Thanks. I've been given 2 solutions that work well: directory handles, and bsd_glob. Probably 15 minutes to get a feel for each, after which additional coding time is negligible. I tend to steer clear of non-core modules unless they provide more significant advantages, but I'm sure both the ones to which you refer are very worthy. I'm a lover of muesli, so whole grains are fine by me. Do users of File::Find::Rule tend to be overweight? :-)