815
votes

I use a FileUploader control in my application. I want to save a file to a specified folder. If this folder does not exist, I want to first create it, and then save my file to this folder. If the folder already exists, then just save the file in it.

How can I do this?

16
@JoeBlow - Ha - should have specified which answer is incorrect - now the page is even more confusing. (Did he change the accepted answer? or did he not? OMG!) ;-)Bartosz
I ended up here while looking for other things, but it's amazing how many people are fighting to contradict each other with their own version of the same story. Microsoft authored the .NET Framework and the MSDN. Whether the correct behavior is respected by other implementers, such as Mono, is irrelevant to the correctness of the behavior described in MSDN. Oh, and Mono does the correct thing also, so where's the argument?monkey0506

16 Answers

1363
votes

As others have said, use System.IO.Directory.CreateDirectory.

But, you don't need to check if it exists first. From the documentation:

Any and all directories specified in path are created, unless they already exist or unless some part of path is invalid. If the directory already exists, this method does not create a new directory, but it returns a DirectoryInfo object for the existing directory.

385
votes

Use the below code as per How can I create a folder dynamically using the File upload server control?:

string subPath ="ImagesPath"; // Your code goes here

bool exists = System.IO.Directory.Exists(Server.MapPath(subPath));

if(!exists)
    System.IO.Directory.CreateDirectory(Server.MapPath(subPath));
247
votes

Just write this line:

System.IO.Directory.CreateDirectory("my folder");
  • If the folder does not exist yet, it will be created.
  • If the folder exists already, the line will be ignored.

Reference: Article about Directory.CreateDirectory at MSDN

Of course, you can also write using System.IO; at the top of the source file and then just write Directory.CreateDirectory("my folder"); every time you want to create a folder.

29
votes

Directory.CreateDirectory explains how to try and to create the FilePath if it does not exist.

Directory.Exists explains how to check if a FilePath exists. However, you don't need this as CreateDirectory will check it for you.

28
votes

You can create the path if it doesn't exist yet with a method like the following:

using System.IO;

private void CreateIfMissing(string path)
{
  bool folderExists = Directory.Exists(Server.MapPath(path));
  if (!folderExists)
    Directory.CreateDirectory(Server.MapPath(path));
}
18
votes

You can use a try/catch clause and check to see if it exist:

  try
  {
    if (!Directory.Exists(path))
    {
       // Try to create the directory.
       DirectoryInfo di = Directory.CreateDirectory(path);
    }
  }
  catch (IOException ioex)
  {
     Console.WriteLine(ioex.Message);
  }
16
votes

This method will create the folder if it does not exist and do nothing if it exists:

Directory.CreateDirectory(path);
14
votes
using System.IO

if (!Directory.Exists(yourDirectory))
    Directory.CreateDirectory(yourDirectory);
14
votes
if (!Directory.Exists(Path.GetDirectoryName(fileName)))
{
    Directory.CreateDirectory(Path.GetDirectoryName(fileName));
}
8
votes

The following code is the best line(s) of code I use that will create the directory if not present.

System.IO.Directory.CreateDirectory(HttpContext.Current.Server.MapPath("~/temp/"));

If the directory already exists, this method does not create a new directory, but it returns a DirectoryInfo object for the existing directory. >

5
votes

Create a new folder, given a parent folder's path:

        string pathToNewFolder = System.IO.Path.Combine(parentFolderPath, "NewSubFolder");
        DirectoryInfo directory = Directory.CreateDirectory(pathToNewFolder); 
       // Will create if does not already exist (otherwise will ignore)
  • path to new folder given
  • directory information variable so you can continue to manipulate it as you please.
0
votes

Use the below code. I use this code for file copy and creating a new folder.

string fileToCopy = "filelocation\\file_name.txt";
String server = Environment.UserName;
string newLocation = "C:\\Users\\" + server + "\\Pictures\\Tenders\\file_name.txt";
string folderLocation = "C:\\Users\\" + server + "\\Pictures\\Tenders\\";
bool exists = System.IO.Directory.Exists(folderLocation);

if (!exists)
{
   System.IO.Directory.CreateDirectory(folderLocation);
   if (System.IO.File.Exists(fileToCopy))
   {
     MessageBox.Show("file copied");
     System.IO.File.Copy(fileToCopy, newLocation, true);
   }
   else
   {
      MessageBox.Show("no such files");
   }
}
0
votes

Use this code if the folder is not presented under the image folder or other folders

string subPath = HttpContext.Current.Server.MapPath(@"~/Images/RequisitionBarCode/");

bool exists = System.IO.Directory.Exists(subPath);
if(!exists)
    System.IO.Directory.CreateDirectory(subPath);

string path = HttpContext.Current.Server.MapPath(@"~/Images/RequisitionBarCode/" + OrderId + ".png");
-1
votes

A fancy way is to extend the FileUpload with the method you want.

Add this:

public static class FileUploadExtension
{
    public static void SaveAs(this FileUpload, string destination, bool autoCreateDirectory) { 

        if (autoCreateDirectory)
        {
            var destinationDirectory = new DirectoryInfo(Path.GetDirectoryName(destination));

            if (!destinationDirectory.Exists)
                destinationDirectory.Create();
        }

        file.SaveAs(destination);
    }
}

Then use it:

FileUpload file;
...
file.SaveAs(path,true);
-3
votes
string root = @"C:\Temp";

string subdir = @"C:\Temp\Mahesh";

// If directory does not exist, create it.

if (!Directory.Exists(root))
{

Directory.CreateDirectory(root);

}

The CreateDirectory is also used to create a sub directory. All you have to do is to specify the path of the directory in which this subdirectory will be created in. The following code snippet creates a Mahesh subdirectory in C:\Temp directory.

// Create sub directory

if (!Directory.Exists(subdir))
{

Directory.CreateDirectory(subdir);

}
-6
votes

Derived/combined from multiple answers, implementing it for me was as easy as this:

public void Init()
{
    String platypusDir = @"C:\platypus";
    CreateDirectoryIfDoesNotExist(platypusDir);
}

private void CreateDirectoryIfDoesNotExist(string dirName)
{
    System.IO.Directory.CreateDirectory(dirName);
}