File

File

An API to read, write and navigate file system hierarchies, based on the W3C File API.

Objects

• DirectoryEntry
• DirectoryReader
• File
• FileEntry
• FileError
• FileReader
• FileSystem
• FileTransfer
• FileTransferError
• FileUploadOptions
• FileUploadResult
• FileWriter
• Flags
• LocalFileSystem
• Metadata

Permissions

Android

app/res/xml/config.xml

<plugin name="File" value="org.apache.cordova.FileUtils" />
<plugin name="FileTransfer" value="org.apache.cordova.FileTransfer" />

app/AndroidManifest.xml

<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" />

BlackBerry WebWorks

www/plugins.xml

<plugin name="File" value="org.apache.cordova.file.FileManager" />
<plugin name="FileTransfer" value="org.apache.cordova.http.FileTransfer" />

www/config.xml

<feature id="blackberry.io.file" required="true" version="1.0.0.0" />
<feature id="blackberry.utils"   required="true" version="1.0.0.0" />
<feature id="blackberry.io.dir"  required="true" version="1.0.0.0" />
<rim:permissions>
    <rim:permit>access_shared</rim:permit>
</rim:permissions>

iOS

config.xml

<plugin name="File" value="CDVFile" />
<plugin name="FileTransfer" value="CDVFileTransfer" />

Windows Phone

No permissions are required.

File

This object contains attributes of a single file.

Properties

• name: The name of the file. (DOMString)
• fullPath: The full path of the file including the file name. (DOMString)
• type: The mime type of the file. (DOMString)
• lastModifiedDate: The last time the file was modified. (Date)
• size: The size of the file in bytes. (long)

Methods

• slice: Select only a portion of the file to be read.

Details

The File object contains attributes of a single file. You can get an instance of a File object by calling a FileEntry object's file() method.

Supported Platforms

• Android
• BlackBerry WebWorks (OS 5.0 and higher)
• iOS
• Windows Phone 7 and 8
• Windows 8

slice

Return a new File object, for which FileReader returns only the specified portion of the file. Negative values for start or end are measured from the end of the file. Indexes are positioned relative to the current slice. (See the full example below.)

Parameters:

• start: The index of the first byte to read, inclusive.
• end: The index of the byte after the last one to read.

Quick Example

var slicedFile = file.slice(10, 30);

Full Example

var slice1 = file.slice(100, 400);
var slice2 = slice1.slice(20, 35);
var slice3 = file.slice(120, 135);
// slice2 and slice3 are equivalent.

Supported Platforms

• Android
• iOS

FileReader

The FileReader allows basic access to a file.

Properties

• readyState: One of the reader's three possible states, either EMPTY, LOADING or DONE.
• result: The contents of the file that have been read. (DOMString)
• error: An object containing errors. (FileError)
• onloadstart: Called when the read starts. (Function)
• onload: Called when the read has successfully completed. (Function)
• onabort: Called when the read has been aborted. For instance, by invoking the abort() method. (Function)
• onerror: Called when the read has failed. (Function)
• onloadend: Called when the request has completed (either in success or failure). (Function)

NOTE: The following porperty is not supported:

• onprogress: Called while reading the file, reporting progress in terms of progress.loaded/progress.total. (Function)

Methods

• abort: Aborts reading file.
• readAsDataURL: Read file and return data as a base64-encoded data URL.
• readAsText: Reads text file.
• readAsBinaryString: Reads file as binary and returns a binary string.
• readAsArrayBuffer: Reads file as an ArrayBuffer.

Details

The FileReader object offers a way to read files from the device's file system. Files can be read as text or as a base64 data-encoded string. Event listeners receive the loadstart, progress, load, loadend, error, and abort events.

Supported Platforms

• Android
• BlackBerry WebWorks (OS 5.0 and higher)
• iOS
• Windows Phone 7 and 8
• Windows 8

Read As Data URL

Parameters:

• file: the file object to read.

Quick Example

function win(file) {
    var reader = new FileReader();
    reader.onloadend = function (evt) {
console.log("read success");
console.log(evt.target.result);
    };
    reader.readAsDataURL(file);
};
var fail = function (evt) {
    console.log(error.code);
};
entry.file(win, fail);

Read As Text

Parameters:

• file: the file object to read.
• encoding: the encoding to use to encode the file's content. Default is UTF8.

Quick Example

function win(file) {
    var reader = new FileReader();
    reader.onloadend = function (evt) {
console.log("read success");
console.log(evt.target.result);
    };
    reader.readAsText(file);
};
var fail = function (evt) {
    console.log(error.code);
};
entry.file(win, fail);

Abort Quick Example

function win(file) {
    var reader = new FileReader();
    reader.onloadend = function(evt) {
console.log("read success");
console.log(evt.target.result);
    };
    reader.readAsText(file);
    reader.abort();
};
function fail(error) {
    console.log(error.code);
}
entry.file(win, fail);

Full Example

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  <head>
    <title>FileReader Example</title>
    <script type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8" src="cordova-x.x.x.js"></script>
    <script type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8">
    // Wait for device API libraries to load
    //
    function onLoad() {
document.addEventListener("deviceready", onDeviceReady, false);
    }
    // device APIs are available
    //
    function onDeviceReady() {
window.requestFileSystem(LocalFileSystem.PERSISTENT, 0, gotFS, fail);
    }
    function gotFS(fileSystem) {
fileSystem.root.getFile("readme.txt", null, gotFileEntry, fail);
    }
    function gotFileEntry(fileEntry) {
fileEntry.file(gotFile, fail);
    }
    function gotFile(file){
readDataUrl(file);
readAsText(file);
    }
    function readDataUrl(file) {
var reader = new FileReader();
reader.onloadend = function(evt) {
console.log("Read as data URL");
console.log(evt.target.result);
};
reader.readAsDataURL(file);
    }
    function readAsText(file) {
var reader = new FileReader();
reader.onloadend = function(evt) {
console.log("Read as text");
console.log(evt.target.result);
};
reader.readAsText(file);
    }
    function fail(evt) {
console.log(evt.target.error.code);
    }
    </script>
  </head>
  <body>
    <h2>Example</h2>
    <p>Read File</p>
  </body>
</html>

iOS Quirks

• The encoding parameter is not supported, and UTF8 encoding is always in effect.

