Output Path Validation is the check that refuses to write reports when the target local directory is missing or unwritable, so RankGear stops with a clear error instead of silently saving files somewhere you did not expect.
| Term | Output Path Validation |
|---|---|
| Category | APIs, Reliability and Publishing |
| Also known as | Folder Validation |
| Where it appears | Reports → Where they land |
What it means in RankGear
When you set up a report, the Reports → Where they land settings ask for the folder the finished files should be saved to. Output Path Validation is the guard that runs against that folder before the export begins. It confirms the directory actually exists and can be written to, and if it cannot — the path was deleted, an external drive is unplugged, or the location is read-only — RankGear halts and surfaces the problem rather than proceeding. The point is to fail loudly at the start instead of producing a report that appears to succeed but leaves the file in a default or unintended location.
How to interpret it
Read a validation failure as a configuration problem, not a bug in the analysis. The status message tells you which path was rejected and why: a folder that no longer exists reads differently from one that exists but denies write access. Fix the setting — point it at a folder that is present and writable, reconnect the drive, or correct the permissions — and the export runs. Because this check happens before any work is committed, a rejection costs you nothing except re-pointing the path; nothing has been written or overwritten in the wrong place.
Example
You schedule a weekly report to save to an external drive at D:\SEO\rankgear-reports. The following week the drive is disconnected. Rather than dropping the file into an arbitrary fallback folder, Output Path Validation catches the missing directory, stops the export, and reports that the output path is unavailable — so you reconnect the drive and re-run instead of hunting for a report that landed somewhere you never checked.
Important considerations
- It validates the destination, not the report contents: passing the check means the folder is usable, not that the underlying analysis is complete or correct.
- A rejection is a stop, not a silent redirect — RankGear will not guess at an alternate location, which is by design so files never end up misfiled.
- Remote and published destinations carry more risk than a local folder: credentials and publishing targets should be tested read-only where possible, and any secrets kept redacted in logs and diagnostics.
- Distinguish a transient failure from invalid configuration using the visible status and diagnostics — a briefly unavailable network path may clear on retry, whereas a wrong or missing folder needs the setting corrected before the export can proceed.
Related terms
Part of the RankGear glossary · how RankGear measures · the 870 factors.