How to make Python check if ftp directory exists?

Question

I\'m using this script to connect to sample ftp server and list available directories:

from ftplib import FTP
ftp = FTP(\'ftp.cwi.nl\')   # connect to host, defa         


        

Answer 1

You can send "MLST path" over the control connection. That will return a line including the type of the path (notice 'type=dir' down here):

250-Listing "/home/user":
 modify=20131113091701;perm=el;size=4096;type=dir;unique=813gc0004; /
250 End MLST.

Translated into python that should be something along these lines:

import ftplib
ftp = ftplib.FTP()
ftp.connect('ftp.somedomain.com', 21)
ftp.login()
resp = ftp.sendcmd('MLST pathname')
if 'type=dir;' in resp:
    # it should be a directory
    pass

Of course the code above is not 100% reliable and would need a 'real' parser. You can look at the implementation of MLSD command in ftplib.py which is very similar (MLSD differs from MLST in that the response in sent over the data connection but the format of the lines being transmitted is the same): http://hg.python.org/cpython/file/8af2dc11464f/Lib/ftplib.py#l577