FindFile

FindFile[name]

finds the file with the specified name that would be loaded by Get[name] and related functions.

Details

  • FindFile[name] successively searches for a file with the specified name in each of the directories given in $Path.
  • FindFile returns full absolute file names.
  • FindFile returns $Failed if it cannot find a file with the specified name.
  • In FindFile[name], the name can be specified with / path separators (or \\ on Windows). It can also be specified with ` context separators.
  • For names of the form "name`", FindFile searches for files "name.mx" and "name.m".
  • If FindFile resolves to a directory, it will search for a file named Kernel/init.m or init.m in that directory.
  • If FindFile resolves to an object of the form "name.mx" which corresponds to a directory, it will search for a file with a name like name.mx/$SystemID/name.mx.
  • Get, Needs, OpenRead, Install and other functions effectively use FindFile to find files to read.
  • FindFile[File["file"]] is also supported.

Examples

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Basic Examples  (3)

Find which initialization file is loaded:

Find initialization file for a package:

Find a file used for examples:

Scope  (1)

Find the file specified by the File object:

Wolfram Research (2008), FindFile, Wolfram Language function, https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/FindFile.html (updated 2016).

Text

Wolfram Research (2008), FindFile, Wolfram Language function, https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/FindFile.html (updated 2016).

CMS

Wolfram Language. 2008. "FindFile." Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Wolfram Research. Last Modified 2016. https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/FindFile.html.

APA

Wolfram Language. (2008). FindFile. Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Retrieved from https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/FindFile.html

BibTeX

@misc{reference.wolfram_2023_findfile, author="Wolfram Research", title="{FindFile}", year="2016", howpublished="\url{https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/FindFile.html}", note=[Accessed: 19-March-2024 ]}

BibLaTeX

@online{reference.wolfram_2023_findfile, organization={Wolfram Research}, title={FindFile}, year={2016}, url={https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/FindFile.html}, note=[Accessed: 19-March-2024 ]}