# How can I play back a file with a path on iOS?
**URL:** https://community.wowza.com/t/how-can-i-play-back-a-file-with-a-path-on-ios/34504
**Category:** Wowza Streaming Engine
**Created:** [February 23, 2012, 12:08pm UTC](https://community.wowza.com/t/how-can-i-play-back-a-file-with-a-path-on-ios/34504 "2012-02-23T12:08:02Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Tyler\_Kocheran](https://community.wowza.com/u/Tyler_Kocheran)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2012, 12:08pm UTC](https://community.wowza.com/t/how-can-i-play-back-a-file-with-a-path-on-ios/34504/1 "2012-02-23T12:08:02Z")
I have a stream that exists at ${CONTENT\_DIR}/testing/myStream.mp4. If I have a stream at just ${CONTENT\_DIR}/myStream.mp4, then I can play it easily with [http://url:1935/vod/mp4:myStream.mp4/playlist.m3u8](http://url:1935/vod/mp4:myStream.mp4/playlist.m3u8), but if I try to play a stream at [http://url:1935/vod/mp4:testing/myStream.mp4/playlist.m3u8](http://url:1935/vod/mp4:testing/myStream.mp4/playlist.m3u8), I can’t seem to play it back. What’s the format for playing back an iOS stream with a pathname involved in the stream name?
---
### Author:  [@Randall\_Auriemma](https://community.wowza.com/u/Randall_Auriemma)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2012, 11:22am UTC](https://community.wowza.com/t/how-can-i-play-back-a-file-with-a-path-on-ios/34504/2 "2012-02-23T11:22:57Z")
If your file is in a subdirectory called “testing” in your Content directory use:
```auto
http://url:1935/vod/_definst_/mp4:testing/myStream.mp4/playlist.m3u8
```
---
### Author:  [@Richard\_Lanham](https://community.wowza.com/u/Richard_Lanham)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2012, 9:09pm UTC](https://community.wowza.com/t/how-can-i-play-back-a-file-with-a-path-on-ios/34504/3 "2012-03-05T21:09:17Z")
It always means the file is not there. It doesn’t look like a subfolder is involved in that path.
Richard
---
### Author:  [@Richard\_Lanham](https://community.wowza.com/u/Richard_Lanham)
#### Post date: [March 7, 2012, 7:16pm UTC](https://community.wowza.com/t/how-can-i-play-back-a-file-with-a-path-on-ios/34504/4 "2012-03-07T19:16:55Z")
Referring to what Randal showed you above, you need to add application instance (_definst_) when content is in a subfolder
```auto
rtsp://(site address)/vod/_definst_/mp4:subfolder/filename.mp4
```
When content is in the root of the content folder, no path is required, Wowza uses the default application instance “_definst_” which is otherwise arbitrary if you specify it. So Wowza assumes the subfolder is the application instance. Adding _defints_ fixes it.
Richard
---
### Author:  [@Luiz\_Felipe\_Pimentel](https://community.wowza.com/u/Luiz_Felipe_Pimentel)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2012, 2:44pm UTC](https://community.wowza.com/t/how-can-i-play-back-a-file-with-a-path-on-ios/34504/5 "2012-03-05T14:44:02Z")
Hi,
I´m having the same problem, and the way randall suggests isn’t working for me. I get this response from the server, which shows the request is not following to the subdirectory.
Any light with this issue would be appreciated.
WARN server comment 2012-03-05 17:39:18 - - - - - 60.662 - - - - - - - 659278-DUAL-110-416x234.mp4 MediaReaderH264.open[1]: java.io.FileNotFoundException: /usr/local/WowzaMediaServer/content/659278-DUAL-110-416x234.mp4 (No such file or directory)
WARN server comment 2012-03-05 17:39:20 - - - - - 62.382 - - - - - - - 659278-DUAL-110-416x234.mp4 MediaReaderH264.open[1]: java.io.FileNotFoundException: /usr/local/WowzaMediaServer/content/659278-DUAL-110-416x234.mp4 (No such file or directory)
ERROR server comment 2012-03-05 17:39:20 - - - - - 62.382 - - - - - - - - MediaReaderH264Cupertino.indexFile:java.lang.NullPointerException
---
### Author:  [@Luiz\_Felipe\_Pimentel](https://community.wowza.com/u/Luiz_Felipe_Pimentel)
#### Post date: [March 7, 2012, 3:55pm UTC](https://community.wowza.com/t/how-can-i-play-back-a-file-with-a-path-on-ios/34504/6 "2012-03-07T15:55:06Z")
No, the files are there. Right now i have 420 files on 70 subfolders. I can watch them using a smil for the iphone/ipad, i can watch them through flowplayer with no problem, but when i try calling a single file on iphone/ipad or through rtsp it tries to get the file directly from the content folder and not the subfolder i´m writing on the url.
Ex:
http://(site address)/iphone/(subfolder)/mp4:filename.mp4/playlist.m3u8 (doesn’t work)
http://(site address)/iphone/mp4:(subfolder)/filename.mp4/playlist.m3u8 (doesn’t work)
rtsp://(site address)/vod/(subfolder)/mp4:filename.mp4 (doesn’t work)
rtsp://(site address)/vod/mp4:(subfolder)/filename.mp4 (doesn’t work)
All these inputs give me the dame error i posted above.
Any help at all with this would be apreciated, as we´re setting our production server in 2 weeks.