---
title: "url(for:in:appropriateFor:create:)"
framework: foundation
role: symbol
role_heading: Instance Method
path: "foundation/filemanager/url(for:in:appropriatefor:create:)"
---

# url(for:in:appropriateFor:create:)

Locates and optionally creates the specified common directory in a domain.

## Declaration

```swift
func url(for directory: FileManager.SearchPathDirectory, in domain: FileManager.SearchPathDomainMask, appropriateFor url: URL?, create shouldCreate: Bool) throws -> URL
```

## Parameters

- `directory`: The search path directory. The supported values are described in doc://com.apple.foundation/documentation/Foundation/FileManager/SearchPathDirectory.
- `domain`: The file system domain to search. The value for this parameter is one of the constants described in doc://com.apple.foundation/documentation/Foundation/FileManager/SearchPathDomainMask. You should specify only one domain for your search and you may not specify the doc://com.apple.foundation/documentation/Foundation/FileManager/SearchPathDomainMask/allDomainsMask constant for this parameter.
- `url`: The file URL used to determine the location of the returned URL. Only the volume of this parameter is used. This parameter is ignored unless the directory parameter contains the value doc://com.apple.foundation/documentation/Foundation/FileManager/SearchPathDirectory/itemReplacementDirectory and the domain parameter contains the value doc://com.apple.foundation/documentation/Foundation/FileManager/SearchPathDomainMask/userDomainMask.
- `shouldCreate`: Whether to create the directory if it does not already exist. When creating a temporary directory, this parameter is ignored and the directory is always created.

## Return Value

Return Value The NSURL for the requested directory. When using Objective-C, if an error occurs, this method returns nil and assigns an appropriate error object to the error parameter.

## Discussion

Discussion You typically use this method to locate one of the standard system directories, such as the Documents, Application Support or Caches directories. After locating (or creating) the desired directory, this method returns the URL for that directory. If more than one appropriate directory exists in the specified domain, this method returns only the first one it finds. important: Passing a directory and domain pair that makes no sense (for example FileManager.SearchPathDirectory.desktopDirectory and networkDomainMask) raises an exception. You can use this method to create a new temporary directory. To do so, specify FileManager.SearchPathDirectory.itemReplacementDirectory for the directory parameter, userDomainMask for the domain parameter, and a URL for the url parameter which determines the volume of the returned URL. For example, the following code results in a new temporary directory with a path in the form of /private/var/folders/d0/h37cw8ns3h1bfr_2gnwq2yyc0000gn/T/TemporaryItems/Untitled/: important: If you use this method to create a temporary directory, you should not rely on the existence of that temporary directory after the app is exited. It is recommended that you remove any temporary directories that are created after they’re no longer needed. note: In Swift, this method returns a nonoptional result and is marked with the throws keyword to indicate that it throws an error in cases of failure. You call this method in a try expression and handle any errors in the catch clauses of a do statement, as described in Error Handling in The Swift Programming Language and About Imported Cocoa Error Parameters.

## See Also

### Locating system directories

- [urls(for:in:)](foundation/filemanager/urls(for:in:).md)
- [NSSearchPathForDirectoriesInDomains(_:_:_:)](foundation/nssearchpathfordirectoriesindomains(_:_:_:).md)
- [NSOpenStepRootDirectory()](foundation/nsopensteprootdirectory().md)