# Logstash: File Input does not work
**URL:** https://discuss.elastic.co/t/logstash-file-input-does-not-work/206476
**Category:** Logstash
**Created:** [November 4, 2019, 8:24pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/logstash-file-input-does-not-work/206476 "2019-11-04T20:24:28Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@kcb](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/kcb)
#### Post date: [November 4, 2019, 8:24pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/logstash-file-input-does-not-work/206476/1 "2019-11-04T20:24:29Z")
We have written a logstash script to process a simple ASCII file and export contents to stdout{}. We have verified the script works when the input is specified as stdin{}
However, we cannot get the script to work when we specify a file as the input.
Config file contents are:
input {
file {
path =\> "C:\logstash-7.4.1\conf\sample.log"
start\_position =\> "beginning"
sincedb\_path =\> "nul"
ignore\_older =\> 0
}
}
filter {
# Add filter here. This sample has a blank filter.
grok {
match =\> [
"message", "%{TIMESTAMP\_ISO8601:timestamp\_string}%{SPACE}%{GREEDYDATA:line}"
]
}
date {
match =\> ["timestamp\_string", "ISO8601"]
}
mutate {
remove\_field =\> [message, timestamp\_string]
}
}
output {
stdout {}
}
sample.log contents are:
2007-03-01T13:00:00Z I met a traveller from an antique land
2007-03-01T13:00:01Z Who said-"Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
---
### Author:  [@Badger](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Badger)
#### Post date: [November 4, 2019, 8:30pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/logstash-file-input-does-not-work/206476/2 "2019-11-04T20:30:54Z")
Do not use backslash in the path option of a file input, use forward slash. Also, remove
```
ignore_older => 0
```
That will cause the file input to ignore all files.
---
### Author:  [@kcb](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/kcb)
#### Post date: [November 4, 2019, 9:20pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/logstash-file-input-does-not-work/206476/3 "2019-11-04T21:20:37Z")
Thanks. This now works.
---
### Author:  [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2019, 9:20pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/logstash-file-input-does-not-work/206476/4 "2019-12-02T21:20:42Z")
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