---
title: "init(contentsOfURL:)"
framework: foundation
role: symbol
role_heading: Initializer
path: "foundation/nsstring/init(contentsofurl:)"
---

# init(contentsOfURL:)

Initializes the receiver, a newly allocated NSString object, by reading data from the location named by a given URL.

## Declaration

```swift
convenience init?(contentsOfURL url: URL)
```

## Discussion

Discussion Initializes the receiver, a newly allocated NSString object, by reading data from the location named by aURL. If the contents begin with a byte-order mark (U+FEFF or U+FFFE), interprets the contents as UTF-16 code units; otherwise interprets the contents as data in the default C string encoding. Returns an initialized object, which might be different from the original receiver, or nil if the location can’t be opened.

## See Also

### Deprecated

- [string(withCString:)](foundation/nsstring/string(withcstring:).md)
- [init(CString:)](foundation/nsstring/init(cstring:)-vkuo.md)
- [string(withCString:length:)](foundation/nsstring/string(withcstring:length:).md)
- [init(CString:length:)](foundation/nsstring/init(cstring:length:)-5ure3.md)
- [init(CStringNoCopy:length:freeWhenDone:)](foundation/nsstring/init(cstringnocopy:length:freewhendone:)-86dm2.md)
- [string(withContentsOfFile:)](foundation/nsstring/string(withcontentsoffile:).md)
- [init(contentsOfFile:)](foundation/nsstring/init(contentsoffile:).md)
- [string(withContentsOf:)](foundation/nsstring/string(withcontentsof:).md)
- [write(toFile:atomically:)](foundation/nsstring/write(tofile:atomically:).md)
- [write(to:atomically:)](foundation/nsstring/write(to:atomically:).md)
- [getCharacters(_:)](foundation/nsstring/getcharacters(_:).md)
- [cString()](foundation/nsstring/cstring().md)
- [lossyCString()](foundation/nsstring/lossycstring().md)
- [cStringLength()](foundation/nsstring/cstringlength().md)
- [getCString(_:)](foundation/nsstring/getcstring(_:).md)