Read As Binary String

Currently supported on iOS and Android only.

Parameters:

• file: the file object to read.

Quick Example

function win(file) {
    var reader = new FileReader();
    reader.onloadend = function (evt) {
console.log("read success");
console.log(evt.target.result);
    };
    reader.readAsBinaryString(file);
};
var fail = function (evt) {
    console.log(error.code);
};
entry.file(win, fail);

Read As Array Buffer

Currently supported on iOS and Android only.

Parameters:

• file: the file object to read.

Quick Example

function win(file) {
    var reader = new FileReader();
    reader.onloadend = function (evt) {
console.log("read success");
console.log(new Uint8Array(evt.target.result));
    };
    reader.readAsArrayBuffer(file);
};
var fail = function (evt) {
    console.log(error.code);
};
entry.file(win, fail);

FileWriter

As object that allows you to create and write data to a file.

Properties

• readyState: One of the three possible states, either INIT, WRITING, or DONE.
• fileName: The name of the file to be written. (DOMString)
• length: The length of the file to be written. (long)
• position: The current position of the file pointer. (long)
• error: An object containing errors. (FileError)
• onwritestart: Called when the write starts. (Function)
• onwrite: Called when the request has completed successfully. (Function)
• onabort: Called when the write has been aborted. For instance, by invoking the abort() method. (Function)
• onerror: Called when the write has failed. (Function)
• onwriteend: Called when the request has completed (either in success or failure). (Function)

The following property is not supported:

• onprogress: Called while writing the file, reporting progress in terms of progress.loaded/progress.total. (Function)

  Methods

• abort: Aborts writing the file.

• seek: Moves the file pointer to the specified byte.
• truncate: Shortens the file to the specified length.
• write: Writes data to the file.

Details

The FileWriter object offers a way to write UTF-8 encoded files to the device file system. Applications respond to writestart, progress, write, writeend, error, and abort events.

Each FileWriter corresponds to a single file, to which data can be written many times. The FileWriter maintains the file's position and length attributes, which allow the app to seek and write anywhere in the file. By default, the FileWriter writes to the beginning of the file, overwriting existing data. Set the optional append boolean to true in the FileWriter's constructor to write to the end of the file.

Text data is supported by all platforms listed below. Text is encoded as UTF-8 before being written to the filesystem. Some platforms also support binary data, which can be passed in as either an ArrayBuffer or a Blob.

Supported Platforms

Text and Binary suport

• Android
• iOS

Text only support

• BlackBerry WebWorks (OS 5.0 and higher)
• Windows Phone 7 and 8
• Windows 8

Seek Quick Example

function win(writer) {
    // fast forwards file pointer to end of file
    writer.seek(writer.length);
};
var fail = function(evt) {
    console.log(error.code);
};
entry.createWriter(win, fail);

Truncate Quick Example

function win(writer) {
    writer.truncate(10);
};
var fail = function(evt) {
    console.log(error.code);
};
entry.createWriter(win, fail);

Write Quick Example

function win(writer) {
    writer.onwrite = function(evt) {
console.log("write success");
    };
    writer.write("some sample text");
};
var fail = function(evt) {
    console.log(error.code);
};
entry.createWriter(win, fail);

Binary Write Quick Example

function win(writer) {
    var data = new ArrayBuffer(5),
dataView = new Int8Array(data);
    for (i=0; i < 5; i++) {
dataView[i] = i;
    }
    writer.onwrite = function(evt) {
console.log("write success");
    };
    writer.write(data);
};
var fail = function(evt) {
    console.log(error.code);
};
entry.createWriter(win, fail);

Append Quick Example

function win(writer) {
    writer.onwrite = function(evt) {
    console.log("write success");
};
writer.seek(writer.length);
    writer.write("appended text");
};
var fail = function(evt) {
    console.log(error.code);
};
entry.createWriter(win, fail);

Abort Quick Example

function win(writer) {
    writer.onwrite = function(evt) {
console.log("write success");
    };
    writer.write("some sample text");
    writer.abort();
};
var fail = function(evt) {
    console.log(error.code);
};
entry.createWriter(win, fail);

Full Example

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  <head>
    <title>FileWriter Example</title>
    <script type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8" src="cordova-x.x.x.js"></script>
    <script type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8">
    // Wait for device API libraries to load
    //
    document.addEventListener("deviceready", onDeviceReady, false);
    // device APIs are available
    //
    function onDeviceReady() {
window.requestFileSystem(LocalFileSystem.PERSISTENT, 0, gotFS, fail);
    }
    function gotFS(fileSystem) {
fileSystem.root.getFile("readme.txt", {create: true, exclusive: false}, gotFileEntry, fail);
    }
    function gotFileEntry(fileEntry) {
fileEntry.createWriter(gotFileWriter, fail);
    }
    function gotFileWriter(writer) {
writer.onwriteend = function(evt) {
console.log("contents of file now 'some sample text'");
writer.truncate(11);
writer.onwriteend = function(evt) {
    console.log("contents of file now 'some sample'");
    writer.seek(4);
    writer.write(" different text");
    writer.onwriteend = function(evt){
console.log("contents of file now 'some different text'");
    }
};
};
writer.write("some sample text");
    }
    function fail(error) {
console.log(error.code);
    }
    </script>
  </head>
  <body>
    <h2>Example</h2>
    <p>Write File</p>
  </body>
</html>

FileSystem

This object represents a file system.

