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Java programming language. Lessons for beginners

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Java Files


File handling is an important part of any application.

Java has several methods for creating, reading, updating, and deleting files.


Java File Handling

The File class from the java.io package, allows us to work with files.

To use the File class, create an object of the class, and specify the filename or directory name:

Example

import java.io.File;  // Import the File class

File myObj = new File("filename.txt"); // Specify the filename

If you don't know what a package is, read our Java Packages Tutorial.

The File class has many useful methods for creating and getting information about files. For example:

Method Type Description
canRead() Boolean Tests whether the file is readable or not
canWrite() Boolean Tests whether the file is writable or not
createNewFile() Boolean Create an empty file
delete() Boolean Deletes a file
exists() Boolean Tests whether the file exists
getName() String Returns the name of the file
getAbsolutePath() String Returns the absolute pathname of the file
length() Long Returns the size of the file in bytes
list() String[] Returns an array of the files in the directory
mkdir() Boolean Create a directory

You will learn how to create, write, read and delete files in the next chapters: