Rust

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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// 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.

let sftp = chilkat::SFtp::new();

// Connect, authenticate, and initialize the SFTP subsystem.
let port = 22;
if sftp.connect("sftp.example.com", port).is_err() {
    println!("{}", sftp.last_error_text());
    return;
}

// 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.
let password = "mySshPassword".to_string();

if sftp.authenticate_pw("mySshLogin", &password).is_err() {
    println!("{}", sftp.last_error_text());
    return;
}

if sftp.initialize_sftp().is_err() {
    println!("{}", sftp.last_error_text());
    return;
}

// When followLinks is true, a symbolic link is followed and the target's type is returned.
let follow_links = true;
let result = sftp.file_exists("subdir/report.pdf", follow_links);

// Interpret the return value.
if result == -1 {
    println!("{}", sftp.last_error_text());
    return;
}

if result == 0 {
    println!("The path does not exist.");
}

if result == 1 {
    println!("A regular file exists.");
}

if result == 2 {
    println!("A directory exists.");
}

// 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();