44 lines
1.3 KiB
Plaintext
44 lines
1.3 KiB
Plaintext
---
|
|
layout: docs
|
|
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. We do not recommend using dynamic
|
|
local files in Packer configurations, but in rare situations where this is
|
|
necessary you can use
|
|
[the `local_file` data source](https://www.terraform.io/docs/providers/local/d/file.html)
|
|
to read files while respecting resource dependencies.
|
|
|
|
## Examples
|
|
|
|
```shell-session
|
|
> file("${path.folder}/hello.txt")
|
|
Hello World
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
## Related Functions
|
|
|
|
- [`fileexists`](/docs/from-1.5/functions/file/fileexists) determines whether a file exists
|
|
at a given path.
|