Directory read returns broken FileEntry objects

[fancsali]

Bug Report

Problem

What is expected to happen?

I should be able to read a FileEntry's metadata no matter how I got hold of the object

What does actually happen?

I retrieving the FileEntry handle directly via resolveLocalFilesystemURL I can call getMetadata() on the returned object without an issue; but if I obtain the handle by reading the parent (root) directory, the call will result in NOT_FOUND_ERR`

Command or Code

I am running the below code in the deviceready event handler:

console.log('Running cordova-' + cordova.platformId + '@' + cordova.version);

function errorHandler(e) {
        console.error("Error: ", e);
    }

    function testFileMetadataRead() {
        console.log("Successful file write...");

        window.resolveLocalFileSystemURL(cordova.file.dataDirectory + "/test.txt", function(file) {
            console.log("Contructor of FILE handle", file.constructor);
            file.getMetadata(
                function (m) { console.log("Getting FILE metadata", file, m) },
                function (e) { console.log("Error getting FILE metadata", e) }
            );
        }, errorHandler);

        window.resolveLocalFileSystemURL(cordova.file.dataDirectory, function(dir) {
            dir.createReader().readEntries(function (entries) {
                entries.forEach(function(entry) {
                    console.log("Contructor of DIRECTORY ENTRY handle", entry.constructor);
                    entry.getMetadata(
                        function (m) { console.log("Getting DIR ENTRY metadata", file, m) },
                        function (e) { console.log("Error getting DIR ENTRY metadata", e) }
                    );
                });
            }, function (e) { console.log("Error listing directory", e) });
        }, errorHandler);
    }

    window.resolveLocalFileSystemURL(cordova.file.dataDirectory, function(dir) {
        dir.getFile("test.txt", { create: true, exclusive: false }, function (fileEntry) {
            fileEntry.createWriter(function (fileWriter) {
                fileWriter.onwriteend = testFileMetadataRead;
                fileWriter.onerror = function (e) { console.log("Error writing FILE", e) };

                const blob = new Blob(["The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog!"], { type: 'text/plain' });
                fileWriter.write(blob);
            });
        },
        function (e) { console.log("Error creating new file", e) });
     }, errorHandler);

Result

Running cordova-browser@7.0.0 bundle.js:480:13
Successful file write... bundle.js:509:17

Contructor of FILE handle 
function FileEntry(name, fullPath, fileSystem, nativeURL)
bundle.js:512:21

Getting FILE metadata 
Object { isFile: true, isDirectory: false, name: "test.txt", fullPath: "/test.txt", filesystem: {…}, nativeURL: null }
Object { modificationTime: Date Sun Mar 22 2026 16:13:17 GMT+0000 (Greenwich Mean Time), size: 44 }
bundle.js:514:40

Contructor of DIRECTORY ENTRY handle 
function FileEntry(name, fullPath, fileSystem, nativeURL)
bundle.js:522:29

Error getting DIR ENTRY metadata 
Object { code: 1 }
bundle.js:525:48

Environment, Platform, Device

Using Cordova Browser for testing on Linux Mint 22.3.

Version information

cordova-browser@7.0.0
cordova-plugin-file@8.1.3
cordova-plugin-webpack@1.0.5

Checklist

• I searched for existing GitHub issues
• I updated all Cordova tooling to most recent version
• I included all the necessary information above

[breautek]

This is very likely a caveat with the browser platform/implementation of the file plugin.

Using Cordova Browser for testing on Linux Mint 22.3.

Are you using the browser platform just for testing before moving onto other platforms or are you using the browser platform as your final product target?

If the former, it may be worth attempting the test on Android and/or iOS to see if the issue also reproduces on those platforms. Browser platform only issues tends to stay low on the priority stack.

[fancsali]

Well, being completely honest, my product would be truly cross platform...
... I'd like to have a lightweight browser version eventually.

For now, that's the test (and only) platform - just to make the development cycle short and sweet.

That being said, I built the app for Android, and it's even worse; the console says (using Chrome remote inspect/debug):

index.js:45 Successful file write...
index.js:48 Contructor of FILE handle ƒ (name, fullPath, fileSystem, nativeURL) {
    // remove trailing slash if it is present
    if (fullPath && /\/$/.test(fullPath)) {
        fullPath = fullPath.substring(0, fullPath.length - 1);
    …
index.js:50 Getting FILE metadata FileEntry Metadata
index.js:58 Contructor of DIRECTORY ENTRY handle ƒ (name, fullPath, fileSystem, nativeURL) {
    // add trailing slash if it is missing
    if ((fullPath) && !/\/$/.test(fullPath)) {
        fullPath += '/';
    }
    // add trailing slash if it is m…
index.js:58 Contructor of DIRECTORY ENTRY handle ƒ (name, fullPath, fileSystem, nativeURL) {
    // add trailing slash if it is missing
    if ((fullPath) && !/\/$/.test(fullPath)) {
        fullPath += '/';
    }
    // add trailing slash if it is m…
index.js:58 Contructor of DIRECTORY ENTRY handle ƒ (name, fullPath, fileSystem, nativeURL) {
    // remove trailing slash if it is present
    if (fullPath && /\/$/.test(fullPath)) {
        fullPath = fullPath.substring(0, fullPath.length - 1);
    …
cordova.js:314 Uncaught ReferenceError: file is not defined
    at index.js:60:39
    at success (Entry.js:73:9)
    at Object.callbackFromNative (cordova.js:295:58)
    at <anonymous>:1:9

The last message repeating several times, if I reload the app (i.e. that above is for the first ever run after installation).

[breautek]

That's pretty odd:

cordova.js:314 Uncaught ReferenceError: file is not defined

I assume that's a reference to cordova.file which kinda suggest that the plugin maybe didn't get installed right?

Are you able to share a sample reproduction project?