Class File

java.lang.Object

java.io.File

All Implemented Interfaces:: Serializable, Comparable<File>

public class File extends Object implements Serializable, Comparable<File>

An abstract representation of file and directory pathnames.

User interfaces and operating systems use system-dependent pathname strings to name files and directories. This class presents an abstract, system-independent view of hierarchical pathnames. An abstract pathname has two components:

An optional system-dependent prefix string, such as a disk-drive specifier, "/" for the UNIX root directory, or "\\\\" for a Microsoft Windows UNC pathname, and
A sequence of zero or more string names.

The first name in an abstract pathname may be a directory name or, in the case of Microsoft Windows UNC pathnames, a hostname. Each subsequent name in an abstract pathname denotes a directory; the last name may denote either a directory or a file. The empty abstract pathname has no prefix and an empty name sequence. Accessing a file with the empty abstract pathname is equivalent to accessing the current user directory.

The conversion of a pathname string to or from an abstract pathname is inherently system-dependent. When an abstract pathname is converted into a pathname string, each name is separated from the next by a single copy of the default separator character. The default name-separator character is defined by the system property file.separator, and is made available in the public static fields separator and separatorChar of this class. When a pathname string is converted into an abstract pathname, the names within it may be separated by the default name-separator character or by any other name-separator character that is supported by the underlying system.

A pathname, whether abstract or in string form, may be either absolute or relative. An absolute pathname is complete in that no other information is required in order to locate the file that it denotes. A relative pathname, in contrast, must be interpreted in terms of information taken from some other pathname. By default the classes in the java.io package always resolve relative pathnames against the current user directory. This directory is named by the system property user.dir, and is typically the directory in which the Java virtual machine was invoked.

Many operating systems and file systems have support for symbolic links. A symbolic link is a special file that serves as a reference to another file. Unless otherwise specified, symbolic links are transparent to applications and operations on files that are symbolic links are automatically redirected to the target of the link. Methods that only operate on the abstract pathname do not access the file system and thus do not resolve symbolic links.

The parent of an abstract pathname may be obtained by invoking the getParent() method of this class and consists of the pathname's prefix and each name in the pathname's name sequence except for the last. Each directory's absolute pathname is an ancestor of any File object with an absolute abstract pathname which begins with the directory's absolute pathname. For example, the directory located by the abstract pathname "/usr" is an ancestor of the directory located by the pathname "/usr/local/bin".

The prefix concept is used to handle root directories on UNIX platforms, and drive specifiers, root directories and UNC pathnames on Microsoft Windows platforms, as follows:

For UNIX platforms, the prefix of an absolute pathname is always "/". Relative pathnames have no prefix. The abstract pathname denoting the root directory has the prefix "/" and an empty name sequence.
For Microsoft Windows platforms, the prefix of a pathname that contains a drive specifier consists of the drive letter followed by ":" and possibly followed by "\\" if the pathname is absolute. The prefix of a UNC pathname is "\\\\"; the hostname and the share name are the first two names in the name sequence. A relative pathname that does not specify a drive has no prefix.

Instances of this class may or may not locate an actual file-system object such as a file or a directory. If it does locate such an object then that object resides in a partition. A partition is an operating system-specific portion of storage for a file system. A single storage device (e.g. a physical disk-drive, flash memory, CD-ROM) may contain multiple partitions. The object, if any, will reside on the partition named by some ancestor of the absolute form of this pathname.

A file system may implement restrictions to certain operations on the actual file-system object, such as reading, writing, and executing. These restrictions are collectively known as access permissions. The file system may have multiple sets of access permissions on a single object. For example, one set may apply to the object's owner, and another may apply to all other users. The access permissions on an object may cause some methods in this class to fail.

Instances of the File class are immutable; that is, once created, the abstract pathname represented by a File object will never change.

Interoperability with `java.nio.file` package

The java.nio.file package defines interfaces and classes for the Java virtual machine to access files, file attributes, and file systems. This API may be used to overcome many of the limitations of the java.io.File class. The toPath method may be used to obtain a Path that uses the abstract path represented by a File object to locate a file. The resulting Path may be used with the Files class to provide more efficient and extensive access to additional file operations, file attributes, and I/O exceptions to help diagnose errors when an operation on a file fails.

Since:

1.0

See Also:

Field Summary

Modifier and Type	Field	Description
`static final String`	`pathSeparator`	The system-dependent path-separator character, represented as a string for convenience.
`static final char`	`pathSeparatorChar`	The system-dependent path-separator character.
`static final String`	`separator`	The system-dependent default name-separator character, represented as a string for convenience.
`static final char`	`separatorChar`	The system-dependent default name-separator character.

Constructor Summary

Constructor	Description
`File(File parent, String child)`	Creates a new `File` instance from a parent abstract pathname and a child pathname string.
`File(String pathname)`	Creates a new `File` instance by converting the given pathname string into an abstract pathname.
`File(String parent, String child)`	Creates a new `File` instance from a parent pathname string and a child pathname string.
`File(URI uri)`	Creates a new `File` instance by converting the given `file:` URI into an abstract pathname.

