How to check if a file exists on a server using c# and the WebClient class

Question

In my application I use the WebClient class to download files from a Webserver by simply calling the DownloadFile method. Now I need to che

Answer 1

When you request file using the WebClient Class, the 404 Error (File Not Found) will lead to an exception. Best way is to handle that exception and use a flag which can be set to see if the file exists or not.

The example code goes as follows:

System.Net.HttpWebRequest request = null;
System.Net.HttpWebResponse response = null;
request = (System.Net.HttpWebRequest)System.Net.HttpWebRequest.Create("www.example.com/somepath");
request.Timeout = 30000;
try
{
    response = (System.Net.HttpWebResponse)request.GetResponse();
    flag = 1;
}
catch 
{
    flag = -1;
}

if (flag==1)
{
    Console.WriteLine("File Found!!!");
}
else
{
    Console.WriteLine("File Not Found!!!");
}

You can put your code in respective if blocks. Hope it helps!