Properties

• name: The name of the file system. (DOMString)
• root: The root directory of the file system. (DirectoryEntry)

Details

The FileSystem object represents information about the file system. The name of the file system is unique across the list of exposed file systems. The root property contains a DirectoryEntry object that represents the file system's root directory.

Supported Platforms

• Android
• BlackBerry WebWorks (OS 5.0 and higher)
• iOS
• Windows Phone 7 and 8
• Windows 8

File System Quick Example

function onSuccess(fileSystem) {
    console.log(fileSystem.name);
    console.log(fileSystem.root.name);
}
// request the persistent file system
window.requestFileSystem(LocalFileSystem.PERSISTENT, 0, onSuccess, null);

Full Example

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  <head>
    <title>File System Example</title>
    <script type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8" src="cordova-x.x.x.js"></script>
    <script type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8">
    // Wait for device API libraries to load
    //
    document.addEventListener("deviceready", onDeviceReady, false);
    // device APIs are available
    //
    function onDeviceReady() {
window.requestFileSystem(LocalFileSystem.PERSISTENT, 0, onFileSystemSuccess, fail);
    }
    function onFileSystemSuccess(fileSystem) {
console.log(fileSystem.name);
console.log(fileSystem.root.name);
    }
    function fail(evt) {
console.log(evt.target.error.code);
    }
    </script>
  </head>
  <body>
    <h2>Example</h2>
    <p>File System</p>
  </body>
</html>

FileEntry

Represents a file on a file system, as defined in the W3C Directories and Systems specification.

Properties

• isFile: Always true. (boolean)
• isDirectory: Always false. (boolean)
• name: The name of the FileEntry, excluding the path leading to it. (DOMString)
• fullPath: The full absolute path from the root to the FileEntry. (DOMString)

NOTE: The following attribute is defined by the W3C specification, but is not supported:

• filesystem: The file system on which the FileEntry resides. (FileSystem)

Methods

• getMetadata: Look up metadata about a file.
• setMetadata: Set metadata on a file.
• moveTo: Move a file to a different location on the file system.
• copyTo: Copy a file to a different location on the file system.
• toURL: Return a URL that can be used to locate a file.
• remove: Delete a file.
• getParent: Look up the parent directory.
• createWriter: Creates a FileWriter object that can be used to write to a file.
• file: Creates a File object containing file properties.

Supported Platforms

• Android
• BlackBerry WebWorks (OS 5.0 and higher)
• iOS
• Windows Phone 7 and 8
• Windows 8

getMetadata

Look up metadata about a file.

Parameters:

• successCallback: A callback that is passed a Metadata object. (Function)
• errorCallback: A callback that executes if an error occurs when retrieving the Metadata. Invoked with a FileError object. (Function)

Quick Example

function success(metadata) {
    console.log("Last Modified: " + metadata.modificationTime);
}
function fail(error) {
    alert(error.code);
}
// Request the metadata object for this entry
entry.getMetadata(success, fail);

setMetadata

Set metadata on a file.

Currently works only on iOS. - this will set the extended attributes of a file.

Parameters:

• successCallback: A callback that executes when the metadata is set. (Function)
• errorCallback: A callback that executes when the metadata is not successfully set. (Function)
• metadataObject: An object that contains the metadata's keys and values. (Object)

Quick Example

function success() {
    console.log("The metadata was successfully set.");
}
function fail() {
    alert("There was an error in setting the metadata");
}
// Set the metadata
entry.setMetadata(success, fail, { "com.apple.MobileBackup": 1});

iOS Quirk

• Only the com.apple.MobileBackup extended attribute is supported. Set the value to 1 to prevent the file from being backed up to iCloud. Set the value to 0 to re-enable the file to be backed up to iCloud.

Quick Example

function setFileMetadata(localFileSystem, filePath, metadataKey, metadataValue)
{
var onSetMetadataWin = function() {
  console.log("success setting metadata")
}
    var onSetMetadataFail = function() {
  console.log("error setting metadata")
    }
var onGetFileWin = function(parent) {
  var data = {};
  data[metadataKey] = metadataValue;
  parent.setMetadata(onSetMetadataWin, onSetMetadataFail, data);
}
var onGetFileFail = function() {
  console.log("error getting file")
}
var onFSWin = function(fileSystem) {
  fileSystem.root.getFile(filePath, {create: true, exclusive: false}, onGetFileWin, onGetFileFail);
}
var onFSFail = function(evt) {
  console.log(evt.target.error.code);
}
window.requestFileSystem(localFileSystem, 0, onFSWin, onFSFail);
}
    setFileMetadata(LocalFileSystem.PERSISTENT, "Backups/sqlite.db", "com.apple.MobileBackup", 1);

moveTo

Move a file to a different location on the file system. An error results if the app attempts to:

• move a file into its parent if a name different from its current one isn't provided;
• move a file to a path occupied by a directory;

In addition, moving a file on top of an existing file attempts to delete and replace that file.

