--- page_title: file - Functions - Configuration Language sidebar_title: file description: |- The file function reads the contents of the file at the given path and returns them as a string. --- # `file` Function `file` reads the contents of a file at the given path and returns them as a string. ```hcl file(path) ``` Strings in the Packer language are sequences of Unicode characters, so this function will interpret the file contents as UTF-8 encoded text and return the resulting Unicode characters. If the file contains invalid UTF-8 sequences then this function will produce an error. This function can be used only with files that already exist on disk at the beginning of a Packer run. Functions do not participate in the dependency graph, so this function cannot be used with files that are generated dynamically during a Packer operation. ## Examples ```shell-session > file("${path.folder}/hello.txt") Hello World ``` ## Related Functions - [`fileexists`](/docs/templates/hcl_templates/functions/file/fileexists) determines whether a file exists at a given path.