In this article, we’ll walk through the creation of a simple yet practical .NET console application that lists all files modified in the last hour within a specified directory. This is a great starting point for developers who want to automate file monitoring tasks or integrate such logic into larger systems.

🔍 Building a Simple .NET Console App to List Recently Modified Files

Author: Edvaldo Guimarães\ Category: .NET / C# / Productivity Tools\ Tags: .NET 6, Console App, File System, C#, Visual Studio

🧠 Introduction

In this article, we’ll walk through the creation of a simple yet practical .NET console application that lists all files modified in the last hour within a specified directory. This is a great starting point for developers who want to automate file monitoring tasks or integrate such logic into larger systems.

We’ll use .NET 6 and Visual Studio Community 2022, following a clean and beginner-friendly approach.

🛠️ Tools & Requirements

• Visual Studio Community 2022
• .NET 6 SDK or later
• Basic knowledge of C# and file system operations

🚀 Step-by-Step Guide

1. Create the Project

Open Visual Studio and follow these steps:

1. Click “Create a new project”
2. Search for “Console App”
3. Select “Console App” (.NET 6 or later)
4. Name the project: FileLister
5. Choose a location and click Create

2. Write the Code

Replace the contents of Program.cs with the following:

using System;
using System.IO;

class Program
{
    static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        // Use argument or default path
        string directoryPath = args.Length > 0 ? args[0] : @"C:\Your\Directory";

        if (!Directory.Exists(directoryPath))
        {
            Console.WriteLine($"Directory not found: {directoryPath}");
            return;
        }

        Console.WriteLine($"Files modified in the last hour in: {directoryPath}\n");

        DateTime oneHourAgo = DateTime.Now.AddHours(-1);
        var files = Directory.GetFiles(directoryPath);

        foreach (var file in files)
        {
            DateTime lastWriteTime = File.GetLastWriteTime(file);
            if (lastWriteTime >= oneHourAgo)
            {
                Console.WriteLine($"{Path.GetFileName(file)} - Modified: {lastWriteTime}");
            }
        }
    }
}

3. Run the App

Click the Start button or press F5. The console will display files modified in the last hour from the default or specified directory.

4. Pass a Directory as Argument

To test with a custom directory:

1. Right-click the project → Properties
2. Go to the Debug tab
3. Add your directory path in Command line arguments, e.g.:

C:\Users\Edvaldo\Documents

Run the app again to see results from the new path.

✅ Why Use .NET 6 for Console Apps?

.NET 6 (and newer versions) offer:

• Cross-platform support
• Better performance
• Modern language features
• Long-term support (LTS)

For new projects, especially CLI tools, .NET Core/.NET 6+ is the recommended choice over the legacy .NET Framework.

🧩 What’s Next?

You can extend this app by:

• Exporting results to .csv or .txt
• Adding filters by file extension
• Recursively scanning subdirectories
• Creating a GUI version with WinForms or WPF

📌 Conclusion

This simple console app is a great example of how .NET can be used to automate file system tasks. Whether you’re building tools for personal use or integrating with enterprise systems, starting with a clean and modular CLI app is a smart move.