I use this routine to check if a file or folder exists and whether the item is a file or a folder. This doesn’t use the Finder so it’s pretty fast and portable.
OS version: Any
set the_file to (((path to desktop) as string) & "filename")
set the_folder to (((path to desktop) as string) & "foldername:")
set file_info to get_item_info(the_file)
set folder_info to get_item_info(the_folder)
return {file_info, folder_info}
on get_item_info(the_path)
try
get the_path as alias
set item_exists to true
on error
set item_exists to false
end try
if (the_path as string) ends with ":" then
set item_type to "folder"
else
set item_type to "file"
end if
return {item_path:(the_path as string), item_type:item_type, item_exists:item_exists}
end get_item_info
I was able to expand it to also return a “drive”-type
to getItemInfo(theFinderItem)
try
get theFinderItem as alias
set itemExists to true
on error
set itemExists to false
end try
if (theFinderItem as string) ends with ":" then
if (list disks) contains (((theFinderItem as string)'s characters 1 thru -2) as string) then
set itemType to "drive"
else
set itemType to "folder"
end if
else
set itemType to "file"
end if
return {itemPath:(theFinderItem as string), itemType:itemType, itemExists:itemExists}
end getItemInfo
on get_item_info(the_path)
try
set {isFolder, fName} to {folder, name} of (info for (the_path as alias))
set item_exists to true
set item_type to item ((isFolder as integer) + 1) of {"file", "folder"}
if (list disks) contains fName and ((offset of ":" in the_path) is (length of the_path)) then set item_type to "volume"
-- or if (list disks) contains fName and ((length of the_path) - (length of fName) < 2) then set item_type to "volume"
on error
set item_exists to false
set item_type to missing value
end try
return {item_path:the_path, item_type:item_type, item_exists:item_exists}
end get_item_info
Edit: and here the mayhem version
...
try
set {isFolder, fName} to {folder, name} of (info for (the_path as alias))
set item_exists to true
set item_type to item ((isFolder as integer) + (((list disks) contains fName and (length of the_path) - (length of fName) < 2) as integer) + 1) of {"file", "folder", "volume"}
on error
...
