescriptor

Node descriptor of the OPC UA directory.

Because the OpcLabs.EasyOpc.UA.UANodeDescriptor has implicit conversions from OpcLabs.EasyOpc.UA.AddressSpace.UANodeId, OpcLabs.EasyOpc.UA.AddressSpace.UANodeElement, OpcLabs.EasyOpc.UA.Navigation.UABrowsePath and System.String, in languages that support implicit conversion operators (such as C# or VB.NET), you can simply use a OpcLabs.EasyOpc.UA.AddressSpace.UANodeId object (representing the Id of the OPC UA node), a node element object (from OPC UA browsing), OpcLabs.EasyOpc.UA.Navigation.UABrowsePath object (representing OPC UA absolute browse path), or a string (with expanded node Id text) in place of this parameter, and the corresponding node descriptor will be constructed automatically. When the implicit conversion operators are not supported (such as with Python.NET), you can use the OpcLabs.EasyOpc.UA.UANodeDescriptor.FromString, OpcLabs.EasyOpc.UA.UANodeDescriptor.FromUABrowsePath, OpcLabs.EasyOpc.UA.UANodeDescriptor.FromUANodeElement or OpcLabs.EasyOpc.UA.UANodeDescriptor.FromUANodeId static method instead.

If you are using OPC Wizard (for server development), an implicit conversion from OpcLabs.EasyOpc.UA.NodeSpace.UAServerNode can be used in the same way to simply pass the server node in place of this parameter, which will use its OpcLabs.EasyOpc.UA.NodeSpace.UAServerNode.EffectiveNodeDescriptor property for the operation.

The value of this parameter cannot be null (Nothing in Visual Basic).

directoryPathElements

A path consisting of names of subdirectories starting from forwards.

The value of this parameter cannot be null (Nothing in Visual Basic).

The individual elements of the parameter value cannot be null (Nothing in Visual Basic).

Return Value

Returns a tuple consisting of the resolved inner directory node descriptor, and a dictionary of node descriptors of the files under the specified OPC UA directory.

Exceptions

Exception Description

Exception	Description
System.ArgumentNullException	A `null` reference (`Nothing` in Visual Basic) is passed to a method that does not accept it as a valid argument. This is a usage error, i.e. it will never occur (the exception will not be thrown) in a correctly written program. Your code should not catch this exception.
OpcLabs.EasyOpc.UA.OperationModel.UAException	The OPC UA operation has failed. This operation exception in uniformly used to allow common handling of various kinds of errors. The System.Exception.InnerException always contains information about the actual error cause. This is an operation error that depends on factors external to your program, and thus cannot be always avoided. Your code must handle it appropriately.

System.ArgumentNullException

A null reference (Nothing in Visual Basic) is passed to a method that does not accept it as a valid argument.

This is a usage error, i.e. it will never occur (the exception will not be thrown) in a correctly written program. Your code should not catch this exception.

OpcLabs.EasyOpc.UA.OperationModel.UAException

The OPC UA operation has failed. This operation exception in uniformly used to allow common handling of various kinds of errors. The System.Exception.InnerException always contains information about the actual error cause.

This is an operation error that depends on factors external to your program, and thus cannot be always avoided. Your code must handle it appropriately.

Remarks

The directoryNodeDescriptor must be an existing node in the server, of object type OpcLabs.EasyOpc.UA.AddressSpace.Standard.UAObjectTypeIds.FileDirectoryType.

If you need the file names, use the ListFileNames(IEasyUAFileTransfer,UAEndpointDescriptor,UANamedNodePath)method.

Recommendation: Whenever possible, do not use this method directly, and use a higher-level abstraction instead. See e.g. the GetDirectoryContents2(IEasyUAFileTransfer,UAEndpointDescriptor,UANamedNodePath) method, which allows you to obtain an object that can be enumerated for files and directories underneath, in a way that is generic and not tied to OPC UA specifics.

This is an extension method (info: C#, VB.NET). In languages that have support for extensions methods (such as C# and VB.NET), you can use the extension method as if it were a regular method on the object that is its first parameter. In other languages (such as with Python.NET), you will call the extension as a static method, and pass it the object on which it acts as its first parameter.

Example

CSharp
VB.NET
Python

// Shows how to browse for OPC UA files, using the file transfer client.
// Note: Consider using a higher-level abstraction, OPC UA file provider, instead.
//
// Find all latest examples here: https://opclabs.doc-that.com/files/onlinedocs/OPCLabs-OpcStudio/Latest/examples.html .
// OPC client and subscriber examples in C# on GitHub: https://github.com/OPCLabs/Examples-QuickOPC-CSharp .
// Missing some example? Ask us for it on our Online Forums, https://www.opclabs.com/forum/index ! You do not have to own
// a commercial license in order to use Online Forums, and we reply to every post.

