In the previous recipe, you learned how to get a list of layers by using the ListLayers() function. There will be times when you will not want a list of all the layers in a map document, but rather only a subset of the layers. The ListLayers() function allows you to restrict the list of layers that is generated. In this recipe, you will learn how to restrict the layers returned using a wildcard and a specific data frame from the ArcMap table of contents.
By default, if you only pass a reference to the map document or layer file, the ListLayers() function will return a list of all the layers in these files. However, you can restrict the list of layers returned by this function by using an optional wildcard parameter or by passing in a reference to a specific data frame. A wildcard is a character that will match any character or sequence of characters in a search. This will be demonstrated in this recipe.