---
title: "placeholderURL(for:)"
framework: fileprovider
role: symbol
role_heading: Type Method
path: "fileprovider/nsfileprovidermanager/placeholderurl(for:)"
---

# placeholderURL(for:)

Returns a placeholder URL for a given document URL.

## Declaration

```swift
class func placeholderURL(for url: URL) -> URL
```

## Parameters

- `url`: The document URL to be converted.

## Return Value

Return Value A placeholder URL for the given document.

## Discussion

Discussion This method maps file URLs into their corresponding placeholder URLs. You typically call this method to generate the placeholder URL before calling writePlaceholder(at:withMetadata:). note: While this method is available on macOS 11+, you don’t need to use it when creating a file provider extension that adopts the NSFileProviderReplicatedExtension protocol.

## See Also

### Performing actions

- [writePlaceholder(at:withMetadata:)](fileprovider/nsfileprovidermanager/writeplaceholder(at:withmetadata:).md)
- [register(_:forItemWithIdentifier:completionHandler:)](fileprovider/nsfileprovidermanager/register(_:foritemwithidentifier:completionhandler:).md)
- [signalEnumerator(for:completionHandler:)](fileprovider/nsfileprovidermanager/signalenumerator(for:completionhandler:).md)
- [waitForChanges(below:completionHandler:)](fileprovider/nsfileprovidermanager/waitforchanges(below:completionhandler:).md)
- [globalProgress(for:)](fileprovider/nsfileprovidermanager/globalprogress(for:).md)