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using OpcLabs.EasyOpc.UA;
using OpcLabs.EasyOpc.UA.Extensions;
using OpcLabs.EasyOpc.UA.FileTransfer;
using OpcLabs.EasyOpc.UA.OperationModel;

namespace UADocExamples.FileTransfer._EasyUAFileTransferClient
{
    class BrowseFiles
    {
        public static void Main1()
        {
            // Unified Automation .NET based demo server (UaNETServer/UaServerNET.exe)
            var endpointDescriptor = new UAEndpointDescriptor("opc.tcp://localhost:48030")
                .WithUserNameIdentity("john", "master");

            // An object that aggregates an OPC UA file system.
            UANodeDescriptor objectDescriptor = "nsu=http://www.unifiedautomation.com/DemoServer/ ;s=Demo.Files";

            // Create a random number generator - will be used for file/directory names.
            var random = new Random();
            
            // Instantiate the file transfer client object
            var fileTransferClient = new EasyUAFileTransferClient();

            // Create two files, and then browse the directory that contains them.
            Dictionary<string, UANodeDescriptor> fileNodeDescriptorDictionary;
            try
            {
                // The file system node is a root directory of the file system.
                Console.WriteLine("Getting file system...");
                UANodeDescriptor fileSystemNodeDescriptor = fileTransferClient.GetFileSystem(endpointDescriptor, objectDescriptor);

                string fileName1 = "MyFile1-" + random.Next();
                Console.WriteLine($"Creating first file, '{fileName1}'...");
                fileTransferClient.CreateFile(endpointDescriptor, fileSystemNodeDescriptor, fileName1);

                string fileName2 = "MyFile2-" + random.Next();
                Console.WriteLine($"Creating second file, '{fileName2}'...");
                fileTransferClient.CreateFile(endpointDescriptor, fileSystemNodeDescriptor, fileName2);

                Console.WriteLine("Browsing for files...");
                fileNodeDescriptorDictionary = fileTransferClient.BrowseFiles(endpointDescriptor, fileSystemNodeDescriptor);
                // If you want browse for directories, use the BrowseDirectories method instead.
            }
            catch (UAException uaException)
            {
                Console.WriteLine("*** Failure: {0}", uaException.GetBaseException().Message);
                return;
            }

            // Display result
            Console.WriteLine();
            foreach (KeyValuePair<string, UANodeDescriptor> pair in fileNodeDescriptorDictionary)
                Console.WriteLine(pair);
            
            Console.WriteLine();
            Console.WriteLine("Finished...");
        }
    }
}

' Shows how to copy an OPC UA file, using the file transfer client.
' Note: Consider using a higher-level abstraction, OPC UA file provider, instead.
'
' Find all latest examples here: https://opclabs.doc-that.com/files/onlinedocs/OPCLabs-OpcStudio/Latest/examples.html .
' OPC client and subscriber examples in VB.NET on GitHub: https://github.com/OPCLabs/Examples-QuickOPC-VBNET .
' Missing some example? Ask us for it on our Online Forums, https://www.opclabs.com/forum/index ! You do not have to own
' a commercial license in order to use Online Forums, and we reply to every post.

Imports OpcLabs.EasyOpc.UA
Imports OpcLabs.EasyOpc.UA.Extensions
Imports OpcLabs.EasyOpc.UA.FileTransfer
Imports OpcLabs.EasyOpc.UA.OperationModel

Namespace FileTransfer._EasyUAFileTransferClient

    Friend Class BrowseFiles

        Public Shared Sub Main1()

            ' Unified Automation .NET based demo server (UaNETServer/UaServerNET.exe)
            Dim endpointDescriptor As UAEndpointDescriptor =
                New UAEndpointDescriptor("opc.tcp://localhost:48030") _
                .WithUserNameIdentity("john", "master")

            ' An object that aggregates an OPC UA file system.
            Dim objectDescriptor As UANodeDescriptor = "nsu=http://www.unifiedautomation.com/DemoServer/ ;s=Demo.Files"

            ' Create a random number generator - will be used for file/directory names.
            Dim random = New Random

            ' Instantiate the file transfer client object
            Dim fileTransferClient = New EasyUAFileTransferClient

            ' Create two files, and then browse the directory that contains them.
            Dim fileNodeDescriptorDictionary As IReadOnlyDictionary(Of String, UANodeDescriptor)
            Try
                ' The file system node is a root directory of the file system.
                Console.WriteLine("Getting file system...")
                Dim fileSystemNodeDescriptor As UANodeDescriptor = fileTransferClient.GetFileSystem(endpointDescriptor, objectDescriptor)

                Dim fileName1 As String = "MyFile1-" & random.Next()
                Console.WriteLine($"Creating first file, '{fileName1}'...")
                fileTransferClient.CreateFile(endpointDescriptor, fileSystemNodeDescriptor, fileName1)