Method Summary

Modifier and Type	Method	Description
`boolean`	`canExecute()`	Tests whether the application can execute the file located by this abstract pathname.
`boolean`	`canRead()`	Tests whether the application can read the file located by this abstract pathname.
`boolean`	`canWrite()`	Tests whether the application can modify the file located by this abstract pathname.
`int`	`compareTo(File pathname)`	Compares two abstract pathnames lexicographically.
`boolean`	`createNewFile()`	Atomically creates a new, empty file named by this abstract pathname if and only if a file with this name does not yet exist.
`static File`	`createTempFile(String prefix, String suffix)`	Creates an empty file in the default temporary-file directory, using the given prefix and suffix to generate its name.
`static File`	`createTempFile(String prefix, String suffix, File directory)`	Creates a new empty file in the specified directory, using the given prefix and suffix strings to generate its name.
`boolean`	`delete()`	Deletes the file or directory located by this abstract pathname.
`void`	`deleteOnExit()`	Requests that the file or directory located by this abstract pathname be deleted when the virtual machine terminates.
`boolean`	`equals(Object obj)`	Tests this abstract pathname for equality with the given object.
`boolean`	`exists()`	Tests whether the file or directory located by this abstract pathname exists.
`File`	`getAbsoluteFile()`	Returns the absolute form of this abstract pathname.
`String`	`getAbsolutePath()`	Returns the absolute pathname string of this abstract pathname.
`File`	`getCanonicalFile()`	Returns the canonical form of this abstract pathname.
`String`	`getCanonicalPath()`	Returns the canonical pathname string of this abstract pathname.
`long`	`getFreeSpace()`	Returns the number of unallocated bytes in the partition named by this abstract path name.
`String`	`getName()`	Returns the name component of this abstract pathname.
`String`	`getParent()`	Returns the pathname string of this abstract pathname's parent, or `null` if this pathname does not name a parent directory.
`File`	`getParentFile()`	Returns the abstract pathname of this abstract pathname's parent, or `null` if this pathname does not name a parent directory.
`String`	`getPath()`	Converts this abstract pathname into a pathname string.
`long`	`getTotalSpace()`	Returns the size of the partition named by this abstract pathname.
`long`	`getUsableSpace()`	Returns the number of bytes available to this virtual machine on the partition named by this abstract pathname.
`int`	`hashCode()`	Computes a hash code for this abstract pathname.
`boolean`	`isAbsolute()`	Tests whether this abstract pathname is absolute.
`boolean`	`isDirectory()`	Tests whether the file located by this abstract pathname is a directory.
`boolean`	`isFile()`	Tests whether the file located by this abstract pathname is a normal file.
`boolean`	`isHidden()`	Tests whether the file located by this abstract pathname is a hidden file.
`long`	`lastModified()`	Returns the time that the file located by this abstract pathname was last modified.
`long`	`length()`	Returns the length of the file located by this abstract pathname.
`String[]`	`list()`	Returns an array of strings naming the files and directories in the directory located by this abstract pathname.
`String[]`	`list(FilenameFilter filter)`	Returns an array of strings naming the files and directories in the directory located by this abstract pathname that satisfy the specified filter.
`File[]`	`listFiles()`	Returns an array of abstract pathnames locating the files in the directory located by this abstract pathname.
`File[]`	`listFiles(FileFilter filter)`	Returns an array of abstract pathnames locating the files and directories in the directory located by this abstract pathname that satisfy the specified filter.
`File[]`	`listFiles(FilenameFilter filter)`	Returns an array of abstract pathnames locating the files and directories in the directory located by this abstract pathname that satisfy the specified filter.
`static File[]`	`listRoots()`	List the available filesystem roots.
`boolean`	`mkdir()`	Creates the directory named by this abstract pathname.
`boolean`	`mkdirs()`	Creates the directory named by this abstract pathname, including any necessary but nonexistent parent directories.
`boolean`	`renameTo(File dest)`	Renames the file located by this abstract pathname.
`boolean`	`setExecutable(boolean executable)`	A convenience method to set the owner's execute permission for the file or directory located by this abstract pathname.
`boolean`	`setExecutable(boolean executable, boolean ownerOnly)`	Sets the owner's or everybody's execute permission for the file or directory located by this abstract pathname.
`boolean`	`setLastModified(long time)`	Sets the last-modified time of the file or directory located by this abstract pathname.
`boolean`	`setReadable(boolean readable)`	A convenience method to set the owner's read permission for the file or directory located by this abstract pathname.
`boolean`	`setReadable(boolean readable, boolean ownerOnly)`	Sets the owner's or everybody's read permission for the file or directory located by this abstract pathname.
`boolean`	`setReadOnly()`	Marks the file or directory located by this abstract pathname so that only read operations are allowed.
`boolean`	`setWritable(boolean writable)`	A convenience method to set the owner's write permission for the file or directory located by this abstract pathname.
`boolean`	`setWritable(boolean writable, boolean ownerOnly)`	Sets the owner's or everybody's write permission of the file or directory located by this abstract pathname.
`Path`	`toPath()`	Returns a `java.nio.file.Path` object constructed from this abstract path.
`String`	`toString()`	Returns the pathname string of this abstract pathname.
`URI`	`toURI()`	Constructs a `file:` URI that represents this abstract pathname.
`URL`	`toURL()`	Deprecated. This method does not automatically escape characters that are illegal in URLs.

Methods declared in class Object

clone, finalize, getClass, notify, notifyAll, wait, wait, wait

Modifier and Type	Method	Description
`protected Object`	`clone()`	Creates and returns a copy of this object.
`protected void`	`finalize()`	Deprecated, for removal: This API element is subject to removal in a future version. Finalization is deprecated and subject to removal in a future release.
`final Class<?>`	`getClass()`	Returns the runtime class of this `Object`.
`final void`	`notify()`	Wakes up a single thread that is waiting on this object's monitor.
`final void`	`notifyAll()`	Wakes up all threads that are waiting on this object's monitor.
`final void`	`wait()`	Causes the current thread to wait until it is awakened, typically by being notified or interrupted.
`final void`	`wait(long timeoutMillis)`	Causes the current thread to wait until it is awakened, typically by being notified or interrupted, or until a certain amount of real time has elapsed.
`final void`	`wait(long timeoutMillis, int nanos)`	Causes the current thread to wait until it is awakened, typically by being notified or interrupted, or until a certain amount of real time has elapsed.

Field Details

separatorChar

public static final char separatorChar

The system-dependent default name-separator character. This field is initialized to contain the first character of the value of the system property file.separator. On UNIX systems the value of this field is '/'; on Microsoft Windows systems it is '\\'.

