---
product: Chilkat
product_version: 11.7.0
language: pascal
language_label: Lazarus Pascal
class: FileAccess
license: free
deprecated: false
reference_html: https://www.chilkatsoft.com/refdoc/pascal_FileAccessRef.html
---
# Chilkat FileAccess — Lazarus Pascal — v11.7.0

> Chilkat 11.7.0 · language=pascal · class=FileAccess
> Other versions: replace `11.7.0` in this URL. Other languages: `https://www.chilkatsoft.com/ai-docs/v/11.7.0/<lang>/classes/FileAccess.md`.
> Language-wide rules (install, unlock, error model, strings/bytes): `https://www.chilkatsoft.com/ai-docs/v/11.7.0/pascal/guide.md`.

## Purpose

**Read, write, compare, copy, split, inspect, and manage files and paths.**

`Chilkat.FileAccess` provides general-purpose file-system utilities for applications that need direct control over files, directories, paths, timestamps, and low-level file operations. It can read, write, append, seek, compare, copy, rename, delete, split, reassemble, and inspect files, and also includes helpers for directory operations, path parsing, symbolic links, temporary filenames, block-based reading, fragment scanning, text replacement, and open-file access.

**Read and write files**

Load or save text and binary files, append data, replace file contents, and work with explicit character encodings when needed.

**File management**

Copy, rename, delete, compare, split, reassemble, and inspect files using straightforward file-system utility methods.

**Directories and paths**

Create, remove, check, and work with directories, and use path helpers to extract filenames, extensions, directory names, and related path parts.

**Open-file operations**

Open files for lower-level reading or writing, seek within files, read blocks, and process large files without loading everything at once.

**Timestamps and metadata**

Get or set file times, inspect sizes and existence, and use metadata helpers when coordinating file processing workflows.

**Special file utilities**

Generate temporary filenames, work with symbolic links, scan for byte fragments, and perform text replacement in files.

**Common pattern:** Use `FileAccess` for local file-system tasks that are outside the scope of a specific protocol class. It is especially useful for preparing files before upload, saving downloaded data, comparing or splitting files, reading large files in blocks, manipulating paths, or performing small filesystem operations without using platform-specific APIs.

For an extended overview, see [FileAccess Class Overview](https://www.chilkatsoft.com/fileaccess_class_overview.asp).

## Object creation, unlocking and error handling

**Create / Free**

```pascal
uses
  Chilkat.FileAccess;

var
  obj: TFileAccess;
begin
  obj := TFileAccess.Create;
  try
    if not obj.IsValid then
      raise Exception.Create('Failed to create a TFileAccess instance.');

    // ... use obj ...

  finally
    obj.Free;
  end;
end;
```

`constructor Create;`

Allocates the underlying CkFileAccess object and returns a new TFileAccess instance. Simply adding **Chilkat.FileAccess** to the unit's `uses` clause is enough to locate and bind to the Chilkat shared library (DLL / .so / .dylib) at runtime — no separate load step is required. Check `obj.IsValid` after calling `Create`; it is `False` if the underlying library could not be found/loaded or the object could not be allocated (for example, when unlicensed).

`destructor Destroy; override;`

Every TFileAccess created by calling `Create` should eventually be released by calling `.Free` (inherited from `TObject`). The destructor automatically disposes the underlying CkFileAccess handle. A native (unmanaged) memory leak occurs if the object is never freed.

Call `Global.UnlockBundle` once at the start of the program, before using this or any other Chilkat class. Any string unlocks a fully functional 30-day trial; a purchased unlock code is used in production. See `guide.md` for the exact code in Lazarus Pascal.

## Members common to every Chilkat class

Documented once per language in `common-members.md`; listed here so this page is self-contained.

| Property | Signature | Access | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| `DebugLogFilePath` | `property DebugLogFilePath: string read GetDebugLogFilePath write SetDebugLogFilePath;` | read/write | If set to a file path, this property logs the LastErrorText of each Chilkat method or property call to the specified file. |
| `LastErrorHtml` | `property LastErrorHtml: string read GetLastErrorHtml;` | read-only | Provides HTML-formatted information about the last called method or property. |
| `LastErrorText` | `property LastErrorText: string read GetLastErrorText;` | read-only | Provides plain text information about the last called method or property. |
| `LastErrorXml` | `property LastErrorXml: string read GetLastErrorXml;` | read-only | Provides XML-formatted information about the last called method or property. |
| `LastMethodSuccess` | `property LastMethodSuccess: Boolean read GetLastMethodSuccess write SetLastMethodSuccess;` | read/write | Indicates the success or failure of the most recent method call: `True` means success, `False` means failure. |
| `VerboseLogging` | `property VerboseLogging: Boolean read GetVerboseLogging write SetVerboseLogging;` | read/write | If set to `True`, then the contents of LastErrorText (or LastErrorXml, or LastErrorHtml) may contain more verbose information. |
| `Version` | `property Version: string read GetVersion;` | read-only | Version of the component/library, such as "10.1.0" |

