If you try to stat a file that appears to be in a directory, and that directory is actually a regular file instead, file_exists() throws a stat error instead of just returning false.

Needless to say this makes checking user input a lot more difficult. I am forced to check the entire path to see if each part is a directory before finally checking the last part to see whether it exists.

file_exists() is a function and should either return true or false. If the file exists it should return true. If it does not (for _whatever_ reason) it should return false. Side effects like a stat error are unwanted, and can provide useful information to someone trying to attack the site.

-Don