---
name: "DirHandle"
section: "3p"
platform: "openbsd"
package: "man"
version: "8.0-current-20261101"
release: "OpenBSD 8.0-current (2026-11-01)"
platforms: ["openbsd"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/DirHandle"
---

# DirHandle(3p)

(obsolete) supply object methods for directory handles

## NAME

DirHandle - (obsolete) supply object methods for directory handles

## SYNOPSIS

```
    # recommended approach since Perl 5.6: do not use DirHandle
    if (opendir my $d, '.') {
        while (readdir $d) { something($_); }
        rewind $d;
        while (readdir $d) { something_else($_); }
    }
    # how you would use this module if you were going to
    use DirHandle;
    if (my $d = DirHandle->new(".")) {
        while (defined($_ = $d->read)) { something($_); }
        $d->rewind;
        while (defined($_ = $d->read)) { something_else($_); }
    }
```

## DESCRIPTION

**There is no reason to use this module nowadays.**

The `"DirHandle"` method provide an alternative interface to the **opendir()**, **closedir()**, **readdir()**, and **rewinddir()** functions.

Up to Perl 5.5, **opendir()** could not autovivify a directory handle from `"undef"`, so using a lexical handle required using a function from Symbol to create an anonymous glob, which took a separate step. `"DirHandle"` encapsulates this, which allowed cleaner code than **opendir()**. Since Perl 5.6, **opendir()** alone has been all you need for lexical handles.