PHP

Check if a Remote File or Directory Exists

Demonstrates the Chilkat SFtp.FileExists method, which checks a remote path and returns an integer describing what is there. The first argument is the remote path and the second (followLinks) selects whether a symbolic link is followed to its target. The return value is -1 on error, 0 if nothing exists, 1 for a file, 2 for a directory, 3 for a symbolic link, and higher values for special entry types.

Background: This returns more than a yes/no because "does it exist" usually comes with "and is it the kind of thing I expect" — a job that means to write a file should notice if a directory already occupies the path. The followLinks flag decides whether a symbolic link is reported as a link (3, only when not following) or transparently resolved to its target's type. Always handle the -1 case: it means the check itself failed, which is different from the path not existing.

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<?php

use Chilkat2\SFtp;

// Demonstrates the SFtp.FileExists method, which checks a remote path and returns an integer
// describing what is there.  The 1st argument is the remote path and the 2nd (followLinks)
// selects whether a symbolic link is followed to its target.

$sftp = new SFtp();

// Connect, authenticate, and initialize the SFTP subsystem.
$port = 22;
try {
    $sftp->Connect('sftp.example.com', $port);

    // Normally you would not hard-code the password in source.  You should instead obtain it
    // from an interactive prompt, environment variable, or a secrets vault.
    $password = 'mySshPassword';

    $sftp->AuthenticatePw('mySshLogin', $password);

    $sftp->InitializeSftp();
} catch (\Chilkat2\Exception $e) {
    echo $e->getMessage(), "\n";
    exit;
}

// When followLinks is true, a symbolic link is followed and the target's type is returned.
$followLinks = true;
$result = $sftp->FileExists('subdir/report.pdf', $followLinks);

// Interpret the return value.
if ($result == -1) {
    echo $sftp->LastErrorText, "\n";
    exit;
}

if ($result == 0) {
    echo "The path does not exist.\n";
}

if ($result == 1) {
    echo "A regular file exists.\n";
}

if ($result == 2) {
    echo "A directory exists.\n";
}

// Other possible values: 3 = symbolic link (only when followLinks is false), 4 = special
// entry, 5 = unknown, 6 = socket, 7 = character device, 8 = block device, 9 = FIFO.

$sftp->Disconnect();