## Member index

| Member | Kind | Signature |
|---|---|---|
| `CurrentDir` | property, read-only | `property CurrentDir: string read GetCurrentDir;` |
| `EndOfFile` | property, read-only | `property EndOfFile: Boolean read GetEndOfFile;` |
| `FileOpenError` | property, read-only | `property FileOpenError: Integer read GetFileOpenError;` |
| `FileOpenErrorMsg` | property, read-only | `property FileOpenErrorMsg: string read GetFileOpenErrorMsg;` |
| `LockFileOnOpen` | property, read/write | `property LockFileOnOpen: Boolean read GetLockFileOnOpen write SetLockFileOnOpen;` |
| `AppendAnsi` | method | `function AppendAnsi(const text: string): Boolean;` |
| `AppendBd` | method | `// bd is a TBinData object. function AppendBd(bd: TChilkatBase): Boolean;` |
| `AppendSb` | method | `// sb is a TStringBuilder object. function AppendSb(sb: TChilkatBase;     const charset: string): Boolean;` |
| `AppendText` | method | `function AppendText(const str: string;     const charset: string): Boolean;` |
| `AppendUnicodeBOM` | method | `function AppendUnicodeBOM: Boolean;` |
| `AppendUtf8BOM` | method | `function AppendUtf8BOM: Boolean;` |
| `DirAutoCreate` | method | `function DirAutoCreate(const filePath: string): Boolean;` |
| `DirCreate` | method | `function DirCreate(const dirPath: string): Boolean;` |
| `DirDelete` | method | `function DirDelete(const dirPath: string): Boolean;` |
| `DirEnsureExists` | method | `function DirEnsureExists(const dirPath: string): Boolean;` |
| `DirExists` | method | `function DirExists(const dirPath: string): Boolean;` |
| `FileClose` | method | `procedure FileClose;` |
| `FileContentsEqual` | method | `function FileContentsEqual(const filePath1: string;     const filePath2: string): Boolean;` |
| `FileCopy` | method | `function FileCopy(const existingFilepath: string;     const newFilepath: string;     failIfExists: Boolean): Boolean;` |
| `FileDelete` | method | `function FileDelete(const filePath: string): Boolean;` |
| `FileExists` | method | `function FileExists(const filePath: string): Boolean;` |
| `FileExists3` | method | `function FileExists3(const path: string): Integer;` |
| `FileOpen` | method | `function FileOpen(const filePath: string;     accessMode: LongWord;     shareMode: LongWord;     createDisposition: LongWord;     attributes: LongWord): Boolean;` |
| `FileReadBd` | method | `// binData is a TBinData object. function FileReadBd(maxNumBytes: Integer;     binData: TChilkatBase): Boolean;` |
| `FileRename` | method | `function FileRename(const existingFilepath: string;     const newFilepath: string): Boolean;` |
| `FileSeek` | method | `function FileSeek(offset: Integer;     origin: Integer): Boolean;` |
| `FileSize` | method | `function FileSize(const filePath: string): Integer;` |
| `FileSize64` | method | `function FileSize64(const filePath: string): Int64;` |
| `FileSizeStr` | method | `function FileSizeStr(const filePath: string): string;` |
| `FileType` | method | `function FileType(const path: string): Integer;` |
| `FileWriteBd` | method | `// binData is a TBinData object. function FileWriteBd(binData: TChilkatBase;     offset: Integer;     numBytes: Integer): Boolean;` |
| `GenBlockId` | method | `function GenBlockId(index: Integer;     length: Integer;     const encoding: string): string;` |
| `GetDirectoryName` | method | `function GetDirectoryName(const path: string): string;` |
| `GetExtension` | method | `function GetExtension(const path: string): string;` |
| `GetFileName` | method | `function GetFileName(const path: string): string;` |
| `GetFileNameWithoutExtension` | method | `function GetFileNameWithoutExtension(const path: string): string;` |
| `GetFileTimeStr` | method | `function GetFileTimeStr(const path: string;     which: Integer): string;` |
| `GetNumBlocks` | method | `function GetNumBlocks(blockSize: Integer): Integer;` |
| `GetTempFilename` | method | `function GetTempFilename(const dirPath: string;     const prefix: string): string;` |
| `OpenForAppend` | method | `function OpenForAppend(const filePath: string): Boolean;` |
| `OpenForRead` | method | `function OpenForRead(const filePath: string): Boolean;` |
| `OpenForReadWrite` | method | `function OpenForReadWrite(const filePath: string): Boolean;` |
| `OpenForWrite` | method | `function OpenForWrite(const filePath: string): Boolean;` |
| `ReadBinaryToEncoded` | method | `function ReadBinaryToEncoded(const filePath: string;     const encoding: string): string;` |
| `ReadBlockBd` | method | `// bd is a TBinData object. function ReadBlockBd(blockIndex: Integer;     blockSize: Integer;     bd: TChilkatBase): Boolean;` |
| `ReadEntireTextFile` | method | `function ReadEntireTextFile(const filePath: string;     const charset: string): string;` |
| `ReadNextFragment` | method | `// sb is a TStringBuilder object. function ReadNextFragment(startAtBeginning: Boolean;     const beginMarker: string;     const endMarker: string;     const charset: string;     sb: TChilkatBase): Integer;` |
| `ReassembleFile` | method | `function ReassembleFile(const partsDirPath: string;     const partPrefix: string;     const partExtension: string;     const reassembledFilename: string): Boolean;` |
| `ReplaceStrings` | method | `function ReplaceStrings(const filePath: string;     const charset: string;     const existingString: string;     const replacementString: string): Integer;` |
| `SetCurrentDir` | method | `function SetCurrentDir(const dirPath: string): Boolean;` |
| `SetFileTimes` | method | `// createTime is a TCkDateTime object. // lastAccessTime is a TCkDateTime object. // lastModTime is a TCkDateTime object. function SetFileTimes(const filePath: string;     createTime: TChilkatBase;     lastAccessTime: TChilkatBase;     lastModTime: TChilkatBase): Boolean;` |
| `SetLastModified` | method | `// lastModified is a TCkDateTime object. function SetLastModified(const filePath: string;     lastModified: TChilkatBase): Boolean;` |
| `SplitFile` | method | `function SplitFile(const fileToSplit: string;     const partPrefix: string;     const partExtension: string;     partSize: Integer;     const destDir: string): Boolean;` |
| `SymlinkCreate` | method | `function SymlinkCreate(const targetPath: string;     const linkPath: string): Boolean;` |
| `SymlinkTarget` | method | `function SymlinkTarget(const linkPath: string): string;` |
| `TreeDelete` | method | `function TreeDelete(const path: string): Boolean;` |
| `Truncate` | method | `function Truncate: Boolean;` |
| `WriteEntireTextFile` | method | `function WriteEntireTextFile(const filePath: string;     const textData: string;     const charset: string;     includedPreamble: Boolean): Boolean;` |

