How can I check if the path entered by user is valid or not?

Question

I have found this code while I was busy searching for an answer!

private void btnOpenFile_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    OpenFileDialog saveFileDialogBrowse = new OpenFileDialog();
    saveFileDialogBrowse.Filter = "Pcap file|*.pcap";
    saveFileDialogBrowse.Title = "Save an pcap File";
    saveFileDialogBrowse.ShowDialog();
    var pcapFile = saveFileDialogBrowse.FileName; //do whatever you like with the selected filename

    if (pcapFile != "")
    {
        FileInfo fileInfo = new FileInfo(pcapFile);
        txtFilePath.Text = fileInfo.FullName;
    }
}

File.Exists() for files and Directory.Exists() for directories — Dejan Dakić, Oct 23 '14 at 14:45
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/6198392/check-whether-a-path-is-valid — Faris Zacina, Oct 23 '14 at 14:45

score 2 · Answer 1 · answered Oct 23 '14 at 14:45

There is no easy way.

You can use File.Exists to check for file existence on the path, but a change can still happen before the execution of the next line. Your best option is to combine File.Exists with try-catch to catch any possible exceptions.

private void btnOpenFile_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    OpenFileDialog saveFileDialogBrowse = new OpenFileDialog();
    saveFileDialogBrowse.Filter = "Pcap file|*.pcap";
    saveFileDialogBrowse.Title = "Save an pcap File";
    saveFileDialogBrowse.ShowDialog();
    var pcapFile = saveFileDialogBrowse.FileName; //do whatever you like with the selected filename
    try
    {
        if (File.Exists(pcapFile))
        {
            FileInfo fileInfo = new FileInfo(pcapFile);
            txtFilePath.Text = fileInfo.FullName;
        }
    }
    catch (FileNotFoundException fileNotFoundException)
    {
        //Log and handle
    }
    catch (Exception ex)
    {
        //log and handle
    }
}

score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Oct 23 '14 at 14:45

1

You can use the File.Exists method:

string fullPath = @"c:\temp\test.txt";
bool fileExists = File.Exists(fullPath);

answered Oct 23 '14 at 14:45

Abbas

14,186
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41
72

score 1 · Answer 3 · answered Oct 23 '14 at 14:45

1

You can use the File.Exists method, which is documented here.

answered Oct 23 '14 at 14:45

Codor

17,447
9
29
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How can I check if the path entered by user is valid or not?

3 Answers3