SFtpFile Lua Reference Documentation
chilkat.SFtpFile
Current Version: 11.7.0
Markdown version of this page for AI tools (v 11.7.0) · all AI docs
Chilkat.SFtpFile
Read
Access the entry size as a 32-bit integer, 64-bit integer, or decimal
string using
Inspect creation, last-access, and last-modified times as date/time
values or RFC822-formatted strings when supported by the server.
Read numeric user and group IDs, and when the server supports it, textual
owner and group names.
Inspect the POSIX-style permissions bit mask for read, write, execute,
set-user-ID, set-group-ID, and sticky-bit information.
Check server-provided flags such as hidden, read-only, archive,
immutable, encrypted, compressed, sparse, append-only, system, and sync.
Inspect metadata for a file, directory, symlink, or special item in an SFTP listing.
Chilkat.SFtpFile represents one entry returned from an SFTP
directory listing. It exposes the entry name, file type, size, ownership,
permissions, timestamps, and server-provided attribute flags such as hidden,
read-only, archive, immutable, encrypted, compressed, sparse, append-only,
system, and synchronization status. It is typically used together with
Chilkat.SFtpDir when iterating a remote directory and deciding
how each entry should be displayed, filtered, downloaded, skipped, or
processed.
Name and type
Filename and FileType, or use convenience
flags such as IsRegular, IsDirectory, and
IsSymLink.
File sizes
Size32, Size64, or
SizeStr.
Timestamps
Ownership
Permissions
Extended attributes
Chilkat.SFtp, iterate its
Chilkat.SFtpDir entries, and populate a
Chilkat.SFtpFile object for each item. Use the file type,
timestamps, size, permissions, and attribute flags to decide whether the
entry is a regular file, directory, symlink, or special item and how the
application should handle it.
Object Creation
local chilkat = require("chilkat")
local sftp_file = chilkat.SFtpFile.new()Creates the object (chilkat.SFtpFile() does the same). Lua's garbage collector frees it when it is no longer referenced; sftp_file:dispose() frees it at once, and in Lua 5.4 and later local sftp_file <close> = chilkat.SFtpFile.new() frees it when the block ends. Calling a method of a disposed object raises an error.
Errors
A method that fails returns nil followed by the error text, as io.open does: local body, err = sftp_file:method(...), where err is the object's last_error_text. Wrap the call in assert() to raise an error with that text instead. Methods that answer a question return true or false, numbers are returned as they are (check last_method_success where the description says a value means failure), and property reads and writes never fail for Chilkat reasons.
Misuse raises a Lua error: a wrong argument type or a missing argument (bad argument #1 to ...), an unknown property name, a write to a read-only property, an out-of-range integer, or an object of the wrong class.
Names are Chilkat's in snake_case: QuickGetStr is quick_get_str, LastErrorText is last_error_text. Properties are fields (sftp_file.verbose_logging = true) and methods use the colon (sftp_file:method(...)). Strings are UTF-8; binary data is a Lua string of bytes. Indexes are 0-based, as in every Chilkat API. Unlocking: call chilkat.unlock_bundle("...") once at startup.
Properties
CreateTimeStr
local strVal = sftp_file.create_time_str
Returns the file creation date and time as an RFC 822-formatted string, such as Fri, 21 Nov 1997 09:55:06 -0600.
Server requirement: Creation-time metadata is available only when the server supports SFTP version 4 or later and provides this attribute.
topDebugLogFilePath
local strVal = sftp_file.debug_log_file_path
sftp_file.debug_log_file_path = strVal
If set to a file path, this property logs the LastErrorText of each Chilkat method or property call to the specified file. This logging helps identify the context and history of Chilkat calls leading up to any crash or hang, aiding in debugging.
Enabling the VerboseLogging property provides more detailed information. This property is mainly used for debugging rare instances where a Chilkat method call causes a hang or crash, which should generally not happen.
Possible causes of hangs include:
- A timeout property set to 0, indicating an infinite timeout.
