PHP Manual: Gets file type

Description

stringfalse filetype(string $filename)

Returns the type of the given file.

Parameters

filename: Path to the file.

Return Values

Returns the type of the file. Possible values are fifo, char, dir, block, link, file, socket and unknown.

Returns false if an error occurs. filetype will also produce an E_NOTICE message if the stat call fails or if the file type is unknown.

Errors/Exceptions

Upon failure, an E_WARNING is emitted.

Examples

Example #1 filetype example

<?php

echo filetype('/etc/passwd');
echo "\n";
echo filetype('/etc/');

?>

The above example will output:

file
dir

Notes

Note: The results of this function are cached. See clearstatcache for more details.

Tip

As of PHP 5.0.0, this function can also be used with some URL wrappers. Refer to Supported Protocols and Wrappers to determine which wrappers support stat family of functionality.