See Also:

separator

public static final String separator

The system-dependent default name-separator character, represented as a string for convenience. This string contains a single character, namely separatorChar.

pathSeparatorChar

public static final char pathSeparatorChar

The system-dependent path-separator character. This field is initialized to contain the first character of the value of the system property path.separator. This character is used to separate filenames in a sequence of files given as a path list. On UNIX systems, this character is ':'; on Microsoft Windows systems it is ';'.

See Also:

pathSeparator

public static final String pathSeparator

The system-dependent path-separator character, represented as a string for convenience. This string contains a single character, namely pathSeparatorChar.

Constructor Details

File

public File(String pathname)

Creates a new File instance by converting the given pathname string into an abstract pathname. If the given string is the empty string, then the result is the empty abstract pathname.

Parameters:: pathname - A pathname string
Throws:: NullPointerException - If the pathname argument is null

File

public File(String parent, String child)

Creates a new File instance from a parent pathname string and a child pathname string.

If parent is null then the new File instance is created as if by invoking the single-argument File constructor on the given child pathname string.

Otherwise the parent pathname string is taken to denote a directory, and the child pathname string is taken to denote either a directory or a file. If the child pathname string is absolute then it is converted into a relative pathname in a system-dependent way. If parent is the empty string then the new File instance is created by converting child into an abstract pathname and resolving the result against a system-dependent default directory. Otherwise each pathname string is converted into an abstract pathname and the child abstract pathname is resolved against the parent.

Parameters:: parent - The parent pathname string; child - The child pathname string
Throws:: NullPointerException - If child is null

File

public File(File parent, String child)

Creates a new File instance from a parent abstract pathname and a child pathname string.

If parent is null then the new File instance is created as if by invoking the single-argument File constructor on the given child pathname string.

Otherwise the parent abstract pathname is taken to denote a directory, and the child pathname string is taken to denote either a directory or a file. If the child pathname string is absolute then it is converted into a relative pathname in a system-dependent way. If parent is the empty abstract pathname then the new File instance is created by converting child into an abstract pathname and resolving the result against a system-dependent default directory. Otherwise each pathname string is converted into an abstract pathname and the child abstract pathname is resolved against the parent.

Parameters:: parent - The parent abstract pathname; child - The child pathname string
Throws:: NullPointerException - If child is null

File

public File(URI uri)

Creates a new File instance by converting the given file: URI into an abstract pathname.

The exact form of a file: URI is system-dependent, hence the transformation performed by this constructor is also system-dependent.

For a given abstract pathname f it is guaranteed that

new File( f.toURI()).equals( f.getAbsoluteFile())

so long as the original abstract pathname, the URI, and the new abstract pathname are all created in (possibly different invocations of) the same Java virtual machine. This relationship typically does not hold, however, when a file: URI that is created in a virtual machine on one operating system is converted into an abstract pathname in a virtual machine on a different operating system.

Parameters:

uri - An absolute, hierarchical URI with a scheme equal to "file", a non-empty path component, and undefined authority, query, and fragment components

Throws:

NullPointerException - If uri is null

IllegalArgumentException - If the preconditions on the parameter do not hold

Since:

1.4

See Also:

Method Details

getName

public String getName()

Returns the name component of this abstract pathname. This is just the last name in the pathname's name sequence. If the pathname's name sequence is empty, then the empty string is returned.

Returns:: The name component of this abstract pathname, or the empty string if this pathname's name sequence is empty

getParent

public String getParent()

Returns the pathname string of this abstract pathname's parent, or null if this pathname does not name a parent directory.

The parent of an abstract pathname consists of the pathname's prefix, if any, and each name in the pathname's name sequence except for the last. If the name sequence is empty then the pathname does not name a parent directory.

Returns:: The pathname string of the parent directory named by this abstract pathname, or null if this pathname does not name a parent

getParentFile

public File getParentFile()

Returns the abstract pathname of this abstract pathname's parent, or null if this pathname does not name a parent directory.

Returns:: The abstract pathname of the parent directory named by this abstract pathname, or null if this pathname does not name a parent
Since:: 1.2

getPath

public String getPath()

Converts this abstract pathname into a pathname string. The resulting string uses the default name-separator character to separate the names in the name sequence.

Returns:: The string form of this abstract pathname

isAbsolute

public boolean isAbsolute()

Tests whether this abstract pathname is absolute. The definition of absolute pathname is system dependent. On UNIX systems, a pathname is absolute if its prefix is "/". On Microsoft Windows systems, a pathname is absolute if its prefix is a drive specifier followed by "\\", or if its prefix is "\\\\".

Returns:: true if this abstract pathname is absolute, false otherwise

getAbsolutePath

public String getAbsolutePath()

Returns the absolute pathname string of this abstract pathname.

If this abstract pathname is already absolute, then the pathname string is simply returned as if by the getPath() method. If this abstract pathname is the empty abstract pathname then the pathname string of the current user directory, which is named by the system property user.dir, is returned. Otherwise this pathname is resolved in a system-dependent way. On UNIX systems, a relative pathname is made absolute by resolving it against the current user directory. On Microsoft Windows systems, a relative pathname is made absolute by resolving it against the current directory of the drive named by the pathname, if any; if not, it is resolved against the current user directory.

Returns:

The absolute pathname string denoting the same file or directory as this abstract pathname

See Also:

getAbsoluteFile

public File getAbsoluteFile()

Returns the absolute form of this abstract pathname. Equivalent to new File(this.getAbsolutePath()).

Returns:: The absolute abstract pathname denoting the same file or directory as this abstract pathname
Since:: 1.2

getCanonicalPath

public String getCanonicalPath() throws IOException

Returns the canonical pathname string of this abstract pathname.

A canonical pathname is both absolute and unique. The precise definition of canonical form is system-dependent. This method first converts this pathname to absolute form if necessary, as if by invoking the getAbsolutePath() method, and then maps it to its unique form in a system-dependent way. This typically involves removing redundant names such as "." and ".." from the pathname, resolving symbolic links, and converting drive letters to a standard case (on Microsoft Windows platforms).