                Dim fileName2 As String = "MyFile2-" & random.Next()
                Console.WriteLine($"Creating second file, '{fileName2}'...")
                fileTransferClient.CreateFile(endpointDescriptor, fileSystemNodeDescriptor, fileName2)

                Console.WriteLine("Browsing for files...")
                fileNodeDescriptorDictionary = fileTransferClient.BrowseFiles(endpointDescriptor, fileSystemNodeDescriptor)
                ' If you want browse for directories, use the BrowseDirectories method instead.
            Catch uaException As UAException
                Console.WriteLine("*** Failure: {0}", uaException.GetBaseException.Message)
                Exit Sub
            End Try

            ' Display result
            Console.WriteLine()
            For Each pair In fileNodeDescriptorDictionary
                Console.WriteLine(pair)
            Next pair

            Console.WriteLine()
            Console.WriteLine("Finished...")
        End Sub
    End Class
End Namespace

# Shows how to browse for OPC UA files, using the file transfer client.
# Note: Consider using a higher-level abstraction, OPC UA file provider, instead.
#
# Find all latest examples here: https://opclabs.doc-that.com/files/onlinedocs/OPCLabs-OpcStudio/Latest/examples.html .
# OPC client and subscriber examples in Python on GitHub: https://github.com/OPCLabs/Examples-QuickOPC-Python .
# Missing some example? Ask us for it on our Online Forums, https://www.opclabs.com/forum/index ! You do not have to own
# a commercial license in order to use Online Forums, and we reply to every post.
# The QuickOPC package is needed. Install it using "pip install opclabs_quickopc".
import opclabs_quickopc
import random

# Import .NET namespaces.
from OpcLabs.EasyOpc.UA import *
from OpcLabs.EasyOpc.UA.Extensions import *
from OpcLabs.EasyOpc.UA.FileTransfer import *
from OpcLabs.EasyOpc.UA.OperationModel import *


# Unified Automation .NET based demo server (UaNETServer/UaServerNET.exe).
endpointDescriptor = UAEndpointDescriptor('opc.tcp://localhost:48030')
endpointDescriptor = UAEndpointDescriptorExtension.WithUserNameIdentity(endpointDescriptor,'john', 'master')

# An object that aggregates an OPC UA file system.
objectDescriptor = UANodeDescriptor('nsu=http://www.unifiedautomation.com/DemoServer/ ;s=Demo.Files')

# Create a random number generator - will be used for file/directory names.
random = random.Random()

# Instantiate the file transfer client object.
fileTransferClient = EasyUAFileTransferClient()

# Prevent prompt to trust the server certificate (INSECURE, used just for smooth example flow).
EasyUAClient.SharedParameters.EngineParameters.CertificateAcceptancePolicy.TrustEndpointUrlString(
    endpointDescriptor.UrlString)

# Create two files, and then browse the directory that contains them.
try:
    # The file system node is a root directory of the file system.
    print('Getting file system...')
    fileSystemNodeDescriptor = IEasyUAFileTransferExtension.GetFileSystem(fileTransferClient,
                                                                          endpointDescriptor, objectDescriptor)

    fileName1 = 'MyFile1-' + str(random.randint(0, 999_999_999))
    print("Creating first file, '", fileName1, "'...", sep='')
    IEasyUAFileTransferExtension.CreateFile(fileTransferClient, endpointDescriptor, fileSystemNodeDescriptor, fileName1)

    fileName2 = 'MyFile2-' + str(random.randint(0, 999_999_999))
    print("Creating second file, '", fileName1, "'...", sep='')
    IEasyUAFileTransferExtension.CreateFile(fileTransferClient, endpointDescriptor, fileSystemNodeDescriptor, fileName2)

    print('Browsing for files...')
    fileNodeDescriptorDictionary = IEasyUAFileTransferExtension.BrowseFiles(fileTransferClient,
                                                                            endpointDescriptor,
                                                                            fileSystemNodeDescriptor)
    # If you want browse for directories, use the BrowseDirectories method instead.

except UAException as uaException:
    print('*** Failure: ' + uaException.GetBaseException().Message)
    exit()

# Display results.
print()
for pair in fileNodeDescriptorDictionary:
    print(pair)

print()
print('Finished.')

Requirements

Target Platforms: .NET Framework: Windows 10 (selected versions), Windows 11 (selected versions), Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2022; .NET: Linux, macOS, Microsoft Windows

Reference

IEasyUAFileTransferExtension Class
IEasyUAFileTransferExtension Members
Overload List
BrowseDirectories(IEasyUAFileTransfer,UAEndpointDescriptor,UANamedNodePath) Method
EnumerateFiles(IEasyUAFileTransfer,UAEndpointDescriptor,UANamedNodePath) Method
ListFileNames(IEasyUAFileTransfer,UAEndpointDescriptor,UANamedNodePath) Method

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