def find_files(root, ignore_patterns, verbosity, symlinks=False):
    """
    Helper function to get all files in the given root.
    """
    all_files = []
    for (dirpath, dirnames, filenames) in walk(".", followlinks=symlinks):
        for f in filenames:
            norm_filepath = os.path.normpath(os.path.join(dirpath, f))
            if is_ignored(norm_filepath, ignore_patterns):
                if verbosity > 1:
                    sys.stdout.write('ignoring file %s in %s\n' % (f, dirpath))
            else:
                all_files.extend([(dirpath, f)])
    all_files.sort()
    return all_files