Parameters:

• parent: The parent directory to which to move the file. (DirectoryEntry)
• newName: The new name of the file. Defaults to the current name if unspecified. (DOMString)
• successCallback: A callback that is passed the new files FileEntry object. (Function)
• errorCallback: A callback that executes if an error occurs when attempting to move the file. Invoked with a FileError object. (Function)

Quick Example

function success(entry) {
    console.log("New Path: " + entry.fullPath);
}
function fail(error) {
    alert(error.code);
}
function moveFile(entry) {
    var parent = document.getElementById('parent').value,
parentName = parent.substring(parent.lastIndexOf('/')+1),
parentEntry = new DirectoryEntry(parentName, parent);
    // move the file to a new directory and rename it
    entry.moveTo(parentEntry, "newFile.txt", success, fail);
}

copyTo

Copy a file to a new location on the file system. An error results if the app attempts to:

• copy a file into its parent if a name different from its current one is not provided.

Parameters:

• parent: The parent directory to which to copy the file. (DirectoryEntry)
• newName: The new name of the file. Defaults to the current name if unspecified. (DOMString)
• successCallback: A callback that is passed the new file's FileEntry object. (Function)
• errorCallback: A callback that executes if an error occurs when attempting to copy the file. Invoked with a FileError object. (Function)

Quick Example

function win(entry) {
    console.log("New Path: " + entry.fullPath);
}
function fail(error) {
    alert(error.code);
}
function copyFile(entry) {
    var parent = document.getElementById('parent').value,
parentName = parent.substring(parent.lastIndexOf('/')+1),
parentEntry = new DirectoryEntry(parentName, parent);
    // copy the file to a new directory and rename it
    entry.copyTo(parentEntry, "file.copy", success, fail);
}

toURL

Returns a URL that can be used to locate the file.

Quick Example

// Request the URL for this entry
var fileURL = entry.toURL();
console.log(fileURL);

remove

Deletes a file.

Parameters:

• successCallback: A callback that executes after the file has been deleted. Invoked with no parameters. (Function)
• errorCallback: A callback that executes if an error occurs when attempting to delete the file. Invoked with a FileError object. (Function)

Quick Example

function success(entry) {
    console.log("Removal succeeded");
}
function fail(error) {
    alert('Error removing file: ' + error.code);
}
// remove the file
entry.remove(success, fail);

getParent

Look up the parent DirectoryEntry containing the file.

Parameters:

• successCallback: A callback that is passed the file's parent DirectoryEntry. (Function)
• errorCallback: A callback that executes if an error occurs when attempting to retrieve the parent DirectoryEntry. Invoked with a FileError object. (Function)

Quick Example

function success(parent) {
    console.log("Parent Name: " + parent.name);
}
function fail(error) {
    alert(error.code);
}
// Get the parent DirectoryEntry
entry.getParent(success, fail);

createWriter

Create a FileWriter object associated with the file represented by the FileEntry.

Parameters:

• successCallback: A callback that is passed a FileWriter object. (Function)
• errorCallback: A callback that executes if an error occurs while attempting to create the FileWriter. Invoked with a FileError object. (Function)

Quick Example

function success(writer) {
    writer.write("Some text to the file");
}
function fail(error) {
    alert(error.code);
}
// create a FileWriter to write to the file
entry.createWriter(success, fail);

file

Return a File object that represents the current state of the file that this FileEntry represents.

Parameters:

• successCallback: A callback that is passed a File object. (Function)
• errorCallback: A callback that executes if an error occurs when creating the File object, such as when the file no longer exists. Invoked with a FileError object. (Function)

Quick Example

function success(file) {
    console.log("File size: " + file.size);
}
function fail(error) {
    alert("Unable to retrieve file properties: " + error.code);
}
// obtain properties of a file
entry.file(success, fail);

DirectoryEntry

This object represents a directory on a file system, as defined by the W3C Directories and Systems specification.

Properties

• isFile: Always false. (boolean)
• isDirectory: Always true. (boolean)
• name: The name of the DirectoryEntry, excluding the path leading to it. (DOMString)
• fullPath: The full absolute path from the root to the DirectoryEntry. (DOMString)

NOTE: The following attribute is defined by the W3C specification, but is not supported:

• filesystem: The file system on which the DirectoryEntry resides. (FileSystem)

Methods

The following methods can be invoked on a DirectoryEntry object:

• getMetadata: Look up metadata about a directory.
• setMetadata: Set metadata on a directory.
• moveTo: Move a directory to a different location on the file system.
• copyTo: Copy a directory to a different location on the file system.
• toURL: Return a URL to help locate a directory.
• remove: Delete a directory. The directory must be empty.
• getParent: Look up the parent directory.
• createReader: Create a new DirectoryReader that can read entries from a directory.
• getDirectory: Create or look up a directory.
• getFile: Create or look up a file.
• removeRecursively: Delete a directory and all of its contents.

Supported Platforms

• Android
• BlackBerry WebWorks (OS 5.0 and higher)
• iOS
• Windows Phone 7 and 8
• Windows 8

getMetadata

Look up metadata about a directory.

Parameters:

• successCallback: A callback function to execute with a Metadata object. (Function)
• errorCallback: A callback function to execute if an error occurs when retrieving the Metadata. Invoked with a FileError object. (Function)

Quick Example

function success(metadata) {
    console.log("Last Modified: " + metadata.modificationTime);
}
function fail(error) {
    alert(error.code);
}
// Request the metadata object for this entry
entry.getMetadata(success, fail);

setMetadata

Set metadata on a directory. Currently works only on iOS. - this will set the extended attributes of a directory.

