package com.company;
public class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
java.io.File file = new java.io.File("image/us.gif");
System.out.println("Does it exist:" + file.exists());
System.out.println("The file has " + file.length() + "bytes");
System.out.println("Can it be read? " + file.canRead());
}
}
I copied this code from my book Introduction to Java Programming, and it compiles correctly but it doesn't create the file, and returns false and zero bytes for the methods. Can someone help please I will give best answer.
You will have to create the file manually unless it already exists. Creating a new File object should not be confused with creating a file in the filesystem.
To create the file you will have to use the method createFile(); which exists in the class File:
File someFile = new File("path.to.file");
someFile.createFile();
It would also be a good idea to check if the file exists before creating it to avoid overwriting it. this can be done by:
File someFile = new File("path.to.file");
if(!someFile.exists()) {
someFile.createFile();
}
This will create a new empty file. That means that it's length will be 0.
To write to the file you will need a byte stream. For example, using a FileWriter:
File test = new File("SomeFileName.txt");
FileWriter fw = new FileWriter(test);
fw.append("Hello! :D");
fw.close();
Note: Some methods i used in the examples above throw exceptions which you will have to handle.
Related
I'm working on a program that reads from a file with a custom extension I made. The idea is that an error report is created every time a file is read. The error report must be in whatever folder the source file was called from. The error file is a copy of the source file, but it has a line number at the beginning of each line and indicates at the end of the line if an error occurred at that line.
(I'm not trying to set up the numbering on this question, this question is just about creating the copy)
So for example, when I call my program from the command prompt:
C:\MyLocation>java =jar myJavaProgram.jar myFileToRead.CustomExtension
Asides from reading the file, it should also create a copy at the same location called myFileToRead-ErrorReport.txt
Additionally: If the source file has no extension, I have to assume that it's still the correct extension, so there won't always be a '.myCustomExtension' segment to replace into .txt
The problem is that I don't know how to grab the file name, because it's coming from the args list of the main method. I am using the following to read the file
public static void main(String[] args) throws FileNotFoundException {
try{
File inputFile = new File(args[0]);
Scanner sc = new Scanner(inputFile);
while(sc.hasNext()){
System.out.println(sc.nextLine());
}
} catch (FileNotFoundException ex) {
System.out.println(ex.getMessage());
System.out.println("File not found.");
}
}
So how can I get that file name to make something like
File errorReport = new File("./" + inputFileName + ".txt"); ?
First the code. The explanations appear after the code.
public static void main(String[] args) {
if (args.length < 1) {
System.out.println("ERROR: Missing filename argument.");
}
else {
String filename = args[0];
if (filename.length() == 0) {
System.out.println("ERROR: Empty filename argument.");
}
else {
if (!filename.endsWith(".CustomExtension")) {
filename += ".CustomExtension";
}
String name = filename.substring(0, filename.indexOf(".CustomExtension"));
name += "-ErrorReport.txt";
File inputFile = new File(filename);
File directory = inputFile.getParentFile();
File errorReport = new File(directory, name);
System.out.println(errorReport.getAbsolutePath());
}
}
}
I make it a habit of checking the parameters. Hence I first check that the file name was supplied. If it was, then I check that it is not an empty string. Note that I have omitted some checks, for example checking whether the named file exists and is readable.
You wrote in your question that the file name argument may or may not include the .CustomExtension. Hence I check whether the supplied name ends with the required extension and append it if necessary. Now, since I know what the file name ends with, that means that the required part of the name is everything up to the extension and that's what the call to substring() gives me.
Once I have the required name, I just append the part that you want to append, i.e. -ErrorReport.txt.
Method getParentFile() in class java.io.File returns the directory that the file is located in. Hence I have the directory that the input file is in. Finally I can create the error report file in the same directory as the input file and with the desired file name. For that I use the constructor of class java.io.File that takes two parameters. Read the javadoc for details.
Note that creating a File object does not create the file. Creating an object to write to the file does, for example FileWriter or OutputStreamWriter.
Here is the code example to create a file, with filename passed from cmd line as argument and to get the same file name :
Class Demo{
public static void main(String[]args){
String path ="<path of file>"
String name= args[0];
File f = new File(path+name+".txt");
f.createNewFile(); //create file
System.out.println(f.getName()); // will give you the file name
}
}
cmd line : java -cp . Demo.java <filename>
Note : '.' used in the cmd if your class file is present in current dir
You can refer the code and modify to suit your requirement.
Hope this is what you are looking for.
