# FindAssetGUIDs

> Searches the Assets and Packages folders with a filter string, and returns the GUIDs of matching assets.

## Definition

* **Type:** Method
* **Namespace:** [UnityEditor](/engine/7000.0/script-reference/unityeditor.md)
* **Assembly:** UnityEditor.CoreModule

## FindAssetGUIDs(string)

Searches the Assets and Packages folders with a filter string, and returns the GUIDs of matching assets.

```csharp
public static GUID[] FindAssetGUIDs(string filter)
```

### Parameters

**** (\[string]\(https\://learn.microsoft.com/dotnet/api/system.string)): The search filter string. For the syntax, refer to the description.

### Returns

| Type    | Description                                                                                    |
| ------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| GUID\[] | An array that contains the GUIDs of the matching assets, or an empty array if no assets match. |

### Remarks

This overload searches the `Assets` and `Packages` folders. To search specific folders, use the overload that takes `searchInFolders`.

The filter string can include the following:

* **Name**: Filters assets by their file name, without the extension. Words separated by a space are separate name searches. For example, `"test asset"` searches for names that match `test` and names that match `asset`. Partial matches work too. For example, `awesome` matches `MyAwesomeTexture`.
* **Labels (l:)**: Filters assets by label. Use the `l:` keyword before each label.
* **Types (t:)**: Filters assets by type. Use the `t:` keyword before each type. If the filter includes more than one type, the search returns assets that match any of them. Types can be built-in types such as `Texture2D`, or ScriptableObject classes in the project. To find all assets, use `t:Object`, because all assets derive from `Object`.
* **AssetBundles (b:)**: Finds assets that are part of an AssetBundle. Use the `b:` keyword.
* **Area (a:)**: Finds assets in a specific area of the project. Valid values are `all`, `assets`, and `packages`. Use the `a:` keyword to make the search more specific and faster.
* **Globbing (glob:)**: Matches paths with glob patterns. For example, `glob:Editor` finds all Editor folders, `glob:(Editor|Resources)` finds all Editor and Resources folders, `glob:Editor/*` finds all assets directly inside Editor folders, and `glob:Editor/**` finds all assets inside Editor folders recursively.

Searches aren't case-sensitive.

To load an asset from its GUID, use [AssetDatabase.LoadAssetByGUID](/engine/7000.0/script-reference/unityeditor/assetdatabase/loadassetbyguid.md).

```csharp
using UnityEngine;
using UnityEditor;

public class Example
{
    [MenuItem("Example/FindAssetGUIDs Example")]
    static void ExampleScript()
    {
        // Find all assets labelled with 'architecture' :
        GUID[] guids1 = AssetDatabase.FindAssetGUIDs("l:architecture", null);

        foreach (GUID guid1 in guids1)
        {
            Debug.Log(AssetDatabase.GUIDToAssetPath(guid1));
        }

        // Find all Texture2Ds that have 'co' in their filename, that are labelled with 'architecture' and are placed in 'MyAwesomeProps' folder
        GUID[] guids2 = AssetDatabase.FindAssetGUIDs("co l:architecture t:texture2D", new[] {"Assets/MyAwesomeProps"});

        foreach (GUID guid2 in guids2)
        {
            Debug.Log(AssetDatabase.GUIDToAssetPath(guid2));
        }
    }
}
```