Every pathname that locates an existing file or directory has a unique canonical form. Every pathname that denotes a nonexistent file or directory also has a unique canonical form. The canonical form of the pathname of a nonexistent file or directory may be different from the canonical form of the same pathname after the file or directory is created. Similarly, the canonical form of the pathname of an existing file or directory may be different from the canonical form of the same pathname after the file or directory is deleted.

Returns:

The canonical pathname string locating the same file or directory as this abstract pathname

Throws:

IOException - If an I/O error occurs, which is possible because the construction of the canonical pathname may require filesystem queries

Since:

1.1

See Also:

getCanonicalFile

public File getCanonicalFile() throws IOException

Returns the canonical form of this abstract pathname. Equivalent to new File(this.getCanonicalPath()).

Returns:

The canonical pathname string locating the same file or directory as this abstract pathname

Throws:

IOException - If an I/O error occurs, which is possible because the construction of the canonical pathname may require filesystem queries

Since:

1.2

See Also:

toURL

@Deprecated public URL toURL() throws MalformedURLException

Deprecated.

This method does not automatically escape characters that are illegal in URLs. It is recommended that new code convert an abstract pathname into a URL by first converting it into a URI, via the toURI method, and then converting the URI into a URL via the URI.toURL method.

Converts this abstract pathname into a file: URL. The exact form of the URL is system-dependent. If it can be determined that the file located by this abstract pathname is a directory, then the resulting URL will end with a slash.

Returns:

A URL object representing the equivalent file URL

Throws:

MalformedURLException - If the path cannot be parsed as a URL

Since:

1.2

See Also:

toURI

public URI toURI()

Constructs a file: URI that represents this abstract pathname.

The exact form of the URI is system-dependent. If it can be determined that the file located by this abstract pathname is a directory, then the resulting URI will end with a slash.

For a given abstract pathname f, it is guaranteed that

new File( f.toURI()).equals( f.getAbsoluteFile())

so long as the original abstract pathname, the URI, and the new abstract pathname are all created in (possibly different invocations of) the same Java virtual machine. Due to the system-dependent nature of abstract pathnames, however, this relationship typically does not hold when a file: URI that is created in a virtual machine on one operating system is converted into an abstract pathname in a virtual machine on a different operating system.

Note that when this abstract pathname represents a UNC pathname then all components of the UNC (including the server name component) are encoded in the URI path. The authority component is undefined, meaning that it is represented as null. The Path class defines the toUri method to encode the server name in the authority component of the resulting URI. The toPath method may be used to obtain a Path representing this abstract pathname.

Returns:

An absolute, hierarchical URI with a scheme equal to "file", a path representing this abstract pathname, and undefined authority, query, and fragment components

Since:

1.4

See Also:

canRead

public boolean canRead()

Tests whether the application can read the file located by this abstract pathname. On some platforms it may be possible to start the Java virtual machine with special privileges that allow it to read files that are marked as unreadable. Consequently, this method may return true even though the file does not have read permissions.

Returns:: true if and only if the file located by this abstract pathname exists and can be read by the application; false otherwise

canWrite

public boolean canWrite()

Tests whether the application can modify the file located by this abstract pathname. On some platforms it may be possible to start the Java virtual machine with special privileges that allow it to modify files that are marked read-only. Consequently, this method may return true even though the file is marked read-only.

Returns:: true if and only if the file system actually contains a file located by this abstract pathname and the application is allowed to write to the file; false otherwise.

exists

public boolean exists()

Tests whether the file or directory located by this abstract pathname exists.

Returns:: true if and only if the file or directory located by this abstract pathname exists; false otherwise

isDirectory

public boolean isDirectory()

Tests whether the file located by this abstract pathname is a directory.

Where it is required to distinguish an I/O exception from the case that the file is not a directory, or where several attributes of the same file are required at the same time, then the Files.readAttributes method may be used.

Returns:: true if and only if the file located by this abstract pathname exists and is a directory; false otherwise

isFile

public boolean isFile()

Tests whether the file located by this abstract pathname is a normal file. A file is normal if it is not a directory and, in addition, satisfies other system-dependent criteria. Any non-directory file created by a Java application is guaranteed to be a normal file.

Where it is required to distinguish an I/O exception from the case that the file is not a normal file, or where several attributes of the same file are required at the same time, then the Files.readAttributes method may be used.

Returns:: true if and only if the file located by this abstract pathname exists and is a normal file; false otherwise

isHidden

public boolean isHidden()

Tests whether the file located by this abstract pathname is a hidden file. The exact definition of hidden is system-dependent. On UNIX systems, a file is considered to be hidden if its name begins with a period character ('.'). On Microsoft Windows systems, a file is considered to be hidden if it has been marked as such in the filesystem.

Implementation Note:: If the file is a symbolic link, then on UNIX system it is considered to be hidden if the name of the link itself, not that of its target, begins with a period character. On Windows systems, a symbolic link is considered hidden if its target is so marked in the filesystem.
Returns:: true if and only if the file located by this abstract pathname is hidden according to the conventions of the underlying platform
Since:: 1.2

lastModified

public long lastModified()

Returns the time that the file located by this abstract pathname was last modified.

API Note:: While the unit of time of the return value is milliseconds, the granularity of the value depends on the underlying file system and may be larger. For example, some file systems use time stamps in units of seconds.
Where it is required to distinguish an I/O exception from the case where 0L is returned, or where several attributes of the same file are required at the same time, or where the time of last access or the creation time are required, then the Files.readAttributes method may be used. If however only the time of last modification is required, then the Files.getLastModifiedTime method may be used instead.
Returns:: A long value representing the time the file was last modified, measured in milliseconds since the epoch (00:00:00 GMT, January 1, 1970), or 0L if the file does not exist or if an I/O error occurs. The value may be negative indicating the number of milliseconds before the epoch

length

public long length()

Returns the length of the file located by this abstract pathname. The return value is unspecified if this pathname locates a directory.

