---
url: /process-functions/datasource-readFile.md
description: Reads data from a file in the MODLR file system.
---

# datasource.readFile 

Reads data from a file in the MODLR file system. Supports multiple output formats and automatic character encoding detection.

```js
datasource.readFile(filePath, readAs, encoding)
```

#### Parameters

* `filePath` - The name and file path of the file in the MODLR file system to read. File path can be found in the filesystem page.
* `readAs` (optional) - The format to return the file contents as. Defaults to `"string"`. Supported values:
  * `"string"` - Returns the entire file as a single string
  * `"lines"` - Returns the file as an array of strings, one per line
  * `"json"` - Parses the file as JSON and returns an object
  * `"xml"` - Parses the file as XML and returns an object
  * `"base64"` - Returns the file contents as a Base64 encoded string
* `encoding` (optional) - The character encoding to use when reading the file. If omitted, empty, or set to `"auto"`, the encoding is automatically detected. Otherwise, specify a valid charset name (e.g., `"UTF-8"`, `"ISO-8859-1"`).

#### Returns

* Returns the file contents in the format specified by `readAs`, or `false` if the file path is invalid.

#### Example

```js
// Read file as a string (default)
let text = datasource.readFile("input/report.txt");

// Read file as an array of lines
let lines = datasource.readFile("input/data.txt", "lines");
for (let line of lines) {
    console.log(line);
}

// Read and parse a JSON file
let config = datasource.readFile("input/config.json", "json");
console.log(config.name);

// Read and parse an XML file
let xmlData = datasource.readFile("input/data.xml", "xml");

// Read a binary file as Base64
let base64 = datasource.readFile("input/image.png", "base64");

// Read a file with specific encoding
let legacyData = datasource.readFile("input/legacy.txt", "string", "ISO-8859-1");
```