## Properties

### FileAccess.CurrentDir

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · CurrentDir · property · read-only`

```pascal
property CurrentDir: string read GetCurrentDir;
```

Returns the current working directory of the calling process. Relative file and directory paths are resolved against this process-wide working directory.

**Process-wide setting:** The working directory belongs to the process, not to an individual `FileAccess` object. Changing it can therefore affect relative-path behavior elsewhere in the application.

### FileAccess.EndOfFile

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · EndOfFile · property · read-only`

```pascal
property EndOfFile: Boolean read GetEndOfFile;
```

Returns `True` when the currently open file is positioned at end-of-file; otherwise returns `False`.

**Open-file state:** This property applies to the file opened by `OpenForRead`, `OpenForWrite`, `OpenForReadWrite`, `OpenForAppend`, or `FileOpen`.

### FileAccess.FileOpenError

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · FileOpenError · property · read-only`

```pascal
property FileOpenError: Integer read GetFileOpenError;
```

Provides the detailed open-error code from the most recent call to `FileOpen`, `OpenForRead`, `OpenForWrite`, `OpenForReadWrite`, or `OpenForAppend`.

| Code | Meaning |
| :--- | :--- |
| `0` | Success; no open error. |
| `1` | Access denied. |
| `2` | File not found. |
| `3` | General, non-specific open error. |
| `4` | File already exists. |
| `5` | The path refers to a directory and the requested access involves writing. |
| `6` | Too many symbolic links were encountered while resolving the path. |
| `7` | The process already has the maximum number of files open. |
| `8` | The pathname is too long. |
| `9` | The system-wide limit on open files has been reached. |
| `10` | The pathname refers to a device special file for which no corresponding device exists. |
| `11` | Insufficient kernel memory was available. |
| `12` | A file was to be created, but the containing device has no space available. |
| `13` | A pathname component expected to be a directory is not a directory. |
| `14` | The regular file is too large to be opened because of an operating-system limitation. |
| `15` | The path is on a read-only filesystem and write access was requested. |

**Use with FileOpenErrorMsg:** `FileOpenError` is useful for programmatic handling; `FileOpenErrorMsg` provides the corresponding human-readable message.

### FileAccess.FileOpenErrorMsg

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · FileOpenErrorMsg · property · read-only`

```pascal
property FileOpenErrorMsg: string read GetFileOpenErrorMsg;
```

Returns the human-readable message corresponding to `FileOpenError` for the most recent file-open attempt.