- A hang occurring within an event callback in the application code.
- An internal bug in the Chilkat code causing the hang.
Filename
local strVal = sftp_file.filename
Returns the name of the directory entry. Depending on the entry type, this may be a regular filename, directory name, symbolic-link name, or the name of another special filesystem object.
topFileType
local strVal = sftp_file.file_type
Identifies the type of directory entry. The returned value is one of the following:
| Value | Meaning |
|---|---|
regular | A regular file. |
directory | A directory. |
symLink | A symbolic link. |
special | A special file whose more specific type is not reported. |
unknown | The type is unknown or was not provided by the server. |
socket | A socket. |
charDevice | A character device. |
blockDevice | A block device. |
fifo | A FIFO (named pipe). |
The convenience properties IsRegular, IsDirectory, and IsSymLink may be used for the most common entry types.
Gid
local intVal = sftp_file.gid
Returns the numeric group ID associated with the file.
topGroup
local strVal = sftp_file.group
Returns the textual group name associated with the file.
Server requirement: This attribute is available only when the server supports SFTP version 4 or later and provides owner/group names.
topIsAppendOnly
local boolVal = sftp_file.is_append_only
Returns true if the server marks the file as append-only. New data may be added only at the end of the file; existing data cannot be overwritten through normal file writes.
Server requirement: This attribute is defined for SFTP version 6 or later.
topIsArchive
local boolVal = sftp_file.is_archive
Returns true if the server marks the file for inclusion in backup or archive operations.
Server requirement: This attribute is defined for SFTP version 6 or later.
topIsCaseInsensitive
local boolVal = sftp_file.is_case_insensitive
Applies to directories. Returns true when names within the directory should be compared without regard to letter case.
Server requirement: This attribute is defined for SFTP version 6 or later.
topIsCompressed
local boolVal = sftp_file.is_compressed
Returns true if the file is stored using transparent filesystem-level compression on the server.
This attribute describes how the server stores the file. It does not change the file bytes transferred through SFTP.
Server requirement: This attribute is defined for SFTP version 6 or later.
topIsDirectory
local boolVal = sftp_file.is_directory
Returns true if the directory entry is a directory.
IsEncrypted
local boolVal = sftp_file.is_encrypted
Returns true if the file is stored using transparent filesystem-level encryption on the server.
This attribute describes storage at rest. It does not alter the file bytes returned by read operations or accepted by write operations.
Server requirement: This attribute is defined for SFTP version 6 or later.
topIsHidden
local boolVal = sftp_file.is_hidden
Returns true if the server marks the entry as hidden. Hidden entries are normally omitted from user-facing displays unless the user specifically requests them.
IsImmutable
local boolVal = sftp_file.is_immutable
Returns true if the server marks the file as immutable. An immutable file cannot normally be deleted, renamed, modified, or used as the target of a new hard link.
Immutability is generally stronger than read-only status, the ordinary permission mask, or an access-control list. On many systems, only a privileged administrator can set or clear this attribute.
Server requirement: This attribute is defined for SFTP version 6 or later.
topIsReadOnly
local boolVal = sftp_file.is_read_only
Returns true if the server marks the file as read-only.
Server requirement: This attribute is defined for SFTP version 6 or later.
topIsRegular
local boolVal = sftp_file.is_regular
Returns true if the directory entry is a regular file rather than a directory, symbolic link, device, socket, FIFO, or other special type.
IsSparse
local boolVal = sftp_file.is_sparse
Returns true if the server identifies the file as sparse. A sparse file can contain unwritten regions, often called holes, that read as zero bytes without consuming equivalent physical disk space.
For example, writing data at an offset of 10 MB may leave the region between the previous end of file and that offset unallocated on disk.
Some servers store all files sparsely and may always set this flag. Other servers cannot reliably determine whether a file is sparse, so a file may be sparse even when this property is false.
Server requirement: This attribute is defined for SFTP version 6 or later.
topIsSymLink
local boolVal = sftp_file.is_sym_link
Returns true if the directory entry is a symbolic link.
