If File Exists — Reference
Check whether a path identifies a file and run the matching branch.
Check whether a path identifies a file and run the matching branch.
Before you begin
Section titled “Before you begin”- A Server Connect action and a dedicated test file/folder that the server process can access. Protect the endpoint before exposing private file operations.
If File Exists
Section titled “If File Exists”Check whether a path identifies a file and run the matching branch.
Choose a server path
Section titled “Choose a server path”Use an application-relative path beginning with /. In a standard Node.js project, /public/uploads/example.txt is a server path while /uploads/example.txt is its public URL. PHP paths are relative to the application root determined by its runtime. Verify the active target with the file picker instead of copying a path between server models. Do not accept unrestricted user input as a filesystem path.
Settings
Section titled “Settings”| Setting | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Name | Names the operation’s result for later server steps when it returns one. See the result notes for this operation; not all file actions return the same type. |
| File Path | The application-relative path of the server file. This is not the browser’s local file-picker path or an HTTP URL. |
| then | Steps to run when the requested file/folder exists with the expected type. |
| else | Steps to run when the existence check is false. |
| Output Result | Includes a named returned result in action output when applicable. Default off. Check the operation’s actual return type; Download sends the file response instead. |
Worked example
Section titled “Worked example”Check a known test file, then a missing filename and a directory path. Only the file should take Then. Put a visible test output in each branch to verify routing.
Result and runtime limits
Section titled “Result and runtime limits”The result is a boolean, and Then/Else run inside this step. A directory is not a file. In Node.js, stat failures are caught and reported as false, so false is not proof that the only possible cause is absence.
Connect files to the application
Section titled “Connect files to the application”A returned path or URL is not an access-control decision. Keep private file reads and writes behind server-side identity and ownership checks, and update any database metadata only after the intended file operation succeeds.
Check your result
Section titled “Check your result”You can configure the path and verify the returned result or file effect without confusing it with a page URL or database update.