### FileAccess.LockFileOnOpen

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · LockFileOnOpen · property · read/write · since 9.5.0.80`

```pascal
property LockFileOnOpen: Boolean read GetLockFileOnOpen write SetLockFileOnOpen;
```

**Windows only.** If `True`, `OpenForAppend`, `OpenForRead`, `OpenForReadWrite`, and `OpenForWrite` request exclusive access to the file. Other processes are prevented from opening the file until `FileClose` releases the handle. The default is `False`.

**File sharing:** Windows file sharing is established when the file handle is opened. Set this property before calling an `OpenFor*` method.

## Methods

### FileAccess.AppendAnsi

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · AppendAnsi · method`

```pascal
function  AppendAnsi(const text: string): Boolean;
```

Appends `text` to the currently open file after converting the string to the legacy ANSI character encoding used by Chilkat for the platform.

**Character encoding:** Use `AppendText` or `AppendSb` when an explicit encoding such as `utf-8` is preferred.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

### FileAccess.AppendBd

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · AppendBd · method · since 9.5.0.76`

```pascal
// bd is a TBinData object.

function  AppendBd(bd: TChilkatBase): Boolean;
```

Appends all bytes contained in `bd` to the currently open file without text conversion.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

### FileAccess.AppendSb

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · AppendSb · method · since 9.5.0.76`

```pascal
// sb is a TStringBuilder object.

function  AppendSb(sb: TChilkatBase;
    const charset: string): Boolean;
```

Appends the text contained in `sb` to the currently open file using the character encoding specified by `charset`.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

### FileAccess.AppendText

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · AppendText · method`

```pascal
function  AppendText(const str: string;
    const charset: string): Boolean;
```

Appends `str` to the currently open file after encoding the text with the character set named by `charset`, such as `utf-8` or `iso-8859-1`.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

### FileAccess.AppendUnicodeBOM

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · AppendUnicodeBOM · method`

```pascal
function  AppendUnicodeBOM: Boolean;
```

Appends the UTF-16 little-endian byte-order mark to the currently open file. The two bytes written are `FF FE`.

**BOM placement:** A BOM normally belongs at the beginning of a text file. This method appends bytes at the current write position, so call it before writing text when creating a new UTF-16LE file.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

### FileAccess.AppendUtf8BOM

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · AppendUtf8BOM · method`

```pascal
function  AppendUtf8BOM: Boolean;
```

Appends the UTF-8 byte-order mark to the currently open file. The three bytes written are `EF BB BF`.

**UTF-8 BOM:** A UTF-8 BOM is optional. Some software uses it as an encoding signature, while other software expects BOM-less UTF-8.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

### FileAccess.DirAutoCreate

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · DirAutoCreate · method`

```pascal
function  DirAutoCreate(const filePath: string): Boolean;
```

Ensures that the directory portion of `filePath` exists. Any missing parent directories are created; the final path component is treated as a filename and is not created as a directory.

**Difference from DirEnsureExists:** Use `DirAutoCreate` when you have a file path. Use `DirEnsureExists` when the argument itself is a directory path.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

### FileAccess.DirCreate

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · DirCreate · method`

```pascal
function  DirCreate(const dirPath: string): Boolean;
```

Creates the directory specified by `dirPath`. Parent directories must already exist; use `DirEnsureExists` when missing parent directories should also be created.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

### FileAccess.DirDelete

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · DirDelete · method`

```pascal
function  DirDelete(const dirPath: string): Boolean;
```

Deletes the directory specified by `dirPath`. The directory must be empty; use `TreeDelete` to recursively delete a directory and its contents.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

### FileAccess.DirEnsureExists

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · DirEnsureExists · method`

```pascal
function  DirEnsureExists(const dirPath: string): Boolean;
```

Ensures that the complete directory path `dirPath` exists, creating missing directories along the path as needed.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

### FileAccess.DirExists

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · DirExists · method · since 10.0.0`

```pascal
function  DirExists(const dirPath: string): Boolean;
```

Returns `True` if `dirPath` exists as a directory; otherwise returns `False`.

### FileAccess.FileClose

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · FileClose · method`

```pascal
procedure FileClose;
```

Closes the currently open file and releases its operating-system file handle. Any exclusive lock obtained through `LockFileOnOpen` is released at this time.

### FileAccess.FileContentsEqual

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · FileContentsEqual · method`

```pascal
function  FileContentsEqual(const filePath1: string;
    const filePath2: string): Boolean;
```

Compares `filePath1` and `filePath2` byte-for-byte and returns `True` only when their contents are identical. File sizes are compared first; when sizes match, the files are compared incrementally rather than being loaded entirely into memory.