IsSync
local boolVal = sftp_file.is_sync
Returns true if modifications to the file are committed synchronously to server storage.
Server requirement: This attribute is defined for SFTP version 6 or later.
topIsSystem
local boolVal = sftp_file.is_system
Returns true if the server marks the file as part of the operating system.
Server requirement: This attribute is defined for SFTP version 6 or later.
topLastAccessTimeStr
local strVal = sftp_file.last_access_time_str
Returns the file's last-access date and time as an RFC 822-formatted string, such as Fri, 21 Nov 1997 09:55:06 -0600.
LastErrorHtml
local strVal = sftp_file.last_error_html
Provides HTML-formatted information about the last called method or property. If a method call fails or behaves unexpectedly, check this property for details. Note that information is available regardless of the method call's success.
topLastErrorText
local strVal = sftp_file.last_error_text
Provides plain text information about the last called method or property. If a method call fails or behaves unexpectedly, check this property for details. Note that information is available regardless of the method call's success.
LastErrorXml
local strVal = sftp_file.last_error_xml
Provides XML-formatted information about the last called method or property. If a method call fails or behaves unexpectedly, check this property for details. Note that information is available regardless of the method call's success.
topLastMethodSuccess
local boolVal = sftp_file.last_method_success
sftp_file.last_method_success = boolVal
Indicates the success or failure of the most recent method call: true means success, false means failure. This property remains unchanged by property setters or getters. This method is present to address challenges in checking for null or Nothing returns in certain programming languages. Note: This property does not apply to methods that return integer values or to boolean-returning methods where the boolean does not indicate success or failure.
LastModifiedTimeStr
local strVal = sftp_file.last_modified_time_str
Returns the file's last-modified date and time as an RFC 822-formatted string, such as Fri, 21 Nov 1997 09:55:06 -0600.
Use LastModifiedTime when a native date/time value is more convenient.
Owner
local strVal = sftp_file.owner
Returns the textual owner name associated with the file.
Server requirement: This attribute is available only when the server supports SFTP version 4 or later and provides owner/group names.
topPermissions
local intVal = sftp_file.permissions
Returns the POSIX-style file-permission bit mask. The values correspond to the permission and special-mode bits in the POSIX st_mode field.
| Symbol | Octal value | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
S_IRUSR | 0400 | Owner read |
S_IWUSR | 0200 | Owner write |
S_IXUSR | 0100 | Owner execute |
S_IRGRP | 0040 | Group read |
S_IWGRP | 0020 | Group write |
S_IXGRP | 0010 | Group execute |
S_IROTH | 0004 | Others read |
S_IWOTH | 0002 | Others write |
S_IXOTH | 0001 | Others execute |
S_ISUID | 4000 | Set-user-ID |
S_ISGID | 2000 | Set-group-ID |
S_ISVTX | 1000 | Sticky bit |
Use bitwise AND operations to test individual permission bits.
topSize32
local intVal = sftp_file.size32
Returns the file size in bytes as a 32-bit integer. Returns -1 when the size cannot be represented by a 32-bit integer. Use Size64 or SizeStr for larger values.
Size64
local intVal = sftp_file.size64
Returns the file size in bytes as a 64-bit integer.
topSizeStr
local strVal = sftp_file.size_str
Returns the file size in bytes as a base-10 string. This is the string representation of Size64 and is useful in environments where a 64-bit integer is inconvenient or unavailable.
Uid
local intVal = sftp_file.uid
Returns the numeric user ID associated with the file.
topVerboseLogging
local boolVal = sftp_file.verbose_logging
sftp_file.verbose_logging = boolVal
If set to true, then the contents of LastErrorText (or LastErrorXml, or LastErrorHtml) may contain more verbose information. The default value is false. Verbose logging should only be used for debugging. The potentially large quantity of logged information may adversely affect peformance.
Version
local strVal = sftp_file.version