Where it is required to distinguish an I/O exception from the case that 0L is returned, or where several attributes of the same file are required at the same time, then the Files.readAttributes method may be used.

Returns:: The length, in bytes, of the file located by this abstract pathname, or 0L if the file does not exist. Some operating systems may return 0L for pathnames locating system-dependent entities such as devices or pipes.

createNewFile

public boolean createNewFile() throws IOException

Atomically creates a new, empty file named by this abstract pathname if and only if a file with this name does not yet exist. The check for the existence of the file and the creation of the file if it does not exist are a single operation that is atomic with respect to all other filesystem activities that might affect the file.

Note: this method should not be used for file-locking, as the resulting protocol cannot be made to work reliably. The FileLock facility should be used instead.

Returns:: true if the named file does not exist and was successfully created; false if the named file already exists, including if it is a symbolic link
Throws:: IOException - If an I/O error occurred
Since:: 1.2

delete

public boolean delete()

Deletes the file or directory located by this abstract pathname. If this pathname locates a directory, then the directory must be empty in order to be deleted. If this pathname locates a symbolic link, then the link itself, not its target, will be deleted.

Note that the Files class defines the delete method to throw an IOException when a file cannot be deleted. This is useful for error reporting and to diagnose why a file cannot be deleted.

Returns:: true if and only if the file or directory is successfully deleted; false otherwise

deleteOnExit

public void deleteOnExit()

Requests that the file or directory located by this abstract pathname be deleted when the virtual machine terminates. If this pathname locates a symbolic link, then the link itself, not its target, will be deleted. Files (or directories) are deleted in the reverse order that they are registered. Invoking this method to delete a file or directory that is already registered for deletion has no effect. Deletion will be attempted only for normal termination of the virtual machine, as defined by the Java Language Specification.

Once deletion has been requested, it is not possible to cancel the request. This method should therefore be used with care.

Note: this method should not be used for file-locking, as the resulting protocol cannot be made to work reliably. The FileLock facility should be used instead.

Since:

1.2

See Also:

list

public String[] list()

Returns an array of strings naming the files and directories in the directory located by this abstract pathname.

If this abstract pathname does not locate a directory, then this method returns null. Otherwise an array of strings is returned, one for each file or directory in the directory. Names locating the directory itself and the directory's parent directory are not included in the result. Each string is a file name rather than a complete path.

There is no guarantee that the name strings in the resulting array will appear in any specific order; they are not, in particular, guaranteed to appear in alphabetical order.

Note that the Files class defines the newDirectoryStream method to open a directory and iterate over the names of the files in the directory. This may use less resources when working with very large directories, and may be more responsive when working with remote directories.

Returns:: An array of strings naming the files and directories in the directory located by this abstract pathname. The array will be empty if the directory is empty. Returns null if this abstract pathname does not locate a directory, or if an I/O error occurs.

list

public String[] list(FilenameFilter filter)

Returns an array of strings naming the files and directories in the directory located by this abstract pathname that satisfy the specified filter. The behavior of this method is the same as that of the list() method, except that the strings in the returned array must satisfy the filter. If the given filter is null then all names are accepted. Otherwise, a name satisfies the filter if and only if the value true results when the FilenameFilter.accept(File, String) method of the filter is invoked on this abstract pathname and the name of a file or directory in the directory that it locates.

Parameters:

filter - A filename filter

Returns:

An array of strings naming the files and directories in the directory located by this abstract pathname that were accepted by the given filter. The array will be empty if the directory is empty or if no names were accepted by the filter. Returns null if this abstract pathname does not locate a directory, or if an I/O error occurs.

See Also:

listFiles

public File[] listFiles()

Returns an array of abstract pathnames locating the files in the directory located by this abstract pathname.

If this abstract pathname does not locate a directory, then this method returns null. Otherwise an array of File objects is returned, one for each file or directory in the directory. Pathnames locating the directory itself and the directory's parent directory are not included in the result. Each resulting abstract pathname is constructed from this abstract pathname using the File(File, String) constructor. Therefore if this pathname is absolute then each resulting pathname is absolute; if this pathname is relative then each resulting pathname will be relative to the same directory.

There is no guarantee that the name strings in the resulting array will appear in any specific order; they are not, in particular, guaranteed to appear in alphabetical order.

Returns:: An array of abstract pathnames locating the files and directories in the directory located by this abstract pathname. The array will be empty if the directory is empty. Returns null if this abstract pathname does not locate a directory, or if an I/O error occurs.
Since:: 1.2

listFiles

public File[] listFiles(FilenameFilter filter)

Returns an array of abstract pathnames locating the files and directories in the directory located by this abstract pathname that satisfy the specified filter. The behavior of this method is the same as that of the listFiles() method, except that the pathnames in the returned array must satisfy the filter. If the given filter is null then all pathnames are accepted. Otherwise, a pathname satisfies the filter if and only if the value true results when the FilenameFilter.accept(File, String) method of the filter is invoked on this abstract pathname and the name of a file or directory in the directory that it locates.

Parameters:

filter - A filename filter

Returns:

An array of abstract pathnames locating the files and directories in the directory located by this abstract pathname. The array will be empty if the directory is empty. Returns null if this abstract pathname does not locate a directory, or if an I/O error occurs.

Since:

1.2

See Also:

listFiles

public File[] listFiles(FileFilter filter)

Returns an array of abstract pathnames locating the files and directories in the directory located by this abstract pathname that satisfy the specified filter. The behavior of this method is the same as that of the listFiles() method, except that the pathnames in the returned array must satisfy the filter. If the given filter is null then all pathnames are accepted. Otherwise, a pathname satisfies the filter if and only if the value true results when the FileFilter.accept(File) method of the filter is invoked on the pathname.

