PHP Filesystem file_exists() Function

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The PHP Filesystem file_exists() function is used to check whether or not a file and directory exists. This function returns true if the file or directory exists, otherwise returns false.

It simplifies path validation and confirms that your PHP script interacts with files or folders that already exist.

Syntax

Below is the syntax of the PHP Filesystem file_exists() function −

bool file_exists ( string $filename )

Parameters

The parameters are needed to use the file_exists() function are mentioned below −

Return Value

It returns TRUE on success, or FALSE on failure.

PHP Version

The file_exists() function was first introduced as part of core PHP 4 and work well with the PHP 5, PHP 7, PHP 8.

Example

This PHP code shows us how to use the PHP Filesystem file_exists() function to find that the given file or directory exists. So check the below code for demonstration −

<?php
   $filename = "/PhpProject/sample.txt";

   if(file_exists($filename)) {
      echo "The file $filename exists";
   } else {
      echo "The file $filename does not exist";
   }
?>

Output

The above code generate the below output −

The file /PhpProject/sample.txt exists

Example

Here is an example for demonstrating the use of file_exists() function for checking if the directory is present of not.

<?php
   $directory = "/PhpProject/images";

   if(file_exists($directory)) {
      echo "The directory $directory exists";
   } else {
      echo "The directory $directory does not exist";
   }
?> 

Output

This will produce the following result −

The directory /PhpProject/images exists

Example

The below code can be used to check or verify that there is multiple files exist in the given directory or not. So we can archive this functionality by using the * (asterisk) at the end of the path.

<?php
   $path = "/PhpProject/*.txt";

   if(count(glob($path)) > 0) {
      echo "At least one .txt file exists in /PhpProject directory";
   } else {
      echo "No .txt file exists in /PhpProject directory";
   }
?> 

Output

This will generate the following outcome −

At least one .txt file exists in /PhpProject directory

Example

This example shows how you can check that a file specified by user input exists or not. So for this the user have to enter the file name as query parameter to get the result.

<?php
   // Assume the user provides the filename as a query parameter
   $userInput = $_GET['filename'];

   if(file_exists($userInput)) {
      echo "The file $userInput exists";
   } else {
      echo "The file $userInput does not exist";
   }
?> 

Output

This will lead to the following outcome −

For example the query parameter is as follows: "http://localhost/mac/index.php?filename=myfile.txt"

The file myfile.txt exists"

Note

When using file_exists() be careful to handle user input safely to prevent security issues like directory traversal.

Summary

The file_exists() function's versatility allows it to be used to search both files and directories. Handling user input securely is important for avoiding security issues.