I want to append to the file and if its not empty; and want to write if its empty. Below is is my code. write function works, append is not. Can anyone guide here?
public class Filecreate {
public static void main(String args[]) throws IOException {
File file = new File("newFileCreated.txt");
System.out.println("file path "+file.getAbsolutePath() +" file length - "+file.length());
FileWriter myWriter = new FileWriter(file);
if((int)file.length() != 0){
myWriter.append("appended text\n");
}else{
myWriter.write("Files in Java might be tricky, but it is fun enough!");
}
myWriter.close();
System.out.println("file length after writing to file "+file.length());
}
}
You don't need to worry about whether or not the file contains anything. Just apply the argument of true to the append parameter in the FileWriter constructor then always use the Writer#append() method, for example:
String ls = System.lineSeparator();
String file = "MyFile.txt";
FileWriter myWriter = new FileWriter(file, true)
myWriter.append("appended text" + ls);
/* Immediately write the stream to file. Only really
required if the writes are in a loop of some kind
and you want to see the write results right away.
The close() method also flushes the stream to file
before the close takes place. */
myWriter.flush();
System.out.println("File length after writing to file " +
new File(file).length());
myWriter .close();
If the file doesn't already exist it will be automatically created
and the line appended to it.
If the file is created but is empty then the line is appended to it.
If the file does contain content then the line is merely appended to
that content.
The issue occurs because you measure file's size after you open it. Thus, you have to check file's size before you open it. Also, I won't recommend to cast long to int, because your solution won't work on big files. To conclude, following code will work for you:
public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException {
File file = new File("newFileCreated.txt");
long fileSize = file.length();
System.out.println("file path "+file.getAbsolutePath() +" file length - "+file.length());
FileWriter myWriter = new FileWriter(file);
if(fileSize > 0L){
myWriter.append("appended text\n");
}else{
myWriter.write("Files in Java might be tricky, but it is fun enough!");
}
myWriter.close();
System.out.println("file length after writing to file "+file.length());
}
The following program has the purpose of creating a directory,
folderforallofmyjavafiles.mkdir();
and making a file to go inside that directory,
File myfile = new File("C:\\Users\\username\\Desktop\\folderforallofmyjavafiles\\test.txt");
There are two problems though. One is that it says the directory is being created at the desktop, but when checking for the directory, it is not there. Also, when creating the file, I get the exception
ERROR: java.io.FileNotFoundException: folderforallofmyjavafiles\test.txt (The system cannot find the path specified)
Please help me resolve these issues, here is the full code:
package mypackage;
import java.io.*;
public class Createwriteaddopenread {
public static void main(String[] args) {
File folderforallofmyjavafiles = new File("C:\\Users\\username\\Desktop");
try {
folderforallofmyjavafiles.mkdir(); //Creates a directory (mkdirs makes a directory)
if (folderforallofmyjavafiles.isDirectory() == true) {
System.out.println("Folder created at " + "'" + folderforallofmyjavafiles.getPath() + "'");
}
} catch (Exception e) {
System.out.println("Not working...?");
}
File myfile = new File("C:\\Users\\username\\Desktop\\folderforallofmyjavafiles\\test.txt");
//I even tried this:
//File myfile = new File("folderforallofmyjavafiles/test.txt");
//write your name and age through the file
try {
PrintWriter output = new PrintWriter(myfile); //Going to write to myfile
//This may throw an exception, so I always need a try catch when writing to a file
output.println("myname");
output.println("myage");
output.close();
System.out.println("File created");
} catch (IOException e) {
System.out.printf("ERROR: %s\n", e); //e is the IOException
}
}
}
Thank you so much for helping me out, I really appreciate it.
:)
You're creating the Desktop folder in the C:\Users\username folder. If you check the return value of mkdir, you'd notice it's false because the folder already exists.
How would the system know that you want a folder named folderforallofmyjavafiles unless you tell it so?
So, you didn't create the folder, and then you try to create a file in the (nonexistent) folder, and Java tells you the folder doesn't exist.
Agreed that it's a bit obscure, using a FileNotFoundException, but the text does say "The system cannot find the path specified".
