How to properly use Coldfusion's FileExist() method?

Question

I don't use coldfusion much at all, I'm needed to patch up some code though. Basically I'm trying to check and see if a file I uploaded exist and if it does exist, increment a variable by 1. Then repeat untill I get a unique file name. For whatever reason I can't figure out the proper way to use FileExist(). Some forums suggest using it with len() but those are from 2006 and when I do that it seems to always come out true. Also, when I look at http://help.adobe.com/en_US/ColdFusion/9.0/CFMLRef/WSc3ff6d0ea77859461172e0811cbec22c24-7c66.html it says it returns either Yes or No. I tried to check against the result various ways, but no luck. This is the portion of code I have which I am dealing with. The application.filepath is just a variable in my application file which store the expandpath(). ```

Accepted Answer

Assuming your application.Filepath is the correct file path you are on the right track. It looks like your upload directory might be beneath the web root - considering moving it outside the web root for security. Take a look at #expandPath('.')# as a way of creating guaranteed file paths without typos :) Also makes your code more portable.

To my eye the code above would work. FYI - you don't need "EQ 'YES'. You are fine to just do:

```
<Cfif FileExists(iconName)>...
```

You could also do

```
condition="NOT myVar">
```

There are several ways to handle logic code in CF.

If your fileExists() never hits take a closer look at your rename. Are you throwing an eror?

How to properly use Coldfusion's FileExist() method?

Solution

Problem