php sort folder by date created instead of name - php

Question

Currently my script list all folders by their name.
Now I want to sort it by date they have created.
Index.php :
<?php
include("include.php");
include("header.php");
?>
<h1>Photo</h1>
<p class="breadcrumb">home > gallery</p>
<?php if(count($categories_array)<=0){?>
<p>There are no photo categories, create one or more categories before uploading photos</p>
<?php }
if(count($categories_array)>0){?>
<div>
<?php foreach($categories_array as $photo_category=>$photos_array){?>
<?php
$category_thumbnail = $gallery_url."/layout/pixel.gif";
if(file_exists('files/'.$photo_category.'/thumbnail.jpg')){
$category_thumbnail = $gallery_url.'/'.$photo_category.'/thumbnail.jpg';
}
$category_url = $gallery_url.'/'.$photo_category;
?>
<span class="category_thumbnail_span" style="width:<?php echo $settings_thumbnail_width;?>px; height:<?php echo $settings_thumbnail_height+20;?>px;">
<a class="category_thumbnail_image" href="<?php echo $category_url;?>" style="width:<?php echo $settings_thumbnail_width;?>px; height:<?php echo $settings_thumbnail_height;?>px; background-image:url('<?php echo $gallery_url;?>/layout/lens_48x48.png');" title="<?php echo htmlentities(ucwords(str_replace('-', ' ', $photo_category)));?>">
<img src="<?php echo $category_thumbnail;?>" width="<?php echo $settings_thumbnail_width;?>" height="<?php echo $settings_thumbnail_height;?>" alt="<?php echo htmlentities(ucwords(str_replace('-', ' ', $photo_category)));?>" />
</a>
<a class="category_thumbnail_title" href="<?php echo $category_url;?>" title="<?php echo htmlentities(ucwords(str_replace('-', ' ', $photo_category)));?>">
<?php echo htmlentities(str_replace('-',' ', truncate_by_letters($photo_category, 16, '..')), ENT_QUOTES, "UTF-8");?> (<?php echo count($photos_array);?>)
</a>
</span>
<?php } ?>
</div>
include.php :
<?php
include("settings.php");
$page_load_start = microtime(true);
if (!isset($_SESSION)) {
session_start();
}
setlocale(LC_CTYPE, "en_US.UTF-8");
$gallery_domain = str_replace("www.", "", $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST']);
$gallery_url = dirname($_SERVER['SCRIPT_NAME']);
$gallery_url = str_replace($_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'], '', $gallery_url);
error_reporting(E_ALL ^ E_NOTICE);
include("system_functions.php");
$is_admin = false;
if($_SESSION['session_admin'] == md5($_SESSION['session_secret'].$settings_secret)){
$is_admin = true;
}
$categories_array = array();
$timer_1 = microtime(true);
// loop over files directory and read the categories
$scandir_array = scandir('files');
foreach($scandir_array as $folder){
if(is_dir('files/'.$folder) and $folder!='.' and $folder!='..'){
// define this key in the array, it will be blank, store categories as keys
$categories_array[$folder] = array(filectime($folder));
// $total_photos_array[$folder] = 0;
$files_in_dir = scandir('files/'.$folder);
foreach($files_in_dir as $file){
if($file!='.' and $file!='..'){
// if file is not the category thumbnail (thumbnail.jpg) and not _thumb.jpg and not _small.jpg
if($file != "thumbnail.jpg" and substr($file, strlen($file)-10) != "_small.jpg" and substr($file, strlen($file)-10) != "_thumb.jpg"){
// $total_photos_array[$folder]++;
$base_file_name = substr($file, 0, strlen($file)-4);
// insert this file in the array of files
array_push($categories_array[$folder], $base_file_name);
//echo "<br>$base_file_name";
}
}
}
}
}
$timer_2 = microtime(true);
// !! if you use wrong sorting parameter it will convert the category string keys into integer
arsort($categories_array);
//ksort($categories_array);
?>
I tried with $base_file_name = filemtime($file); but does not seems to work.
Any help in this regards will be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

You could write function, similar to this. It's not tested, so it proboly won't work right away.
$scandir_array = order_by_date(scandir('files'));
function order_by_date($files) {
$return = array();
foreach ($files as $file) {
$return[$file] = filemtime($file);
}
arsort($files);
$return = array_keys($files);
return $return;
}

Answer 2

SOLVED:
$categories_array = array ();
$temp_array = array ();
$timer_1 = microtime ( true );
$scandir_array = scandir ( 'files' );
foreach ( $scandir_array as $folder ) {
if (is_dir ( 'files/' . $folder ) and $folder != '.' and $folder != '..') {
$timestamp = filemtime ( 'files/' . $folder );
$temp_array[$timestamp] = $folder;
}
}
krsort ( $temp_array ); // sorts an array by key.
foreach ( $temp_array as $folder ) {
// define this key in the array, it will be blank, store categories as keys
$categories_array [$folder] = array ();
$files_in_dir = scandir ( 'files/' . $folder );
foreach ( $files_in_dir as $file ) {
if ($file != '.' and $file != '..') {
// if file is not the category thumbnail (thumbnail.jpg) and not _thumb.jpg and not _small.jpg
if ($file != "thumbnail.jpg" and substr ( $file, strlen ( $file ) - 10 ) != "_small.jpg" and substr ( $file, strlen ( $file ) - 10 ) != "_thumb.jpg") {
$base_file_name = substr ( $file, 0, strlen ( $file ) - 4 );
// insert this file in the array of files
array_push ( $categories_array [$folder], $base_file_name );
} // if
} // if
} // foreach
} // foreach