[156609] [Catalog] A child XML Catalog can not be added from the file  system
diff --git a/plugins/org.eclipse.wst.common.uriresolver/src/org/eclipse/wst/common/uriresolver/internal/util/URIHelper.java b/plugins/org.eclipse.wst.common.uriresolver/src/org/eclipse/wst/common/uriresolver/internal/util/URIHelper.java
index b30d4ab..9553f3c 100644
--- a/plugins/org.eclipse.wst.common.uriresolver/src/org/eclipse/wst/common/uriresolver/internal/util/URIHelper.java
+++ b/plugins/org.eclipse.wst.common.uriresolver/src/org/eclipse/wst/common/uriresolver/internal/util/URIHelper.java
@@ -32,11 +32,12 @@
   
   public static String ensureURIProtocolFormat(String uri) {
 	  String protocol = getProtocol(uri);
-	  if (protocol.equals(FILE_PROTOCOL)) {
-		  return ensureFileURIProtocolFormat(uri);
-	  } else {
-		  return uri;
+	  if (protocol != null) {
+		  if (protocol.equals(FILE_PROTOCOL)) {
+			  return ensureFileURIProtocolFormat(uri);
+		  }
 	  }
+	 return uri;
   }
   
   
@@ -459,7 +460,7 @@
         if (isProtocolFileOrNull(uri))
         {
           uri = removeProtocol(uri);                            
-          File file = new File(uri);
+          File file = new File(org.eclipse.wst.common.uriresolver.internal.URI.decode(uri));
           result = file.exists() && file.isFile();
         }
         else if (isPlatformResourceProtocol(uri))