Parameters:

• successCallback: A callback that executes when the metadata is successfully set. (Function)
• errorCallback: A callback that executes when the metadata fails to be set. (Function)
• metadataObject: An object that contains the metadata's keys and values. (Object)

Quick Example

function success() {
    console.log("The metadata was successfully set.");
}
function fail() {
    alert("There was an error in setting the metadata");
}
// Set the metadata
entry.setMetadata(success, fail, { "com.apple.MobileBackup": 1});

iOS Quirk

• Only the com.apple.MobileBackup extended attribute is supported. Set the value to 1 to prevent the directory from being backed up to iCloud. Set the value to 0 to re-enable the directory to be backed up to iCloud.

Quick Example

function setFolderMetadata(localFileSystem, subFolder, metadataKey, metadataValue)
{
var onSetMetadataWin = function() {
  console.log("success setting metadata")
}
    var onSetMetadataFail = function() {
  console.log("error setting metadata")
    }
var onGetDirectoryWin = function(parent) {
  var data = {};
  data[metadataKey] = metadataValue;
  parent.setMetadata(onSetMetadataWin, onSetMetadataFail, data);
}
var onGetDirectoryFail = function() {
  console.log("error getting dir")
}
var onFSWin = function(fileSystem) {
  fileSystem.root.getDirectory(subFolder, {create: true, exclusive: false}, onGetDirectoryWin, onGetDirectoryFail);
}
var onFSFail = function(evt) {
  console.log(evt.target.error.code);
}
window.requestFileSystem(localFileSystem, 0, onFSWin, onFSFail);
}
    setFolderMetadata(LocalFileSystem.PERSISTENT, "Backups", "com.apple.MobileBackup", 1);

moveTo

Move a directory to a different location on the file system. An error results if the app attempts to:

• move a directory inside itself or to any child at any depth.
• move a directory into its parent if a name different from its current directory is not provided.
• move a directory to a path occupied by a file.
• move a directory to a path occupied by a directory that is not empty.

Moving a directory on top of an existing empty directory attempts to delete and replace that directory.

Parameters:

• parent: The parent directory to which to move the directory. (DirectoryEntry)
• newName: The new name of the directory. Defaults to the current name if unspecified. (DOMString)
• successCallback: A callback that executes with the DirectoryEntry object for the new directory. (Function)
• errorCallback: A callback that executes if an error occurs when attempting to move the directory. Invoked with a FileError object. (Function)

Quick Example

function success(entry) {
    console.log("New Path: " + entry.fullPath);
}
function fail(error) {
    alert(error.code);
}
    function moveDir(entry) {
    var parent = document.getElementById('parent').value,
parentName = parent.substring(parent.lastIndexOf('/')+1),
newName = document.getElementById('newName').value,
parentEntry = new DirectoryEntry(parentName, parent);
    // move the directory to a new directory and rename it
    entry.moveTo(parentEntry, newName, success, fail);
}

copyTo

Copy a directory to a different location on the file system. An error results if the app attempts to:

• copy a directory inside itself at any depth.
• copy a directory into its parent if a name different from its current directory is not provided.

Directory copies are always recursive, and copy all contents of the directory.

Parameters:

• parent: The parent directory to which to copy the directory. (DirectoryEntry)
• newName: The new name of the directory. Defaults to the current name if unspecified. (DOMString)
• successCallback: A callback that executes with the DirectoryEntry object for the new directory. (Function)
• errorCallback: A callback that executes if an error occurs when attempting to copy the underlying directory. Invoked with a FileError object. (Function)

Quick Example

    function win(entry) {
console.log("New Path: " + entry.fullPath);
    }
    function fail(error) {
alert(error.code);
    }
    function copyDir(entry) {
    var parent = document.getElementById('parent').value,
parentName = parent.substring(parent.lastIndexOf('/')+1),
newName = document.getElementById('newName').value,
parentEntry = new DirectoryEntry(parentName, parent);
    // copy the directory to a new directory and rename it
    entry.copyTo(parentEntry, newName, success, fail);
}

toURL

Returns a URL that can be used to locate the directory.

Quick Example

// Get the URL for this directory
var dirURL = entry.toURL();
console.log(dirURL);

remove

Deletes a directory. An error results if the app attempts to:

• delete a directory that is not empty.
• delete the root directory of a filesystem.

Parameters:

• successCallback: A callback that executes after the directory is deleted. Invoked with no parameters. (Function)
• errorCallback: A callback that executes if an error occurs when attempting to delete the directory. Invoked with a FileError object. (Function)

Quick Example

function success(entry) {
    console.log("Removal succeeded");
}
function fail(error) {
    alert('Error removing directory: ' + error.code);
}
// remove this directory
entry.remove(success, fail);

getParent

Look up the parent DirectoryEntry containing the directory.

Parameters:

• successCallback: A callback that is passed the directory's parent DirectoryEntry. (Function)
• errorCallback: A callback that executes if an error occurs when attempting to retrieve the parent DirectoryEntry. Invoked with a FileError object. (Function)

Quick Example

function success(parent) {
    console.log("Parent Name: " + parent.name);
}
function fail(error) {
    alert('Failed to get parent directory: ' + error.code);
}
// Get the parent DirectoryEntry
entry.getParent(success, fail);

createReader

Creates a new DirectoryReader to read entries in a directory.

Quick Example

// create a directory reader
var directoryReader = entry.createReader();

getDirectory

Creates or looks up an existing directory. An error results if the app attempts to:

• create a directory whose immediate parent does not yet exist.