Update
You're probably confused about the variable name, so let me say this. The following are all the same:
File folderforallofmyjavafiles = new File("C:\\Users\\username\\Desktop");
folderforallofmyjavafiles.mkdir();
File x = new File("C:\\Users\\username\\Desktop");
x.mkdir();
File folderToCreate = new File("C:\\Users\\username\\Desktop");
folderToCreate.mkdir();
File gobbledygook = new File("C:\\Users\\username\\Desktop");
gobbledygook.mkdir();
new File("C:\\Users\\username\\Desktop").mkdir();
I'm currently learning Java I/O , when I compile this code :
import java.io.File;
public class Main {public static void main(String[] args){
//Creation of the File object
File f = new File("test.txt");
System.out.println("File absolute path : " + f.getAbsolutePath());
System.out.println("File name : " + f.getName());
System.out.println("Does it exist ? " + f.exists());
System.out.println("Is it a directory? " + f.isDirectory());
System.out.println("Is it a file ? " + f.isFile());
}
The problem is f.exists() and f.isFile()return false
How is that even possible ?
File f = new File("test.txt");
The above line doesn't create an physical file on the disk. it only creates a file object, with the name 'test.txt', thus File#exits() returns false.
You need to create an actual physical file in number of ways.
Using File
file.createNewFile()
using FileWriter
FileWriter writer = new FileWriter(f);
PS: same applies for File#isFile() returning false as well.
File is not a file—it is just a descriptor of a native filesystem resource that may or may not exist. For example, you can do new File(path).createNewFile().
new File("test.txt") It creates a new File instance by converting the given pathname string into an abstract pathname not physical file.
you can call File#createNewFile(). It atomically creates a new, empty file named by this abstract pathname if and only if a file with this name does not yet exist.
there is nothing wrong with the program except the file location
there are two solutions
1 : you can store the file in the project directory , parallel to src folder
2 you can create the file with full path specified
File f = new File("D:/folder1/folder2/applicationname/src/test.txt");
I am very new at java and my be missing something very basic. When i run my code i am trying to add value to accounts created in the code. When i try to run the code i recieve an error that a file cannot be found, but i thought that the file was created inside the code.
import java.util.Scanner;
import java.io.File;
import java.io.IOException;
class DoPayroll
{
public static void main(String args[])
throws
IOException
{
Scanner diskScanner =
new Scanner(new File("EmployeeInfo.txt"));
for (int empNum = 1; empNum <= 3; empNum++)
{
payOneEmployee(diskScanner);
}
}
static void payOneEmployee(Scanner aScanner)
{
Employee anEmployee = new Employee();
anEmployee.setName(aScanner.nextLine());
anEmployee.setJobTitle(aScanner.nextLine());
anEmployee.cutCheck(aScanner.nextDouble());
aScanner.nextLine();
}
}
once run i recieve the following error
Exception in thread "main" java.io.FileNotFoundException: EmployeeInfo.txt (No such file or directory)
at java.io.FileInputStream.open(Native Method)
at java.io.FileInputStream.<init>(FileInputStream.java:106)
at java.util.Scanner.<init>(Scanner.java:636)
at DoPayroll.main(jobexe.java:11)
i thought that in the above code using new Scanner(new File("EmployeeInfo.txt") would create the new file once i input a value. Please give me a simple solution and an explanation.
It will create a new file when you write to it. However to read from it, it must already exist. You might like to check it exists with
File file = new File("EmployeeInfo.txt");
if (file.exists()) {
Scanner diskScanner = new Scanner(file);
for (int empNum = 1; empNum <= 3; empNum++)
payOneEmployee(diskScanner);
}
The File object can't find the filename you've passed. You either need to pass the full path of EmployeeInfo.txt to new File(...) or make sure current working directory is the directory that contains this file.
The File constructor does not create a file. Rather, it creates the information in Java needed to access a file on disk. You'd have to actually do file IO in Java using the created File for a new file to be created.
The Scanner constructor requires an existing File. So you need a full path to the real, valid location of EmployeeInfo.txt or to create that file using File I/O first. This tutorial on I/O in Java will help.
You are mistaking instantiating an instance of class File with actually writing a temp file to Disk. Take this line
Scanner diskScanner =
new Scanner(new File("EmployeeInfo.txt"));
And replace it with this
File newFile = File.createTempFile("EmployeeInfo", ".txt");
Scanner diskScanner = new Scanner(newFile);
Edit: Peter makes a good point. I'm face palming right now.
You thought wrong :D A Scanner needs a existing file, which seems quite logical as it reads values and without a existing file its difficult to read. The documentation also states that:
Throws:
FileNotFoundException - if source is not found
So, in short: You must provide a readable, existing file to a scanner.
As the other answer explain, the file is not created just by using new File("EmployeeInfo.txt").
You can check is the file exists using
File file = new File("EmployeeInfo.txt");
if(file.exists()) {
//it exists
}
or you can create the file (if it doesn't exists yet) using
file.createNewFile();
that method returns true if the file was created and false if it already existed.