**Binary comparison:** The comparison is byte-oriented. Text encodings, line-ending conventions, and Unicode normalization are not interpreted or normalized.

### FileAccess.FileCopy

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · FileCopy · method`

```pascal
function  FileCopy(const existingFilepath: string;
    const newFilepath: string;
    failIfExists: Boolean): Boolean;
```

Copies `existingFilepath` to `newFilepath`. If `failIfExists` is `True` and the destination already exists, the copy fails instead of overwriting it.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

### FileAccess.FileDelete

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · FileDelete · method`

```pascal
function  FileDelete(const filePath: string): Boolean;
```

Deletes the file specified by `filePath`.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

### FileAccess.FileExists

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · FileExists · method`

```pascal
function  FileExists(const filePath: string): Boolean;
```

Returns `True` if `filePath` exists; otherwise returns `False`. Use `FileExists3` when the application must distinguish "does not exist" from "could not determine because of an error."

### FileAccess.FileExists3

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · FileExists3 · method · since 9.5.0.45`

```pascal
function  FileExists3(const path: string): Integer;
```

Checks whether `path` exists and returns a three-state result: `1` if it exists, `0` if it does not exist, and `-1` if Chilkat could not determine the result because of permissions or another filesystem error.

### FileAccess.FileOpen

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · FileOpen · method`

```pascal
function  FileOpen(const filePath: string;
    accessMode: LongWord;
    shareMode: LongWord;
    createDisposition: LongWord;
    attributes: LongWord): Boolean;
```

**Windows-specific low-level open.** Opens `filePath` using arguments modeled after the Win32 `CreateFile` API. For portable code, prefer `OpenForRead`, `OpenForWrite`, `OpenForReadWrite`, or `OpenForAppend`.

| Category | Common values |
| --- | --- |
| Access | `GENERIC_READ = 0x80000000`, `GENERIC_WRITE = 0x40000000` |
| Sharing | `FILE_SHARE_READ = 0x1`, `FILE_SHARE_WRITE = 0x2` |
| Disposition | `CREATE_NEW=1`, `CREATE_ALWAYS=2`, `OPEN_EXISTING=3`, `OPEN_ALWAYS=4`, `TRUNCATE_EXISTING=5` |

**Open failures:** When this method fails, inspect `FileOpenError` and `FileOpenErrorMsg` for the reason.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

### FileAccess.FileReadBd

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · FileReadBd · method · since 9.5.0.64`

```pascal
// binData is a TBinData object.

function  FileReadBd(maxNumBytes: Integer;
    binData: TChilkatBase): Boolean;
```

Reads up to `maxNumBytes` bytes from the current file position and appends the bytes to `binData`. The file position advances by the number of bytes read.

**Destination behavior:** Existing bytes already present in `binData` are preserved; newly read bytes are appended.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

### FileAccess.FileRename

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · FileRename · method`

```pascal
function  FileRename(const existingFilepath: string;
    const newFilepath: string): Boolean;
```

Renames or moves `existingFilepath` to `newFilepath` using the local filesystem.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

### FileAccess.FileSeek

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · FileSeek · method`

```pascal
function  FileSeek(offset: Integer;
    origin: Integer): Boolean;
```

Moves the current file position by `offset` bytes relative to `origin`.

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| `0` | Offset from the beginning of the file. |
| `1` | Offset from the current file position. |
| `2` | Offset from end-of-file; negative offsets are commonly used. |

**Random access:** Seeking changes where the next read or write occurs; it does not itself read, write, or resize the file.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

### FileAccess.FileSize

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · FileSize · method`

```pascal
function  FileSize(const filePath: string): Integer;
```

Returns the file size in bytes as a signed 32-bit integer.

**Failure returns 0:** If the size cannot be obtained (for example, the file does not exist or cannot be accessed), the return value is `0`, which is the same as for an empty file. To detect failure, use `FileSizeStr`, which fails instead of returning a size, or check first with `FileExists3`.

**Large files:** A signed 32-bit result cannot represent files larger than approximately 2 GB. Use `FileSize64` or `FileSizeStr` for large files.

### FileAccess.FileSize64

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · FileSize64 · method · since 9.5.0.88`

```pascal
function  FileSize64(const filePath: string): Int64;
```

Returns the size of `filePath` in bytes as a signed 64-bit integer.

**Failure returns 0:** If the size cannot be obtained (for example, the file does not exist or cannot be accessed), the return value is `0`, which is the same as for an empty file. To detect failure, use `FileSizeStr`, which fails instead of returning a size, or check first with `FileExists3`.

### FileAccess.FileSizeStr

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · FileSizeStr · method · since 9.5.0.80`

```pascal
function  FileSizeStr(const filePath: string): string;
```

Returns the size of `filePath` in bytes as a decimal string. This avoids the range limitation of a 32-bit integer return value.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

### FileAccess.FileType

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · FileType · method · since 9.5.0.77`

```pascal
function  FileType(const path: string): Integer;
```

Examines `path` and classifies the filesystem entry.

