FileExist()

Checks for the existence of a file or folder and returns its attributes.

AttributeString := FileExist(FilePattern)

Parameters

FilePattern

The path, filename, or file pattern to check. FilePattern is assumed to be in %A_WorkingDir% if an absolute path isn't specified.

Return Value

This function returns the attribute string (a subset of "RASHNDOCT") of the first matching file or folder:

• R = READONLY
• A = ARCHIVE
• S = SYSTEM
• H = HIDDEN
• N = NORMAL
• D = DIRECTORY
• O = OFFLINE
• C = COMPRESSED
• T = TEMPORARY

If the file has no attributes (rare), "X" is returned. If no file is found, an empty string is returned.

Remarks

This function is a combination of IfExist and FileGetAttrib.

Since an empty string is seen as "false", the function's return value can always be used as a quasi-boolean value. For example, the statement if FileExist("C:\My File.txt") would be true if the file exists and false otherwise. Similarly, the statement if InStr(FileExist("C:\My Folder"), "D") would be true only if the file exists and is a directory.

Since FilePattern may contain wildcards, FileExist may be unsuitable for validating a file path which is to be used with another function or program. For example, FileExist("*.txt") may return attributes even though "*.txt" is not a valid filename. In such cases, FileGetAttrib is preferred.

Related

IfExist, FileGetAttrib, Blocks, Else, File-loops

Examples

if FileExist("D:\")
    MsgBox, The drive exists.
if FileExist("D:\Docs\*.txt")
    MsgBox, At least one .txt file exists.
if !FileExist("C:\Temp\FlagFile.txt")
    MsgBox, The target file does not exist.

; The following example shows how to check the file for a particular attribute:
if InStr(FileExist("C:\My File.txt"), "H")
    MsgBox The file is hidden.