Parameters:

filter - A file filter

Returns:

Since:

1.2

See Also:

mkdir

public boolean mkdir()

Creates the directory named by this abstract pathname.

Returns:: true if and only if the directory was created; false otherwise

mkdirs

public boolean mkdirs()

Creates the directory named by this abstract pathname, including any necessary but nonexistent parent directories. Note that if this operation fails it may have succeeded in creating some of the necessary parent directories.

Returns:: true if and only if the directory was created, along with all necessary parent directories; false otherwise

renameTo

public boolean renameTo(File dest)

Renames the file located by this abstract pathname. If this pathname locates a symbolic link, then the link itself, not its target, will be renamed.

Many aspects of the behavior of this method are inherently platform-dependent: The rename operation might not be able to move a file from one filesystem to another, it might not be atomic, and it might not succeed if a file with the destination abstract pathname already exists. The return value should always be checked to make sure that the rename operation was successful. As instances of File are immutable, this File object is not changed to name the destination file or directory.

Note that the Files class defines the move method to move or rename a file in a platform independent manner.

Parameters:: dest - The new abstract pathname for the named file
Returns:: true if and only if the renaming succeeded; false otherwise
Throws:: NullPointerException - If parameter dest is null

setLastModified

public boolean setLastModified(long time)

Sets the last-modified time of the file or directory located by this abstract pathname.

All platforms support file-modification times to the nearest second, but some provide more precision. The argument will be truncated to fit the supported precision. If the operation succeeds and no intervening operations on the file take place, then the next invocation of the lastModified() method will return the (possibly truncated) time argument that was passed to this method.

Parameters:: time - The new last-modified time, measured in milliseconds since the epoch (00:00:00 GMT, January 1, 1970)
Returns:: true if and only if the operation succeeded; false otherwise
Throws:: IllegalArgumentException - If the argument is negative
Since:: 1.2

setReadOnly

public boolean setReadOnly()

Marks the file or directory located by this abstract pathname so that only read operations are allowed. After invoking this method the file or directory will not change until it is either deleted or marked to allow write access. On some platforms it may be possible to start the Java virtual machine with special privileges that allow it to modify files that are marked read-only. Whether or not a read-only file or directory may be deleted depends upon the underlying system.

Returns:: true if and only if the operation succeeded; false otherwise
Since:: 1.2

setWritable

public boolean setWritable(boolean writable, boolean ownerOnly)

Sets the owner's or everybody's write permission of the file or directory located by this abstract pathname. On some platforms it may be possible to start the Java virtual machine with special privileges that allow it to modify files that disallow write operations.

The Files class defines methods that operate on file attributes including file permissions. This may be used when finer manipulation of file permissions is required.

Parameters:: writable - If true, sets the access permission to allow write operations; if false to disallow write operations; ownerOnly - If true, the write permission applies only to the owner's write permission; otherwise, it applies to everybody. If the underlying file system can not distinguish the owner's write permission from that of others, then the permission will apply to everybody, regardless of this value.
Returns:: true if and only if the operation succeeded. The operation will fail if the user does not have permission to change the access permissions of this abstract pathname.
Since:: 1.6

setWritable

public boolean setWritable(boolean writable)

A convenience method to set the owner's write permission for the file or directory located by this abstract pathname. On some platforms it may be possible to start the Java virtual machine with special privileges that allow it to modify files that disallow write operations.

An invocation of this method of the form file.setWritable(arg) behaves in exactly the same way as the invocation

    file.setWritable(arg, true)

Parameters:: writable - If true, sets the access permission to allow write operations; if false to disallow write operations
Returns:: true if and only if the operation succeeded. The operation will fail if the user does not have permission to change the access permissions of this abstract pathname.
Since:: 1.6

setReadable

public boolean setReadable(boolean readable, boolean ownerOnly)

Sets the owner's or everybody's read permission for the file or directory located by this abstract pathname. On some platforms it may be possible to start the Java virtual machine with special privileges that allow it to read files that are marked as unreadable.

The Files class defines methods that operate on file attributes including file permissions. This may be used when finer manipulation of file permissions is required.

If the platform supports setting a file's read permission, but the user does not have permission to change the access permissions of this abstract pathname, then the operation will fail. If the platform does not support setting a file's read permission, this method does nothing and returns the value of the readable parameter.

Parameters:: readable - If true, sets the access permission to allow read operations; if false to disallow read operations; ownerOnly - If true, the read permission applies only to the owner's read permission; otherwise, it applies to everybody. If the underlying file system can not distinguish the owner's read permission from that of others, then the permission will apply to everybody, regardless of this value.
Returns:: true if the operation succeeds, false if it fails, or the value of the readable parameter if setting the read permission is not supported.
Since:: 1.6

setReadable

public boolean setReadable(boolean readable)

A convenience method to set the owner's read permission for the file or directory located by this abstract pathname. On some platforms it may be possible to start the Java virtual machine with special privileges that allow it to read files that are marked as unreadable.

An invocation of this method of the form file.setReadable(arg) behaves in exactly the same way as the invocation

    file.setReadable(arg, true)

Parameters:: readable - If true, sets the access permission to allow read operations; if false to disallow read operations
Returns:: true if the operation succeeds, false if it fails, or the value of the readable parameter if setting the read permission is not supported.
Since:: 1.6

setExecutable

public boolean setExecutable(boolean executable, boolean ownerOnly)

Sets the owner's or everybody's execute permission for the file or directory located by this abstract pathname. On some platforms it may be possible to start the Java virtual machine with special privileges that allow it to execute files that are not marked executable.

The Files class defines methods that operate on file attributes including file permissions. This may be used when finer manipulation of file permissions is required.

If the platform supports setting a file's execute permission, but the user does not have permission to change the access permissions of this abstract pathname, then the operation will fail. If the platform does not support setting a file's execute permission, this method does nothing and returns the value of the executable parameter.

