How to check if path is valid without using try-catch?
c#, directory, exception, path
Solution
The explanation for the failure of your code is that the path is invalid. The documentation says:
DirectoryNotFoundException
The specified path is invalid (for example, it is on an unmapped drive).
Trying to predict in advance whether or not a directory can be created is a devil of a job. You'd need to account for security, OS name rules and limits, file system name rules and limits, and whether or not drives are mapped. And probably lots more concerns. I would not contemplate re-implementing what the system provides for free.
In any case, whilst you can call `Directory.Exists`, you do still need to allow for an exception being thrown. If the file system changes between the call to `Directory.Exists` and the subsequent call to `Directory.CreateDirectory`, then an exception will be raised. For example, if another process creates the directory that you are trying to create. Granted, this is a rather unlikely event, but it's perfectly possible.
In summary, the best option, by a distance, is to catch the exception. As the well known saying goes, it's better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission.
Problem
I want to check if a folder exists and if not then create it. But I don't know if the path supplied will even valid. When the path is not valid the following happens. ``` string path = "this is an invalid path"; if (!Directory.Exists(path)) Directory.CreateDirectory(path); //Exception thrown here ``` If you supply an invalid path, it will throw a `DirectoryNotFoundException` exception. How can I stop this exception from occurring? I don't want to use a try-catch. I want to detect that this exception will occur even before the exception happens.