CreateDirectory Activity

Purpose: This activity creates a directory and all subdirectories if they don't exist. If the directory already exists, the operation succeeds without error. This is useful for ensuring that a directory structure exists before performing file operations.

Input Properties

DirectoryPath

The directory path to create. This can be a single directory or a nested path (e.g., "C:\Data\SubFolder\Nested").

Type: string

Required: Yes

Example: "C:\Data\NewFolder" or "C:\Data\SubFolder\Nested"

Output Properties

Success

True if the directory was created successfully or already exists, false otherwise.

Type: bool

Note: Returns true if the directory was created or already exists, false if the DirectoryPath is null or empty, if access is denied, or if an error occurs.

CreatedPath

The full path of the created directory. If an error occurs, this will contain an error message.

Type: string

Note: Returns the full normalized path of the created directory if successful, or an error message (starting with "Error: ") if the operation fails.

Usage Example

Scenario: Create a single directory

Configuration:
- DirectoryPath: "C:\Data\NewFolder"

Result:
- Success: true
- CreatedPath: "C:\Data\NewFolder"

Scenario: Create nested directories

Configuration:
- DirectoryPath: "C:\Data\SubFolder\Nested\Deep"

Result:
- Success: true
- CreatedPath: "C:\Data\SubFolder\Nested\Deep" (all parent directories created automatically)

Error Handling

Important: The activity handles errors gracefully:

  • If DirectoryPath is null or empty, Success will be false and CreatedPath will be empty
  • If access is denied (UnauthorizedAccessException), Success will be false and CreatedPath will contain: "Error: Access denied - {exception message}"
  • If the path is invalid (ArgumentException), Success will be false and CreatedPath will contain: "Error: Invalid path - {exception message}"
  • If any other exception occurs, Success will be false and CreatedPath will contain: "Error: {exception message}"

Always check the Success output and review the CreatedPath for error messages if the operation fails.

Important Notes

  • All parent directories are created automatically if they don't exist
  • If the directory already exists, the operation succeeds without error
  • The CreatedPath contains the full normalized path, which may differ from the input path
  • Ensure the location has write permissions to create directories
  • Use this activity before file operations to ensure the directory structure exists

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