Parameters:

• path: The path to the directory to be looked up or created. Either an absolute path, or a relative path from this DirectoryEntry. (DOMString)
• options: Options to specify whether the directory is to be created if it doesn't exist. (Flags)
• successCallback: A callback that executes with a DirectoryEntry object. (Function)
• errorCallback: A callback that executes if an error occurs when creating or looking up the directory. Invoked with a FileError object. (Function)

Quick Example

function success(parent) {
    console.log("Parent Name: " + parent.name);
}
function fail(error) {
    alert("Unable to create new directory: " + error.code);
}
// Retrieve an existing directory, or create it if it does not already exist
entry.getDirectory("newDir", {create: true, exclusive: false}, success, fail);

getFile

Creates or looks up a file. An error results if the app attempts to:

• create a file whose immediate parent does not yet exist.

Parameters:

• path: The path to the file to be looked up or created. Either an absolute path, or a relative path from this DirectoryEntry. (DOMString)
• options: Options to specify whether the file is created if it doesn't exist. (Flags)
• successCallback: A callback that is passed a FileEntry object. (Function)
• errorCallback: A callback that executes if an error occurs when creating or looking up the file. Invoked with a FileError object. (Function)

Quick Example

function success(parent) {
    console.log("Parent Name: " + parent.name);
}
function fail(error) {
    alert("Failed to retrieve file: " + error.code);
}
// Retrieve an existing file, or create it if it does not exist
entry.getFile("newFile.txt", {create: true, exclusive: false}, success, fail);

removeRecursively

Deletes a directory and all of its contents. In the event of an error (such as trying to delete a directory containing a file that cannot be removed), some of the contents of the directory may be deleted. An error results if the app attempts to:

• delete the root directory of a filesystem.

Parameters:

• successCallback: A callback that executes after the DirectoryEntry has been deleted. Invoked with no parameters. (Function)
• errorCallback: A callback that executes if an error occurs when attempting to delete the DirectoryEntry. Invoked with a FileError object. (Function)

Quick Example

function success(parent) {
    console.log("Remove Recursively Succeeded");
}
function fail(error) {
    alert("Failed to remove directory or it's contents: " + error.code);
}
// remove the directory and all it's contents
entry.removeRecursively(success, fail);

BlackBerry Quirks

May fail with a ControlledAccessException in the following cases:

• An app attempts to access a directory created by a previous installation of the app.

Solution: ensure temporary directories are cleaned manually, or by the application prior to reinstallation.

• If the device is connected by USB.

Solution: disconnect the USB cable from the device and run again.

DirectoryReader

An object that lists files and directories within a directory, as defined in the W3C Directories and Systems specification.

Methods

• readEntries: Read the entries in a directory.

Supported Platforms

• Android
• BlackBerry WebWorks (OS 5.0 and higher)
• iOS
• Windows Phone 7 and 8
• Windows 8

readEntries

Read the entries in this directory.

Parameters:

• successCallback: A callback that is passed an array of FileEntry and DirectoryEntry objects. (Function)
• errorCallback: A callback that executes if an error occurs when retrieving the directory listing. Invoked with a FileError object. (Function)

Quick Example

function success(entries) {
    var i;
    for (i=0; i<entries.length; i++) {
console.log(entries[i].name);
    }
}
function fail(error) {
    alert("Failed to list directory contents: " + error.code);
}
// Get a directory reader
var directoryReader = dirEntry.createReader();
// Get a list of all the entries in the directory
directoryReader.readEntries(success,fail);

FileTransfer

The FileTransfer object allows you to upload or download files to and from a server.

Properties

• onprogress: Called with a ProgressEvent whenever a new chunk of data is transferred. (Function)

Methods

• upload: sends a file to a server.
• download: downloads a file from server.
• abort: Aborts an in-progress transfer.

Details

The FileTransfer object provides a way to upload files to a remote server using an HTTP multi-part POST request. Both HTTP and HTTPS protocols are supported. Optional parameters can be specified by passing a FileUploadOptions object to the upload() method. On successful upload, a FileUploadResult object is passed to the success callback. If an error occurs, a FileTransferError object is passed to the error callback. It is also possible (only on iOS and Android) to download a file from a remote server and save it on the device.

Supported Platforms

• Android
• BlackBerry WebWorks (OS 5.0 and higher)
• iOS
• Windows Phone 7 and 8
• Windows 8

upload

Parameters:

• filePath: Full path of the file on the device.
• server: URL of the server to receive the file, as encoded by encodeURI().
• successCallback: A callback that is passed a Metadata object. (Function)
• errorCallback: A callback that executes if an error occurs retrieving the Metadata. Invoked with a FileTransferError object. (Function)
• options: Optional parameters such as file name and mimetype.
• trustAllHosts: Optional parameter, defaults to false. If set to true, it accepts all security certificates. This is useful since Android rejects self-signed security certificates. Not recommended for production use. Supported on Android and iOS. (boolean)

Quick Example

// !! Assumes variable fileURI contains a valid URI to a text file on the device
var win = function (r) {
    console.log("Code = " + r.responseCode);
    console.log("Response = " + r.response);
    console.log("Sent = " + r.bytesSent);
}
var fail = function (error) {
    alert("An error has occurred: Code = " + error.code);
    console.log("upload error source " + error.source);
    console.log("upload error target " + error.target);
}
var options = new FileUploadOptions();
options.fileKey = "file";
options.fileName = fileURI.substr(fileURI.lastIndexOf('/') + 1);
options.mimeType = "text/plain";
var params = {};
params.value1 = "test";
params.value2 = "param";
options.params = params;
var ft = new FileTransfer();
ft.upload(fileURI, encodeURI("http://some.server.com/upload.php"), win, fail, options);

