{"id":121,"date":"2021-03-08T00:24:03","date_gmt":"2021-03-08T00:24:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phptutorial.net\/?page_id=121"},"modified":"2021-09-04T10:54:32","modified_gmt":"2021-09-04T10:54:32","slug":"php-file-exists","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.phptutorial.net\/php-tutorial\/php-file-exists\/","title":{"rendered":"PHP File Exists"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Summary<\/strong>: in this tutorial, you will learn how to check if a file exists in PHP using the file_exists()<\/code>, is_file()<\/code>, is_readable()<\/code>, and is_writable()<\/code> functions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PHP provides some useful functions that allow you to check if a file<\/a> exists. Let’s examine these functions and how to use them effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check if a file exists using the file_exists() function #<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To check if a file exists, you use the file_exist()<\/code> function:<\/p>\n\n\n

file_exists ( string $filename ) : bool<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> PHP<\/span> (<\/span>php<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
The file_exists()<\/code> function accepts a filename and returns true<\/code> if the file exists; otherwise it returns false<\/code>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The following example uses the file_exists()<\/code> function to check if the file readme.txt<\/code> exists in the current directory:<\/p>\n\n\n
<?php<\/span>\r\n\r\n$filename = 'readme.txt'<\/span>;\r\n\r\nif<\/span> (file_exists($filename)) {\r\n    $message = \"The file $filename exists\"<\/span>;\r\n} else<\/span> {\r\n    $message = \"The file $filename does not exist\"<\/span>;\r\n}\r\necho<\/span> $message;<\/span><\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> HTML, XML<\/span> (<\/span>xml<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
If the readme.txt<\/code> exists in the same directory of the script, you’ll see the following message:<\/p>\n\n\n
The<\/span> file<\/span> readme<\/span>.txt<\/span> exists<\/span><\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> CSS<\/span> (<\/span>css<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
…otherwise, you’ll see a different message:<\/p>\n\n\n
The<\/span> file<\/span> readme<\/span>.txt<\/span> does<\/span> not<\/span> exist<\/span><\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> CSS<\/span> (<\/span>css<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
Note that the $filename<\/code> can be also a path to a directory. In this case, the file_exists()<\/code> function returns true<\/code> if the directory exists. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Check if a file exists using the is_file() function #<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
If you want to check if a path is a file (not a directory) and exists in the file system, you can use the is_file()<\/code> function.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The is_file()<\/code> function accepts a $filename<\/code> and returns true<\/code> if the $filename<\/code> is a file and exists:<\/p>\n\n\n
is_file ( string $filename ) : bool<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> PHP<\/span> (<\/span>php<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
The following example uses the is_file()<\/code> function to check if the file readme.txt<\/code> exists:<\/p>\n\n\n
<?php<\/span>\r\n\r\n$filename = 'readme.txt'<\/span>;\r\n\r\nif<\/span> (is_file($filename)) {\r\n    $message = \"The file $filename exists\"<\/span>;\r\n} else<\/span> {\r\n    $message = \"The file $filename does not exist\"<\/span>;\r\n}\r\necho<\/span> $message;<\/span><\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> HTML, XML<\/span> (<\/span>xml<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
Check if a file exists and readable #<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In practice, you often want to check if a file exists before reading its contents. To check if a file exists and is readable, you use the is_readable()<\/code> function:<\/p>\n\n\n
is_readable ( string $filename ) : bool<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> PHP<\/span> (<\/span>php<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
The is_readable()<\/code> function returns true<\/code> if the $filename<\/code> exists and readable, or false<\/code> otherwise. Note that the $filename<\/code> can be a directory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The following example uses the is_readable()<\/code> function to check if the readme.txt<\/code> file exists and readable:<\/p>\n\n\n
<?php<\/span>\r\n\r\n$filename = 'readme.txt'<\/span>;\r\n\r\nif<\/span> (is_readable($filename)) {\r\n    $message = \"The file $filename exists\"<\/span>;\r\n} else<\/span> {\r\n    $message = \"The file $filename does not exist\"<\/span>;\r\n}\r\necho<\/span> $message;\n<\/span><\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> HTML, XML<\/span> (<\/span>xml<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
Check if a file exists and writable #<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Before writing to a file, you need to check the file exists and is writable. In this case, you can use the is_writable()<\/code> function:<\/p>\n\n\n
is_writable ( string $filename ) : bool<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> PHP<\/span> (<\/span>php<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
The is_writable()<\/code> function returns true<\/code> if the $filename<\/code> exists and writable, or false<\/code> otherwise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The following example uses the is_writable()<\/code> function to check the readme.txt<\/code> file exists and writable:<\/p>\n\n\n
<?php<\/span>\r\n\r\n$filename = 'readme.txt'<\/span>;\r\n\r\nif<\/span> (is_writable($filename)) {\r\n    $message = \"The file $filename exists\"<\/span>;\r\n} else<\/span> {\r\n    $message = \"The file $filename does not exist\"<\/span>;\r\n}\n\r\necho<\/span> $message;<\/span><\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> HTML, XML<\/span> (<\/span>xml<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
Summary #<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
  • Use the file_exists()<\/code> function to check if a file exists.<\/li>
  • Use the is_file()<\/code> function to check if a path is a regular file, not a directory, and that file exists.<\/li>
  • Use the is_readable()<\/code> function to check if a file exists and readable.<\/li>
  • Use the is_writable()<\/code> function to check if a file exists and writable.<\/li><\/ul>\n
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