How do I check whether a file exists without exceptions?

Question

How do I check if a file exists or not, without using the try statement?

Answer 1

Prefer the try statement. It's considered better style and avoids race conditions.

Don't take my word for it. There's plenty of support for this theory. Here's a couple:

• Style: Section "Handling unusual conditions" of http://allendowney.com/sd/notes/notes11.txt
• Avoiding Race Conditions