Full Example

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/strict.dtd">
<html>
<head>
    <title>File Transfer Example</title>
    <script type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8" src="cordova-x.x.x.js"></script>
    <script type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8">
// Wait for device API libraries to load
//
document.addEventListener("deviceready", onDeviceReady, false);
// device APIs are available
//
function onDeviceReady() {
// Retrieve image file location from specified source
navigator.camera.getPicture(
    uploadPhoto,
    function(message) { alert('get picture failed'); },
    {
quality
 : 50,
destinationType : navigator.camera.DestinationType.FILE_URI,
sourceType      : navigator.camera.PictureSourceType.PHOTOLIBRARY
    }
);
}
function uploadPhoto(imageURI) {
var options = new FileUploadOptions();
options.fileKey="file";
options.fileName=imageURI.substr(imageURI.lastIndexOf('/')+1);
options.mimeType="image/jpeg";
var params = {};
params.value1 = "test";
params.value2 = "param";
options.params = params;
var ft = new FileTransfer();
ft.upload(imageURI, encodeURI("http://some.server.com/upload.php"), win, fail, options);
}
function win(r) {
console.log("Code = " + r.responseCode);
console.log("Response = " + r.response);
console.log("Sent = " + r.bytesSent);
}
function fail(error) {
alert("An error has occurred: Code = " + error.code);
console.log("upload error source " + error.source);
console.log("upload error target " + error.target);
}
</script>
</head>
<body>
    <h2>Example</h2>
    <p>Upload File</p>
</body>
</html>

Setting Upload Headers

Supported on Android and iOS

function win(r) {
    console.log("Code = " + r.responseCode);
    console.log("Response = " + r.response);
    console.log("Sent = " + r.bytesSent);
}
function fail(error) {
    alert("An error has occurred: Code = " + error.code);
    console.log("upload error source " + error.source);
    console.log("upload error target " + error.target);
}
var uri = encodeURI("http://some.server.com/upload.php");
var options = new FileUploadOptions();
options.fileKey="file";
options.fileName=fileURI.substr(fileURI.lastIndexOf('/')+1);
options.mimeType="text/plain";
var headers={'headerParam':'headerValue'};
options.headers = headers;
var ft = new FileTransfer();
ft.upload(fileURI, uri, win, fail, options);

Android Quirks

Set the chunkedMode option to false to prevent problems uploading to a Nginx server.

download

Parameters:

• source: URL of the server to download the file, as encoded by encodeURI().
• target: Full path of the file on the device.
• successCallback: A callback that is passed a FileEntry object. (Function)
• errorCallback: A callback that executes if an error occurs when retrieving the Metadata. Invoked with a FileTransferError object. (Function)
• trustAllHosts: Optional parameter, defaults to false. If set to true then it will accept all security certificates. This is useful as Android rejects self signed security certificates. Not recommended for production use. Supported on Android and iOS. (boolean)
• options: Optional parameters, currently only supports headers (such as Authorization (Basic Authentication), etc).

Quick Example

// !! Assumes filePath is a valid path on the device
var fileTransfer = new FileTransfer();
var uri = encodeURI("http://some.server.com/download.php");
fileTransfer.download(
    uri,
    filePath,
    function(entry) {
console.log("download complete: " + entry.fullPath);
    },
    function(error) {
console.log("download error source " + error.source);
console.log("download error target " + error.target);
console.log("upload error code" + error.code);
    },
    false,
    {
headers: {
"Authorization": "Basic dGVzdHVzZXJuYW1lOnRlc3RwYXNzd29yZA=="
}
    }
);

abort

Aborts an in-progress transfer. The onerror callback is passed a FileTransferError object which has an error code of FileTransferError.ABORT_ERR.

Supported Platforms

• Android
• iOS

Quick Example

// !! Assumes variable fileURI contains a valid URI to a text file on the device
      var win = function(r) {
    console.log("Code = " + r.responseCode);
    console.log("Response = " + r.response);
    console.log("Sent = " + r.bytesSent);
    }
var fail = function(error) {
    alert("An error has occurred: Code = " + error.code);
    console.log("upload error source " + error.source);
    console.log("upload error target " + error.target);
}
    var options = new FileUploadOptions();
    options.fileKey="file";
    options.fileName=fileURI.substr(fileURI.lastIndexOf('/')+1);
    options.mimeType="text/plain";
var params = {};
    params.value1 = "test";
    params.value2 = "param";
    options.params = params;
    var ft = new FileTransfer();
ft.upload(fileURI, encodeURI("http://some.server.com/upload.php"), win, fail, options);
ft.abort(win, fail);

onprogress

Called with a ProgressEvent whenever a new chunk of data is transferred.

Supported Platforms

• Android
• iOS

Example

fileTransfer.onprogress = function(progressEvent) {
    if (progressEvent.lengthComputable) {
      loadingStatus.setPercentage(progressEvent.loaded / progressEvent.total);
    } else {
      loadingStatus.increment();
    }
};
fileTransfer.download(...); // or fileTransfer.upload(...);

Quirks - On both Android an iOS, lengthComputable is false for downloads that use gzip encoding.

FileUploadOptions

A FileUploadOptions object can be passed to the FileTransfer object's upload() method to specify additional parameters to the upload script.

Properties

• fileKey: The name of the form element. Defaults to file. (DOMString)
• fileName: The file name to use when saving the file on the server. Defaults to image.jpg. (DOMString)
• mimeType: The mime type of the data to upload. Defaults to image/jpeg. (DOMString)
• params: A set of optional key/value pairs to pass in the HTTP request. (Object)
• chunkedMode: Whether to upload the data in chunked streaming mode. Defaults to true. (Boolean)
• headers: A map of header name/header values. Use an array to specify more than one value. (Object)

Description

A FileUploadOptions object can be passed to the FileTransfer object's upload() method to specify additional parameters to the upload script.