The following script example shows how the Names, Labels and Types details added to Assets can be located.  The [AssetDatabase.FindAssetGUIDs](/engine/7000.0/script-reference/unityeditor/assetdatabase/findassetguids.md) function is demonstrated.  The assets created in this example use the `ScriptObj` class.

```csharp
// This script file has two CS classes.  The first is a simple Unity ScriptableObject script.
// The class it defines is used by the Example class below.
// (This is a single Unity script file. You could split this file into a ScriptObj.cs and an
// Example.cs file which is more structured.)

using UnityEngine;
using UnityEditor;
using System.IO;

public class ScriptObj : ScriptableObject
{
    public void Awake()
    {
        Debug.Log("ScriptObj created");
    }
}

// Use ScriptObj to show how AssetDabase.FindAssetGUIDs can be used

public class Example
{
    static ScriptObj testI;
    static ScriptObj testJ;
    static ScriptObj testK;

    [MenuItem("Examples/FindAssetGUIs Example two")]
    static void ExampleScript()
    {
        CreateAssets();
        NamesExample();
        LabelsExample();
        TypesExample();
    }

    static void CreateAssets()
    {
        if (!Directory.Exists("Assets/AssetFolder"))
        {
            AssetDatabase.CreateFolder("Assets", "AssetFolder");
        }

        if (!Directory.Exists("Assets/AssetFolder/SpecialFolder"))
        {
            AssetDatabase.CreateFolder("Assets/AssetFolder", "SpecialFolder");
        }

        testI = (ScriptObj)ScriptableObject.CreateInstance(typeof(ScriptObj));
        AssetDatabase.CreateAsset(testI, "Assets/AssetFolder/testI.asset");

        testJ = (ScriptObj)ScriptableObject.CreateInstance(typeof(ScriptObj));
        AssetDatabase.CreateAsset(testJ, "Assets/AssetFolder/testJ.asset");

        // create an asset in a sub-folder and with a name which contains a space
        testK = (ScriptObj)ScriptableObject.CreateInstance(typeof(ScriptObj));
        AssetDatabase.CreateAsset(testK, "Assets/AssetFolder/SpecialFolder/testK example.asset");

        // an asset with a material will be used later
        Material material = new Material(Shader.Find("Standard"));
        AssetDatabase.CreateAsset(material, "Assets/AssetFolder/SpecialFolder/MyMaterial.mat");
    }

    static void NamesExample()
    {
        Debug.Log("*** FINDING ASSETS BY NAME ***");

        GUID[] results;

        results = AssetDatabase.FindAssetGUIDs("testI");
        foreach (GUID guid in results)
        {
            Debug.Log("testI: " + AssetDatabase.GUIDToAssetPath(guid));
        }

        results = AssetDatabase.FindAssetGUIDs("testJ");
        foreach (GUID guid in results)
        {
            Debug.Log("testJ: " + AssetDatabase.GUIDToAssetPath(guid));
        }

        results = AssetDatabase.FindAssetGUIDs("testK example");
        foreach (GUID guid in results)
        {
            Debug.Log("testK example: " + AssetDatabase.GUIDToAssetPath(guid));
        }

        Debug.Log("*** More complex asset search ***");

        // find all assets that contain test (which is all assets)
        results = AssetDatabase.FindAssetGUIDs("test");
        foreach (GUID guid in results)
        {
            Debug.Log("name:test - " + AssetDatabase.GUIDToAssetPath(guid));
        }
    }

    static void LabelsExample()
    {
        Debug.Log("*** FINDING ASSETS BY LABELS ***");

        string[] setLabels;

        setLabels = new string[] { "wrapper" };
        AssetDatabase.SetLabels(testI, setLabels);

        setLabels = new string[] { "bottle", "banana", "carrot" };
        AssetDatabase.SetLabels(testJ, setLabels);

        setLabels = new string[] { "swappable", "helmet" };
        AssetDatabase.SetLabels(testK, setLabels);

        // label searching:
        //   testI has wrapper, testK has swappable, so both have 'app'
        //   testJ has bottle, so have a label searched as 'bot'
        GUID[] getGuids = AssetDatabase.FindAssetGUIDs("l:app l:bot");
        foreach (GUID guid in getGuids)
        {
            Debug.Log("label lookup: " + AssetDatabase.GUIDToAssetPath(guid));
        }
    }

    static void TypesExample()
    {
        Debug.Log("*** FINDING ASSETS BY TYPE ***");

        GUID[] guids;

        guids = AssetDatabase.FindAssetGUIDs("t:material");
        foreach (GUID guid in guids)
        {
            Debug.Log("Material: " + AssetDatabase.GUIDToAssetPath(guid));
        }

        guids = AssetDatabase.FindAssetGUIDs("t:Object l:helmet");
        foreach (GUID guid in guids)
        {
            Debug.Log("ScriptObj+helmet: " + AssetDatabase.GUIDToAssetPath(guid));
        }
    }
}
```

## FindAssetGUIDs(string, string\[])

Searches specific folders with a filter string, and returns the GUIDs of matching assets.

```csharp
public static GUID[] FindAssetGUIDs(string filter, string[] searchInFolders)
```

### Parameters

**** (\[string]\(https\://learn.microsoft.com/dotnet/api/system.string)): The search filter string. For the syntax, refer to the description.**** (\[string\[]]\(https\://learn.microsoft.com/dotnet/api/system.string)): The folders to search in. Unity searches these folders and their subfolders.

### Returns

| Type    | Description                                                                                    |
| ------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| GUID\[] | An array that contains the GUIDs of the matching assets, or an empty array if no assets match. |

### Remarks

This overload searches only `searchInFolders` and their subfolders. Searching specific folders is faster than searching the whole project.

The filter string can include the following:

* **Name**: Filters assets by their file name, without the extension. Words separated by a space are separate name searches. For example, `"test asset"` searches for names that match `test` and names that match `asset`. Partial matches work too. For example, `awesome` matches `MyAwesomeTexture`.
* **Labels (l:)**: Filters assets by label. Use the `l:` keyword before each label.
* **Types (t:)**: Filters assets by type. Use the `t:` keyword before each type. If the filter includes more than one type, the search returns assets that match any of them. Types can be built-in types such as `Texture2D`, or ScriptableObject classes in the project. To find all assets, use `t:Object`, because all assets derive from `Object`.
* **AssetBundles (b:)**: Finds assets that are part of an AssetBundle. Use the `b:` keyword.
* **Area (a:)**: Finds assets in a specific area of the project. Valid values are `all`, `assets`, and `packages`. Use the `a:` keyword to make the search more specific and faster.
* **Globbing (glob:)**: Matches paths with glob patterns. For example, `glob:Editor` finds all Editor folders, `glob:(Editor|Resources)` finds all Editor and Resources folders, `glob:Editor/*` finds all assets directly inside Editor folders, and `glob:Editor/**` finds all assets inside Editor folders recursively.

Searches aren't case-sensitive.

To load an asset from its GUID, use [AssetDatabase.LoadAssetByGUID](/engine/7000.0/script-reference/unityeditor/assetdatabase/loadassetbyguid.md).