Parameters:: executable - If true, sets the access permission to allow execute operations; if false to disallow execute operations; ownerOnly - If true, the execute permission applies only to the owner's execute permission; otherwise, it applies to everybody. If the underlying file system can not distinguish the owner's execute permission from that of others, then the permission will apply to everybody, regardless of this value.
Returns:: true if the operation succeeds, false if it fails, or the value of the executable parameter if setting the execute permission is not supported.
Since:: 1.6

setExecutable

public boolean setExecutable(boolean executable)

A convenience method to set the owner's execute permission for the file or directory located by this abstract pathname. On some platforms it may be possible to start the Java virtual machine with special privileges that allow it to execute files that are not marked executable.

An invocation of this method of the form file.setExecutable(arg) behaves in exactly the same way as the invocation

    file.setExecutable(arg, true)

Parameters:: executable - If true, sets the access permission to allow execute operations; if false to disallow execute operations
Returns:: true if the operation succeeds, false if it fails, or the value of the executable parameter if setting the execute permission is not supported.
Since:: 1.6

canExecute

public boolean canExecute()

Tests whether the application can execute the file located by this abstract pathname. On some platforms it may be possible to start the Java virtual machine with special privileges that allow it to execute files that are not marked executable. Consequently, this method may return true even though the file does not have execute permissions.

Returns:: true if and only if the abstract pathname exists and the application is allowed to execute the file
Since:: 1.6

listRoots

public static File[] listRoots()

List the available filesystem roots.

A particular Java platform may support zero or more hierarchically-organized file systems. Each file system has a root directory from which all other files in that file system can be reached.

This method returns an array of File objects that denote the root directories of the available filesystem roots. It is guaranteed that the canonical pathname of any file physically present on the local machine will begin with one of the roots returned by this method. There is no guarantee that a root directory can be accessed.

Implementation Note:

Windows platforms, for example, have a root directory for each active drive; UNIX platforms have a single root directory, namely "/". The set of filesystem roots is affected by various system-level operations such as the disconnecting or unmounting of physical or virtual disk drives.

The canonical pathname of a file that resides on some other machine and is accessed via a remote-filesystem protocol such as SMB or NFS may or may not begin with one of the roots returned by this method. If the pathname of a remote file is syntactically indistinguishable from the pathname of a local file then it will begin with one of the roots returned by this method. Thus, for example, File objects denoting the root directories of the mapped network drives of a Windows platform will be returned by this method, while File objects containing UNC pathnames will not be returned by this method.

Returns:

An array of File objects denoting the available filesystem roots, or null if the set of roots could not be determined. The array will be empty if there are no filesystem roots.

Since:

1.2

See Also:

getTotalSpace

public long getTotalSpace()

Returns the size of the partition named by this abstract pathname. If the total number of bytes in the partition is greater than Long.MAX_VALUE, then Long.MAX_VALUE will be returned.

Returns:

The size, in bytes, of the partition or 0L if this abstract pathname does not name a partition or if the size cannot be obtained

Since:

1.6

See Also:

getFreeSpace

public long getFreeSpace()

Returns the number of unallocated bytes in the partition named by this abstract path name. If the number of unallocated bytes in the partition is greater than Long.MAX_VALUE, then Long.MAX_VALUE will be returned.

The returned number of unallocated bytes is a hint, but not a guarantee, that it is possible to use most or any of these bytes. The number of unallocated bytes is most likely to be accurate immediately after this call. It is likely to be made inaccurate by any external I/O operations including those made on the system outside of this virtual machine. This method makes no guarantee that write operations to this file system will succeed.

Returns:

The number of unallocated bytes on the partition or 0L if the abstract pathname does not name a partition or if this number cannot be obtained. This value will be less than or equal to the total file system size returned by getTotalSpace().

Since:

1.6

See Also:

getUsableSpace

public long getUsableSpace()

Returns the number of bytes available to this virtual machine on the partition named by this abstract pathname. If the number of available bytes in the partition is greater than Long.MAX_VALUE, then Long.MAX_VALUE will be returned. When possible, this method checks for write permissions and other operating system restrictions and will therefore usually provide a more accurate estimate of how much new data can actually be written than getFreeSpace().

The returned number of available bytes is a hint, but not a guarantee, that it is possible to use most or any of these bytes. The number of available bytes is most likely to be accurate immediately after this call. It is likely to be made inaccurate by any external I/O operations including those made on the system outside of this virtual machine. This method makes no guarantee that write operations to this file system will succeed.

Returns:

The number of available bytes on the partition or 0L if the abstract pathname does not name a partition or if this number cannot be obtained. On systems where this information is not available, this method will be equivalent to a call to getFreeSpace().

Since:

1.6

See Also:

createTempFile

public static File createTempFile(String prefix, String suffix, File directory) throws IOException

Creates a new empty file in the specified directory, using the given prefix and suffix strings to generate its name. If this method returns successfully then it is guaranteed that:

The file located by the returned abstract pathname did not exist before this method was invoked, and
Neither this method nor any of its variants will return the same abstract pathname again in the current invocation of the virtual machine.

This method provides only part of a temporary-file facility. To arrange for a file created by this method to be deleted automatically, use the deleteOnExit() method.

The prefix argument must be at least three characters long. It is recommended that the prefix be a short, meaningful string such as "hjb" or "mail". The suffix argument may be null, in which case the suffix ".tmp" will be used.

To create the new file, the prefix and the suffix may first be adjusted to fit the limitations of the underlying platform. If the prefix is too long then it will be truncated, but its first three characters will always be preserved. If the suffix is too long then it too will be truncated, but if it begins with a period character ('.') then the period and the first three characters following it will always be preserved. Once these adjustments have been made the name of the new file will be generated by concatenating the prefix, five or more internally-generated characters, and the suffix.

