diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 7d02e50f48..c5001a8946 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -183,9 +183,13 @@ source_group(components\\misc FILES ${MISC} ${MISC_HEADER})
 
 set(FILES
     ${COMP_DIR}/files/path.cpp
+    ${COMP_DIR}/files/multidircollection.cpp
+    ${COMP_DIR}/files/collections.cpp
     )
 set(FILES_HEADER
     ${COMP_DIR}/files/path.hpp
+    ${COMP_DIR}/files/multidircollection.hpp
+    ${COMP_DIR}/files/collections.hpp
     )
 source_group(components\\files FILES ${FILES} ${FILES_HEADER})
 
diff --git a/components/files/collections.cpp b/components/files/collections.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6d1c00ab1e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/components/files/collections.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+
+#include "collections.hpp"
+
+namespace Files
+{
+    Collections::Collections (const std::vector<boost::filesystem::path>& directories, bool foldCase)
+    : mDirectories (directories), mFoldCase (foldCase)
+    {}
+
+    const MultiDirCollection& Collections::getCollection (const std::string& extension) const
+    {
+        std::map<std::string, MultiDirCollection>::iterator iter = mCollections.find (extension);
+
+        if (iter==mCollections.end())
+        {
+            std::pair<std::map<std::string, MultiDirCollection>::iterator, bool> result =
+                mCollections.insert (std::make_pair (extension,
+                MultiDirCollection (mDirectories, extension, mFoldCase)));
+
+            iter = result.first;
+        }
+
+        return iter->second;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/components/files/collections.hpp b/components/files/collections.hpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9e23892af9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/components/files/collections.hpp
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+#ifndef COMPONENTS_FILES_COLLECTION_HPP
+#define COMPONENTS_FILES_COLLECTION_HPP
+
+#include "multidircollection.hpp"
+
+namespace Files
+{
+    class Collections
+    {
+            std::vector<boost::filesystem::path> mDirectories;
+            bool mFoldCase;
+            mutable std::map<std::string, MultiDirCollection> mCollections;
+
+        public:
+
+            Collections (const std::vector<boost::filesystem::path>& directories, bool foldCase);
+            ///< Directories are listed with increasing priority.
+
+            const MultiDirCollection& getCollection (const std::string& extension) const;
+            ///< Return a file collection for the given extension. Extension must contain the
+            /// leading dot and must be all lower-case.
+
+    };
+}
+
+#endif
diff --git a/components/files/multidircollection.cpp b/components/files/multidircollection.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..0543312e01
--- /dev/null
+++ b/components/files/multidircollection.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,102 @@
+
+#include "multidircollection.hpp"
+
+#include <cctype>
+
+#include <algorithm>
+#include <stdexcept>
+
+#include <boost/filesystem.hpp>
+
+namespace Files
+{
+    struct NameEqual
+    {
+        bool mStrict;
+
+        NameEqual (bool strict) : mStrict (strict) {}
+
+        bool operator() (const std::string& left, const std::string& right) const
+        {
+            if (mStrict)
+                return left==right;
+
+            std::size_t len = left.length();
+
+            if (len!=right.length())
+                return false;
+
+            for (std::size_t i=0; i<len; ++i)
+            {
+                char l = std::tolower (left[i]);
+                char r = std::tolower (right[i]);
+
+                if (l!=r)
+                    return false;
+            }
+
+            return true;
+        }
+    };
+
+    MultiDirCollection::MultiDirCollection (const std::vector<boost::filesystem::path>& directories,
+        const std::string& extension, bool foldCase)
+    : mFiles (NameLess (foldCase))
+    {
+        NameEqual equal (foldCase);
+
+        for (std::vector<boost::filesystem::path>::const_iterator iter = directories.begin();
+            iter!=directories.end(); ++iter)
+        {
+            boost::filesystem::path dataDirectory = *iter;
+
+            for (boost::filesystem::directory_iterator iter (dataDirectory);
+                iter!=boost::filesystem::directory_iterator(); ++iter)
+            {
+                boost::filesystem::path path = *iter;
+
+                if (!equal (extension, path.extension()))
+                    continue;
+
+                std::string filename = path.filename();
+
+                TIter result = mFiles.find (filename);
+
+                if (result==mFiles.end())
+                {
+                    mFiles.insert (std::make_pair (filename, path));
+                }
+                else if (result->first==filename)
+                {
+                    mFiles[filename] = path;
+                }
+                else
+                {
+                    // handle case folding
+                    mFiles.erase (result->first);
+                    mFiles.insert (std::make_pair (filename, path));
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    boost::filesystem::path MultiDirCollection::getPath (const std::string& file) const
+    {
+        TIter iter = mFiles.find (file);
+
+        if (iter==mFiles.end())
+            throw std::runtime_error ("file " + file + " not found");
+
+        return iter->second;
+    }
+
+    MultiDirCollection::TIter MultiDirCollection::begin() const
+    {
+        return mFiles.begin();
+    }
+
+    MultiDirCollection::TIter MultiDirCollection::end() const
+    {
+        return mFiles.end();
+    }
+}
diff --git a/components/files/multidircollection.hpp b/components/files/multidircollection.hpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..36270dfd10
--- /dev/null
+++ b/components/files/multidircollection.hpp
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+#ifndef COMPONENTS_FILES_MULTIDIRSOLLECTION_HPP
+#define COMPONENTS_FILES_MULTIDIRSOLLECTION_HPP
+
+#include <map>
+#include <vector>
+#include <string>
+
+#include <boost/filesystem/path.hpp>
+
+namespace Files
+{
+    struct NameLess
+    {
+        bool mStrict;
+
+        NameLess (bool strict) : mStrict (strict) {}
+
+        bool operator() (const std::string& left, const std::string& right) const
+        {
+            if (mStrict)
+                return left<right;
+
+            std::size_t min = std::min (left.length(), right.length());
+
+            for (std::size_t i=0; i<min; ++i)
+            {
+                char l = std::tolower (left[i]);
+                char r = std::tolower (right[i]);
+
+                if (l>=r)
+                    return false;
+            }
+
+            return left.length()<right.length();
+        }
+    };
+
+    /// \brief File collection across several directories
+    ///
+    /// This class lists all files with one specific extensions within one or more
+    /// directories. If the same file appears more than once, the file in the directory
+    /// with the higher priority is used.
+    class MultiDirCollection
+    {
+        public:
+
+            typedef std::map<std::string, boost::filesystem::path, NameLess> TContainer;
+            typedef TContainer::const_iterator TIter;
+
+        private:
+
+            TContainer mFiles;
+
+        public:
+
+            MultiDirCollection (const std::vector<boost::filesystem::path>& directories,
+                const std::string& extension, bool foldCase);
+            ///< Directories are listed with increasing priority.
+            /// \param extension The extension that should be listed in this collection. Must
+            /// contain the leading dot.
+            /// \param foldCase Ignore filename case
+
+            boost::filesystem::path getPath (const std::string& file) const;
+            ///< Return full path (including filename) of \æ file.
+            ///
+            /// If the file does not exist, an exception is thrown. \a file must include
+            /// the extension.
+
+            TIter begin() const;
+            ///< Return iterator pointing to the first file.
+
+            TIter end() const;
+            ///< Return iterator pointing past the last file.
+
+    };
+}
+
+#endif