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| `-1` | Unable to determine because of permissions or another error. |
| `0` | Does not exist. |
| `1` | Regular file. |
| `2` | Directory. |
| `3` | Symbolic link. |
| `4` | Windows shortcut. |
| `99` | Another filesystem type. |

**Future values:** Additional file-type codes may be added in future versions as needed.

### FileAccess.FileWriteBd

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · FileWriteBd · method · since 9.5.0.64`

```pascal
// binData is a TBinData object.

function  FileWriteBd(binData: TChilkatBase;
    offset: Integer;
    numBytes: Integer): Boolean;
```

Writes bytes from `binData` to the currently open file. `offset` selects the starting byte within the `BinData`; `numBytes` selects how many bytes to write. Set both to `0` to write the entire `BinData`, or set `numBytes` to `0` to write all remaining bytes beginning at `offset`.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

### FileAccess.GenBlockId

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · GenBlockId · method · since 9.5.0.58`

```pascal
function  GenBlockId(index: Integer;
    length: Integer;
    const encoding: string): string;
```

Generates a fixed-width decimal block identifier from `index`, padded to `length` characters, and then encodes those bytes using `encoding` (for example `base64`, `hex`, or `ascii`). This utility was originally added for block-oriented uploads such as Azure Blob block uploads.

**Ordering:** Fixed-width decimal identifiers preserve numeric ordering when identifiers are compared lexically, provided the chosen width is large enough for all indexes.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

### FileAccess.GetDirectoryName

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · GetDirectoryName · method · since 9.5.0.64`

```pascal
function  GetDirectoryName(const path: string): string;
```

Returns the directory portion of `path` according to Chilkat path-parsing rules.

```
GetDirectoryName('C:\MyDir\MySubDir\myfile.ext')  ->  'C:\MyDir\MySubDir\'
GetDirectoryName('C:\MyDir\MySubDir')             ->  'C:\MyDir\'
GetDirectoryName('C:\')                             ->  'C:\'
```

Returns True for success, False for failure.

### FileAccess.GetExtension

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · GetExtension · method · since 9.5.0.64`

```pascal
function  GetExtension(const path: string): string;
```

Returns the filename extension portion of `path`, including the leading period. A period appearing only in a directory name is not treated as the file extension.

```
GetExtension('C:\mydir.old\myfile.ext')  ->  '.ext'
GetExtension('C:\mydir.old\')            ->  ''
```

Returns True for success, False for failure.

### FileAccess.GetFileName

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · GetFileName · method · since 9.5.0.64`

```pascal
function  GetFileName(const path: string): string;
```

Returns the final filename component of `path`, including its extension. If the path ends with a directory separator, the returned filename is empty.

```
GetFileName('C:\mydir\myfile.ext')  ->  'myfile.ext'
GetFileName('C:\mydir\')            ->  ''
```

Returns True for success, False for failure.

### FileAccess.GetFileNameWithoutExtension

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · GetFileNameWithoutExtension · method · since 9.5.0.64`

```pascal
function  GetFileNameWithoutExtension(const path: string): string;
```

Returns the final filename component of `path` with its extension removed. If `path` ends with a directory separator, the returned value is empty.

```
GetFileNameWithoutExtension('C:\mydir\myfile.ext')  ->  'myfile'
GetFileNameWithoutExtension('C:\mydir\')            ->  ''
```

Returns True for success, False for failure.

### FileAccess.GetFileTimeStr

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · GetFileTimeStr · method · since 11.0.0`

```pascal
function  GetFileTimeStr(const path: string;
    which: Integer): string;
```

Returns one file timestamp as an ISO 8601 UTC string in the form `YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SSZ`. The `which` argument selects `0` = last-modified, `1` = last-access, or `2` = creation.

**Portability:** Creation/birth time is not available on every filesystem. The documented Chilkat behavior on Linux is to return the last-modified time when creation time is unavailable.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

### FileAccess.GetNumBlocks

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · GetNumBlocks · method · since 9.5.0.58`

```pascal
function  GetNumBlocks(blockSize: Integer): Integer;
```

Returns how many `blockSize`-byte blocks are required to cover the currently open file. A partial final block counts as one block. Returns `0` for an empty file and `-1` if no file is open.

