# system.file.fileExists seems to cache the directory structure. I need a workaround

**URL:** <https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/system-file-fileexists-seems-to-cache-the-directory-structure-i-need-a-workaround/67243>\
**Category:** Ignition\
**Created:** [December 5, 2022, 6:57pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/system-file-fileexists-seems-to-cache-the-directory-structure-i-need-a-workaround/67243 "2022-12-05T18:57:15Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![cbanzet](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/cbanzet/32/6207_2.png) [@cbanzet](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/cbanzet)\
**Post date:** [December 5, 2022, 6:57pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/system-file-fileexists-seems-to-cache-the-directory-structure-i-need-a-workaround/67243/1 "2022-12-05T18:57:15Z")

</div>

I am using Ignition v8.1.18. I want to test for the existence of a directory and create it if it doesn't exist. I need to be able to test if the directory creation succeeded so I can notify the user and exit elegantly if it did not. My code succeeds in creating the directory, but when I test for it, the script does not find it. I put in a crude delay, but that has not helped. Here is my code:

```auto
import subprocess
import sys
path = "C:\\_Temp\\vlc"
if system.file.fileExists(path):
	system.gui.messageBox(path + " exists.", "Exists")
else:
	r = system.gui.confirm(path + " does not exist.\r\n\r\nTry to create it?", "Does Not Exist")
	if not r:
		sys.exit()
	cmd = "mkdir"
	a1 = path
	args = [cmd,a1]
	proc = subprocess.Popen(args,shell=True)
	print proc
	i = 0
	while i < 10000:
		i+=1
	if system.file.fileExists(path):
		system.gui.messageBox(path + " successfully created.", "Now Exists")
	else:
		system.gui.messageBox(path + " creation failed.", "Creation Failed")	

```

When the code executes, the directory will have been created, but I get the messageBox saying that the creation failed. If I execute the script again, it finds the directory. Does anyone have any ideas?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![paul-griffith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/paul-griffith/32/37249_2.png) [@paul-griffith](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/paul-griffith)\
**Post date:** [December 5, 2022, 7:14pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/system-file-fileexists-seems-to-cache-the-directory-structure-i-need-a-workaround/67243/2 "2022-12-05T19:14:17Z")

</div>

You could skip the middleman and use the `java.nio.Files` API instead:  
[https://docs.oracle.com/en/java/javase/11/docs/api/java.base/java/nio/file/Files.html](https://docs.oracle.com/en/java/javase/11/docs/api/java.base/java/nio/file/Files.html)

You'll need an instance of Path to pass into the different methods; something like this:

```auto
from java.nio.file import Files, Path

path = Path.of("C:/_Temp/vlc")
Files.exists(path)

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![cbanzet](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/cbanzet/32/6207_2.png) [@cbanzet](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/cbanzet)\
**Post date:** [December 5, 2022, 8:55pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/system-file-fileexists-seems-to-cache-the-directory-structure-i-need-a-workaround/67243/3 "2022-12-05T20:55:47Z")

</div>

The middleman of which you speak, Paul, has been my trusted champion for some 10 years now...but I gave it a shot anyway.

And I suppose I should have mentioned that I am on Winblows.

The following code works a treat:

```auto
from java.nio.file import Files, Path
import subprocess
import sys
path = Path.of("C:/_Temp/vlc/")
#print path, str(path)
r = system.gui.confirm("Path returned is:\r\n\r\n" + str(path) + "\r\n\r\nContinue?", "Continue?")
if not r:
	sys.exit()
if Files.exists(path):
	system.gui.messageBox(str(path) + " exists.", "Exists")
else:
	r = system.gui.confirm(str(path) + " does not exist.\r\n\r\nTry to create it?", "Does Not Exist")
	if not r:
		sys.exit()

#	print "Trying to create path"
	Files.createDirectories(path)

	if Files.exists(path):
		system.gui.messageBox(str(path) + " successfully created.", "Now Exists")
	else:
		system.gui.messageBox(str(path) + " creation failed.", "Creation Failed")	
	

```

A couple of bumps I ran into, for anyone reading this later, is that my original path of

```auto
"C:\\_Temp\\vlc"

```

did **not** work for a path because, apparently Path.of() is smart enough to escape its own back slashes, and the back slashes had to be forward slashes.

also

```auto
Files.createDirectory(path)

```

did **not** work. I figured out that the reason was that I was actually trying to create multiple directories (the parent too), hence the plural,

```auto
Files.createDirectories(path)

```

The code detected the newly created directories on the first try.

Thanks @paul-griffith !