WP7 Quirk

• chunkedMode:: Ignored on WP7.

FileUploadResult

A FileUploadResult object is passed to the success callback of the FileTransfer object's upload() method.

Properties

• bytesSent: The number of bytes sent to the server as part of the upload. (long)
• responseCode: The HTTP response code returned by the server. (long)
• response: The HTTP response returned by the server. (DOMString)

Description

The FileUploadResult object is returned via the success callback of the FileTransfer object's upload() method.

iOS Quirks

• Does not support responseCode or bytesSent.

Flags

Supplies arguments to the DirectoryEntry object's getFile() and getDirectory() methods, which look up or create files and directories, respectively.

Properties

• create: Indicates that the file or directory should be created if it does not already exist. (boolean)
• exclusive: Has has no effect by itself, but when used with create causes the file or directory creation to fail if the target path already exists. (boolean)

Supported Platforms

• Android
• BlackBerry WebWorks (OS 5.0 and higher)
• iOS
• Windows Phone 7 and 8
• Windows 8

Quick Example

// Get the data directory, creating it if it doesn't exist.
dataDir = fileSystem.root.getDirectory("data", {create: true});
// Create the lock file, if and only if it doesn't exist.
lockFile = dataDir.getFile("lockfile.txt", {create: true, exclusive: true});

LocalFileSystem

This object provides a way to obtain root file systems.

Methods

• requestFileSystem: Requests a filesystem. (Function)
• resolveLocalFileSystemURI: Retrieve a DirectoryEntry or FileEntry using local URI. (Function)

Constants

• LocalFileSystem.PERSISTENT: Used for storage that should not be removed by the user agent without application or user permission.
• LocalFileSystem.TEMPORARY: Used for storage with no guarantee of persistence.

Details

The LocalFileSystem object methods are defined on the window object.

Supported Platforms

• Android
• BlackBerry WebWorks (OS 5.0 and higher)
• iOS
• Windows Phone 7 and 8
• Windows 8

Request File System Quick Example

function onSuccess(fileSystem) {
    console.log(fileSystem.name);
}
// request the persistent file system
window.requestFileSystem(LocalFileSystem.PERSISTENT, 0, onSuccess, onError);

Resolve Local File System URI Quick Example

function onSuccess(fileEntry) {
    console.log(fileEntry.name);
}
window.resolveLocalFileSystemURI("file:///example.txt", onSuccess, onError);

Full Example

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  <head>
    <title>Local File System Example</title>
    <script type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8" src="cordova-x.x.x.js"></script>
    <script type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8">
    // Wait for device API libraries to load
    //
    document.addEventListener("deviceready", onDeviceReady, false);
    // device APIs are available
    //
    function onDeviceReady() {
window.requestFileSystem(LocalFileSystem.PERSISTENT, 0, onFileSystemSuccess, fail);
window.resolveLocalFileSystemURI("file:///example.txt", onResolveSuccess, fail);
    }
    function onFileSystemSuccess(fileSystem) {
console.log(fileSystem.name);
    }
    function onResolveSuccess(fileEntry) {
console.log(fileEntry.name);
    }
    function fail(evt) {
console.log(evt.target.error.code);
    }
    </script>
  </head>
  <body>
    <h2>Example</h2>
    <p>Local File System</p>
  </body>
</html>

Metadata

An interface that supplies information about the state of a file or directory.

Properties

• modificationTime: The time when the file or directory was last modified. (Date)

Details

The Metadata object represents information about the state of a file or directory. Calling a DirectoryEntry or FileEntry object's getMetadata() method results in a Metadata instance.

Supported Platforms

• Android
• BlackBerry WebWorks (OS 5.0 and higher)
• iOS
• Windows Phone 7 and 8
• Windows 8

Quick Example

function win(metadata) {
    console.log("Last Modified: " + metadata.modificationTime);
}
// Request the metadata object for this entry
entry.getMetadata(win, null);

FileError

A FileError object is set when an error occurs in any of the File API methods.

Properties

• code: One of the predefined error codes listed below.

Constants

• FileError.NOT_FOUND_ERR
• FileError.SECURITY_ERR
• FileError.ABORT_ERR
• FileError.NOT_READABLE_ERR
• FileError.ENCODING_ERR
• FileError.NO_MODIFICATION_ALLOWED_ERR
• FileError.INVALID_STATE_ERR
• FileError.SYNTAX_ERR
• FileError.INVALID_MODIFICATION_ERR
• FileError.QUOTA_EXCEEDED_ERR
• FileError.TYPE_MISMATCH_ERR
• FileError.PATH_EXISTS_ERR

Description

The FileError object is the only parameter provided to any of the File API's error callbacks. To determine the type of error, compare its code property to any of the listings above.

FileTransferError

A FileTransferError object is passed to an error callback when an error occurs.

Properties

• code: One of the predefined error codes listed below. (Number)
• source: URI to the source. (String)
• target: URI to the target. (String)
• http_status: HTTP status code. This attribute is only available when a response code is received from the HTTP connection. (Number)

Constants

• FileTransferError.FILE_NOT_FOUND_ERR
• FileTransferError.INVALID_URL_ERR
• FileTransferError.CONNECTION_ERR
• FileTransferError.ABORT_ERR

Description

The FileTransferError object is passed to the error callback when an error occurs when uploading or downloading a file.