Bundle.main.path(forResource:ofType:inDirectory:) returns nil

Question

Try not to laugh or cry -- I'm just getting back into coding after 20 years out...

I've spent more than 4 hours looking at references and trying code snippets to get Bundle.main.path to open my text file so I can read in data for my app (my next step is to appropriately parse it).

if let filepath = Bundle.main.path(forResource: "newTest", ofType: "txt")
{
    do
    {
        let contents = try String(contentsOfFile: filepath)
        print(contents)

    }
    catch
    {
        print("Contents could not be loaded.")
    }
}
else
{
    print("newTest.txt not found.")
}

The result is: "newTest.txt not found." regardless of how I try to drag&drop the file into the project, create the file inside Xcode or use the File -> Add Files to ... menu item.

Solution 1

The issue is that the file isn't being copied to your app bundle. To fix it:

• Click your project
• Click your target
• Select Build Phases
• Expand Copy Bundle Resources
• Click '+' and select your file.

Solution 2

Double check the Options in the add files menu when adding the file. The target in Add to targets must be ticked to add it to the bundle:

In case you are actually in another bundle (test for instance), use:

guard let fileURL = Bundle(for: type(of: self)).url(forResource: fileName withExtension:"txt") else {
        fatalError("File not found")
}

Solution 3

Click on your file on your navigation panel and open the Right Panel/ Property Inspector.

Ensure that you add to target membership

Solution 4

It's crazy how much time such a simple problem can cost.

Some answers here helped me but I always tried:

Bundle.main.url(forResource: selectedTitle, withExtension: "mp3")

For some reason that doesn't work, but getting the path and translating it to a URL afterwards works:

let path = Bundle.main.path(forResource: selectedTitle, ofType: "mp3")
let url = URL(fileURLWithPath: path!)

Solution 5

Swift 3.0

let fileNmae = "demo"
        
let path = Bundle.main.path(forResource: fileName, ofType: "txt")
    do {
        let content = try String(contentsOfFile:path!, encoding: String.Encoding.utf8)
        print(content)
    } catch {
        print("nil")
    }

SWift 2.0

do{
      if let path = NSBundle.mainBundle().pathForResource("YOURTXTFILENAME", ofType: "txt"){
             let data = try String(contentsOfFile:path, encoding: NSUTF8StringEncoding)
             let myStrings = data.componentsSeparatedByCharactersInSet(NSCharacterSet.newlineCharacterSet())
              print(myStrings)
       }
  } catch let err as NSError {
            //do sth with Error
            print(err)
  }

Output :

Hello Hems
Good Morning
I m here for you dude.
Happy Coding.

View more solutions

Comments

[Himanshu Moradiya]

let path : String = Bundle.main.path(forResource: "charlie", ofType: "txt")! let url : URL = URL(fileURLWithPath: path)

[Leo Dabus]

Possible duplicate of stackoverflow.com/questions/34548771/…

[Zakarius Jay Poggenpohl]

@LeoDabus my problem is similar to [link]stackoverflow.com/questions/40822170/… (which you also commented on) and also gives me the same error.

[Himanshu Moradiya]

Brother your problem solve or not ?

[Zakarius Jay Poggenpohl]

No, same error. :.(...

[Himanshu Moradiya]

IN my code which line you got error mention in my answer so i can help you

[Zakarius Jay Poggenpohl]

"let content = try String(..." gives the same error. I dragged & dropped my file into the project at the same level as the main.swift and made sure the 'Create Folder References' and 'Add to targets:' were checked.

[Himanshu Moradiya]

let content = try String(contentsOfFile:path!, encoding: String.Encoding.utf8) use this line

[Zakarius Jay Poggenpohl]

That's exactly what I did use and get the same error.

[Himanshu Moradiya]

are you using xcode 8.1 right ?

[Zakarius Jay Poggenpohl]

Currently using: Xcode 8.2.1

[Himanshu Moradiya]

@ZakariusJayPoggenpohl just remove your code and use my code and see any error occure or not ?

[Zakarius Jay Poggenpohl]

I just tried... only changed the file name to "testFile" (instead of your code's "demo") and I got the original error.

[Himanshu Moradiya]

in my code i dont think so that kind of error you just clean your project and create again new .txt file and add in it again in your project and run my code .

[Himanshu Moradiya]

@LeoDabus wait i just convert this code in swift 3.0

[Zakarius Jay Poggenpohl]

I really appreciate your try to help, but I get the following error: fatal error: unexpectedly found nil while unwrapping an Optional value

[Himanshu Moradiya]

which line ? @ZakariusJayPoggenpohl

[Christopher Wade Cantley]

I added the file to "Copy Bundle Resources" however I also found it in my "Compile Sources" list which is because it was originally a swift file until I changed the extension. But changing the extension didn't remove it from "Compile Sources". So I pulled it out, ran it and worked like a charm.

[Trev14]

This worked for me when nothing else worked. Why would a file I drop into Xcode not automatically show up under "Copy Bundle Resources"???

[mayankk2308]

Thank you. This helped me, as I was testing some code in the Playground (part of a larger project).

[Micah Montoya]

For anyone else that see this and this is the solution for you as it was for me, you have to do this anytime the file gets replaced with a new version.

[andrewcar]

@Trev14 makes no sense that this doesn't happen automatically

[jpcarreira]

Insane, lost a couple of hours on this when I forgot this "trick" on checking what's being added to the app bundle. The problem was I was using another IDE where I added the file and that IDE didn't edit the .pbxproj, thus I didn't have my resource in the app bundle

[John Pitts]

Didn't work. Assets.xcassets was already there anyway. The only solution that works is to add the file to the list of project files, which is really messy. Essentially, you have to create your OWN assets folder-- totally annoying. Be sure to check "Create Groups" and "Add to Target" when you drag your file into the project.