If a file with the generated name cannot be created by the underlying platform, then an IOException will be thrown. This could occur for example if the supplied prefix or suffix contains one or more characters not supported by the underlying file system.

If the directory argument is null then the system-dependent default temporary-file directory will be used. The default temporary-file directory is specified by the system property java.io.tmpdir. On UNIX systems the default value of this property is typically "/tmp" or "/var/tmp"; on Microsoft Windows systems it is typically "C:\\WINNT\\TEMP". A different value may be given to this system property when the Java virtual machine is invoked, but programmatic changes to this property are not guaranteed to have any effect upon the temporary directory used by this method.

If the directory argument is not null and its abstract pathname is valid and locates an existing, writable directory, then the file will be created in that directory. Otherwise the file will not be created and an IOException will be thrown. Under no circumstances will a directory be created at the location specified by the directory argument.

Parameters:: prefix - The prefix string to be used in generating the file's name; must be at least three characters long; suffix - The suffix string to be used in generating the file's name; may be null, in which case the suffix ".tmp" will be used; directory - The directory in which the file is to be created, or null if the default temporary-file directory is to be used
Returns:: An abstract pathname locating a newly-created empty file
Throws:: IllegalArgumentException - If the prefix argument contains fewer than three characters; IOException - If a file could not be created
Since:: 1.2

createTempFile

public static File createTempFile(String prefix, String suffix) throws IOException

Creates an empty file in the default temporary-file directory, using the given prefix and suffix to generate its name. Invoking this method is equivalent to invoking createTempFile(prefix, suffix, null).

The Files.createTempFile method provides an alternative method to create an empty file in the temporary-file directory. Files created by that method may have more restrictive access permissions to files created by this method and so may be more suited to security-sensitive applications.

Parameters:

prefix - The prefix string to be used in generating the file's name; must be at least three characters long

suffix - The suffix string to be used in generating the file's name; may be null, in which case the suffix ".tmp" will be used

Returns:

An abstract pathname locating a newly-created empty file

Throws:

IllegalArgumentException - If the prefix argument contains fewer than three characters

IOException - If a file could not be created

Since:

1.2

See Also:

compareTo

public int compareTo(File pathname)

Compares two abstract pathnames lexicographically. The ordering defined by this method depends upon the underlying system. On UNIX systems, alphabetic case is significant in comparing pathnames; on Microsoft Windows systems it is not. This method only compares the abstract pathnames; it does not access the file system and the file is not required to exist.

Specified by:: compareTo in interface Comparable<File>
Parameters:: pathname - The abstract pathname to be compared to this abstract pathname
Returns:: Zero if the argument is equal to this abstract pathname, a value less than zero if this abstract pathname is lexicographically less than the argument, or a value greater than zero if this abstract pathname is lexicographically greater than the argument
Since:: 1.2

equals

public boolean equals(Object obj)

Tests this abstract pathname for equality with the given object. Returns true if and only if the argument is not null and is an abstract pathname that is the same as this abstract pathname. Whether or not two abstract pathnames are equal depends upon the underlying operating system. On UNIX systems, alphabetic case is significant in comparing pathnames; on Microsoft Windows systems it is not. This method only tests whether the abstract pathnames are equal; it does not access the file system and the file is not required to exist.

Overrides:

equals in class Object

Parameters:

obj - The object to be compared with this abstract pathname

Returns:

true if and only if the objects are the same; false otherwise

See Also:

hashCode

public int hashCode()

Computes a hash code for this abstract pathname. Because equality of abstract pathnames is inherently system-dependent, so is the computation of their hash codes. On UNIX systems, the hash code of an abstract pathname is equal to the exclusive or of the hash code of its pathname string and the decimal value 1234321. On Microsoft Windows systems, the hash code is equal to the exclusive or of the hash code of its pathname string converted to lower case and the decimal value 1234321. Locale is not taken into account on lowercasing the pathname string.

Overrides:

hashCode in class Object

Returns:

A hash code for this abstract pathname

See Also:

toString

public String toString()

Returns the pathname string of this abstract pathname. This is just the string returned by the getPath() method.

Overrides:: toString in class Object
Returns:: The string form of this abstract pathname

toPath

public Path toPath()

Returns a java.nio.file.Path object constructed from this abstract path. The resulting Path is associated with the default-filesystem.

The first invocation of this method works as if invoking it were equivalent to evaluating the expression:

        FileSystems.getDefault().getPath(this.getPath());

Subsequent invocations of this method return the same Path.

If this abstract pathname is the empty abstract pathname then this method returns a Path that may be used to access the current user directory.

Returns:

a Path constructed from this abstract path

Throws:

InvalidPathException - if a Path object cannot be constructed from the abstract path (see FileSystem.getPath)

Since:

1.7

See Also:

© 1993, 2025, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
Documentation extracted from Debian's OpenJDK Development Kit package.
Licensed under the GNU General Public License, version 2, with the Classpath Exception.
Various third party code in OpenJDK is licensed under different licenses (see Debian package).
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Class File

Interoperability with java.nio.file package

Field Summary

Constructor Summary

Method Summary

Methods declared in class Object

Field Details

separatorChar

separator

pathSeparatorChar

pathSeparator

Constructor Details

File

File

File

File

Method Details

getName

getParent

getParentFile

getPath

isAbsolute

getAbsolutePath

getAbsoluteFile

getCanonicalPath

getCanonicalFile

toURL

toURI

canRead

canWrite

exists

isDirectory

isFile

isHidden

lastModified

length

createNewFile

delete

deleteOnExit

list

list

listFiles

listFiles

listFiles

mkdir

mkdirs

renameTo

setLastModified

setReadOnly

setWritable

setWritable

setReadable

setReadable

setExecutable

setExecutable

canExecute

listRoots

getTotalSpace

getFreeSpace

getUsableSpace

createTempFile

createTempFile

compareTo

equals

hashCode

toString

toPath

Interoperability with `java.nio.file` package