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cffile action = "readBinary"
Last update:
May 18, 2026
Note: You can specify this tag's attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag's attribute names as structure keys.
Description
Reads a binary file (such as an executable or image file) on the server, into a binary object parameter that you can use in the page. To send it through a web protocol (such as HTTP or SMTP) or store it in a database, first convert it to Base64 using the ToBase64 function.
Note: This action reads the file into a variable in the local Variables scope. It is not intended for use with large files, such as logs, because they can bring down the server.
Syntax
<cffile
action = "readBinary"
file = "full pathname"
variable = "variable name">See also
Attributes
Attribute | Req/Opt | Default | Description |
action | Required | Type of file manipulation that the tag performs. | |
file | Required | Pathname of a binary fine to read. If not an absolute path (starting with a drive letter and a colon, or a forward or backward slash), it is relative to the ColdFusion temporary directory, which is returned by the GetTempDirectory function. | |
variable | Required | Name of variable to contain contents of binary file. |
Usage
You convert the binary file to Base64 to transfer it to another site.ColdFusion supports reading an image file as a binary and passing the result to a cfimage, for example:
<!--- Convert a JPG image to a binary object. --->
<cffile action="readBinary" file="maxwell05.jpg" variable="binaryObject">
<!--- Create a cfimage from the binary object variable. --->
<cfset myImage=ImageNew(binaryObject)>Example
The following example reads the binary file somewhere.jpg, writes it to a different folder as somewhereB.jpg, and then displays the new file:
<cffile action = "readBinary" file = "C:\inetpub\wwwroot\cfdocs\getting_started\photos\somewhere.jpg" variable = "aBinaryObj">
<!--- Output binary object to JPEG format for viewing. --->
<cffile action="write" file = "c:\files\updates\somewhereB.jpg"
output = "#toBinary(aBinaryObj)#">
<!--- HTML to view image. --->
<img src="C:\files\updates\somewhereB.jpg">
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