**Calculation:** Conceptually this is `ceil(fileSize / blockSize)` for a non-empty file.

### FileAccess.GetTempFilename

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · GetTempFilename · method`

```pascal
function  GetTempFilename(const dirPath: string;
    const prefix: string): string;
```

Generates a temporary pathname in `dirPath` using `prefix` and a random alphanumeric suffix, in the general form `prefix_xxxx.TMP`. The returned pathname is guaranteed not to already exist at the time it is generated.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

### FileAccess.OpenForAppend

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · OpenForAppend · method`

```pascal
function  OpenForAppend(const filePath: string): Boolean;
```

Opens `filePath` for writing at end-of-file. The file is created if it does not exist. Existing content is preserved, and the initial file position is at the end.

**Open failures:** If the open/create operation fails, inspect `FileOpenError` and `FileOpenErrorMsg`. On Windows, `LockFileOnOpen` can request exclusive access for this method.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

### FileAccess.OpenForRead

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · OpenForRead · method`

```pascal
function  OpenForRead(const filePath: string): Boolean;
```

Opens an existing `filePath` for reading. The file may contain text or binary data and must already exist.

**Open failures:** If the open/create operation fails, inspect `FileOpenError` and `FileOpenErrorMsg`. On Windows, `LockFileOnOpen` can request exclusive access for this method.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

### FileAccess.OpenForReadWrite

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · OpenForReadWrite · method`

```pascal
function  OpenForReadWrite(const filePath: string): Boolean;
```

Opens `filePath` for both reading and writing. The file is created if necessary. Existing content is preserved, and the initial file position is at the beginning.

**Open failures:** If the open/create operation fails, inspect `FileOpenError` and `FileOpenErrorMsg`. On Windows, `LockFileOnOpen` can request exclusive access for this method.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

### FileAccess.OpenForWrite

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · OpenForWrite · method`

```pascal
function  OpenForWrite(const filePath: string): Boolean;
```

Opens `filePath` for writing. The file is created if necessary; if it already exists, it is truncated to zero length when opened.

**Open failures:** If the open/create operation fails, inspect `FileOpenError` and `FileOpenErrorMsg`. On Windows, `LockFileOnOpen` can request exclusive access for this method.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

### FileAccess.ReadBinaryToEncoded

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · ReadBinaryToEncoded · method`

```pascal
function  ReadBinaryToEncoded(const filePath: string;
    const encoding: string): string;
```

Reads the entire file at `filePath` as binary data and returns an encoded textual representation. Supported encoding names documented for this method include `base64`, `hex`, `qp`, and `url`.

**Encoding is not encryption:** These encodings transform bytes into text; they do not provide confidentiality.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

### FileAccess.ReadBlockBd

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · ReadBlockBd · method · since 9.5.0.79`

```pascal
// bd is a TBinData object.

function  ReadBlockBd(blockIndex: Integer;
    blockSize: Integer;
    bd: TChilkatBase): Boolean;
```

Reads the zero-based block `blockIndex` from the currently open file, using `blockSize` bytes per block, and appends the bytes to `bd`. A partial final block is appended at its actual length.

**Destination behavior:** Existing contents of `bd` are preserved; the block bytes are appended.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

### FileAccess.ReadEntireTextFile

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · ReadEntireTextFile · method`

```pascal
function  ReadEntireTextFile(const filePath: string;
    const charset: string): string;
```

Reads the entire file at `filePath`, decodes its bytes using `charset`, and returns the resulting text.

**Charset matters:** The charset controls byte-to-character conversion. Use the encoding that actually represents the file; incorrect charset selection can produce incorrect text or conversion failure.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

### FileAccess.ReadNextFragment

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · ReadNextFragment · method · since 9.5.0.80`

```pascal
// sb is a TStringBuilder object.

function  ReadNextFragment(startAtBeginning: Boolean;
    const beginMarker: string;
    const endMarker: string;
    const charset: string;
    sb: TChilkatBase): Integer;
```

Scans the currently open file for the next text fragment beginning with `beginMarker` and ending with `endMarker`. The matched fragment, including both markers, is decoded using `charset` and appended to `sb`. If `startAtBeginning` is `True`, scanning restarts at the beginning of the file; otherwise it continues after the previously matched fragment.

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| `1` | A fragment was found and appended. |
| `0` | No matching fragment was found. |
| `-1` | An error occurred while reading. |

### FileAccess.ReassembleFile

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · ReassembleFile · method`

```pascal
function  ReassembleFile(const partsDirPath: string;
    const partPrefix: string;
    const partExtension: string;
    const reassembledFilename: string): Boolean;
```

Reassembles a file previously divided by `SplitFile`. Parts are read from `partsDirPath` using the supplied `partPrefix` and `partExtension`, and the combined bytes are written to `reassembledFilename`.

**Byte-for-byte reconstruction:** Reassembly is a binary operation; no text decoding or newline conversion is performed.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

### FileAccess.ReplaceStrings

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · ReplaceStrings · method`

```pascal
function  ReplaceStrings(const filePath: string;
    const charset: string;
    const existingString: string;
    const replacementString: string): Integer;
```

Reads the file at `filePath` as text using `charset`, replaces occurrences of `existingString` with `replacementString`, writes the updated text back to the file, and returns the number of replacements made.

**Text operation:** This is character-based replacement after decoding the file. It is not suitable for arbitrary binary files.

### FileAccess.SetCurrentDir

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · SetCurrentDir · method`

```pascal
function  SetCurrentDir(const dirPath: string): Boolean;
```

Changes the current working directory of the calling process to `dirPath`.

**Process-wide effect:** The current directory is normally process-wide, so changing it can affect relative paths used by other code or threads. Absolute paths avoid that dependency.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

### FileAccess.SetFileTimes

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · SetFileTimes · method`

```pascal
// createTime is a TCkDateTime object.

// lastAccessTime is a TCkDateTime object.

// lastModTime is a TCkDateTime object.

function  SetFileTimes(const filePath: string;
    createTime: TChilkatBase;
    lastAccessTime: TChilkatBase;
    lastModTime: TChilkatBase): Boolean;
```

Sets the creation, last-access, and last-modified timestamps for `filePath` from the supplied `CkDateTime` objects. On filesystems that do not support a creation/birth time, `createTime` is ignored.

**Filesystem differences:** Timestamp availability and precision are filesystem- and operating-system-dependent.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

### FileAccess.SetLastModified

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · SetLastModified · method`

```pascal
// lastModified is a TCkDateTime object.

function  SetLastModified(const filePath: string;
    lastModified: TChilkatBase): Boolean;
```

Sets the last-modified timestamp of `filePath` from `lastModified`. The precision actually stored depends on the underlying filesystem.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

### FileAccess.SplitFile

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · SplitFile · method`

```pascal
function  SplitFile(const fileToSplit: string;
    const partPrefix: string;
    const partExtension: string;
    partSize: Integer;
    const destDir: string): Boolean;
```

Splits `fileToSplit` into sequential binary parts of up to `partSize` bytes and writes them to `destDir` using `partPrefix` and `partExtension`. Use `ReassembleFile` to reconstruct the original file.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

### FileAccess.SymlinkCreate

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · SymlinkCreate · method · since 9.5.0.77`

```pascal
function  SymlinkCreate(const targetPath: string;
    const linkPath: string): Boolean;
```

Creates a symbolic link at `linkPath` that refers to `targetPath`.

**Windows note:** A Windows symbolic link is not the same as a Windows shortcut. Windows may require elevated privileges or an operating-system configuration such as Developer Mode that permits unprivileged symbolic-link creation, depending on system policy and how the application is launched.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

### FileAccess.SymlinkTarget

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · SymlinkTarget · method · since 9.5.0.77`

```pascal
function  SymlinkTarget(const linkPath: string): string;
```

Returns the resolved target pathname for the symbolic link at `linkPath`. On Windows, this method also understands Windows shortcut (`.lnk`) files and returns the absolute target path.

**Link vs. target:** A symbolic link is a filesystem object that refers to another path. A Windows shortcut is a separate shell-file format; Chilkat supports both here even though they are different mechanisms.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

### FileAccess.TreeDelete

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · TreeDelete · method`

```pascal
function  TreeDelete(const path: string): Boolean;
```

Recursively deletes the directory tree rooted at `path`, including contained files and subdirectories.

**Destructive operation:** This operation is recursive and destructive. Ensure `path` identifies the intended tree before calling it.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

### FileAccess.Truncate

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · Truncate · method · since 9.5.0.80`

```pascal
function  Truncate: Boolean;
```

Truncates the currently open file at the current file position. Bytes at and after that position are removed, making the current position the new end-of-file.

**Use with FileSeek:** A common pattern is to seek to the desired new length and then call `Truncate`.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

### FileAccess.WriteEntireTextFile

`Chilkat 11.7.0 · pascal · FileAccess · WriteEntireTextFile · method`

```pascal
function  WriteEntireTextFile(const filePath: string;
    const textData: string;
    const charset: string;
    includedPreamble: Boolean): Boolean;
```

Creates or opens `filePath`, encodes `textData` using `charset`, writes the resulting bytes, and closes the file. Existing file content is replaced. If `includePreamble` is `True`, an appropriate preamble/BOM is included for encodings such as UTF-8 or UTF-16.

**BOM terminology:** A BOM is part of the byte representation of the text file; it is not part of the application string itself.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

## Related classes

[`BinData`](https://www.chilkatsoft.com/ai-docs/v/11.7.0/pascal/classes/BinData.md), [`CkDateTime`](https://www.chilkatsoft.com/ai-docs/v/11.7.0/pascal/classes/CkDateTime.md), [`StringBuilder`](https://www.chilkatsoft.com/ai-docs/v/11.7.0/pascal/classes/StringBuilder.md)