file.delete() returns false even though file.exist

Question

I'm trying to delete a file, after writing something in it, with FileOutputStream. This is the code I use for writing:

private void writeContent(File file, String fileContent) {
    FileOutputStream to;
    try {
        to = new FileOutputStream(file);
        to.write(fileContent.getBytes());
        to.flush();
        to.close();
    } catch (FileNotFoundException e) {
        // TODO Auto-generated catch block
        e.printStackTrace();
    } catch (IOException e) {
        // TODO Auto-generated catch block
        e.printStackTrace();
    }
}

As it is seen, I flush and close the stream, but when I try to delete, file.delete() returns false.

I checked before deletion to see if the file exists, and: file.exists(), file.canRead(), file.canWrite(), file.canExecute() all return true. Just after calling these methods I try file.delete() and returns false.

Is there anything I've done wrong?

Answer 1

Another bug in Java. I seldom find them, only my second in my 10 year career. This is my solution, as others have mentioned. I have nether used System.gc(). But here, in my case, it is absolutely crucial. Weird? YES!

finally
{
    try
    {
        in.close();
        in = null;
        out.flush();
        out.close();
        out = null;
        System.gc();
    }
    catch (IOException e)
    {
        logger.error(e.getMessage());
        e.printStackTrace();
    }
}

Answer 2

There was a problem once in ruby where files in windows needed an "fsync" to actually be able to turn around and re-read the file after writing it and closing it. Maybe this is a similar manifestation (and if so, I think a windows bug, really).

Answer 3

Before trying to delete/rename any file, you must ensure that all the readers or writers (for ex: BufferedReader/InputStreamReader/BufferedWriter) are properly closed.

When you try to read/write your data from/to a file, the file is held by the process and not released until the program execution completes. If you want to perform the delete/rename operations before the program ends, then you must use the close() method that comes with the java.io.* classes.

Answer 4

There is no reason you should not be able to delete this file. I would look to see who has a hold on this file. In unix/linux, you can use the lsof utility to check which process has a lock on the file. In windows, you can use process explorer.

for lsof, it's as simple as saying:

lsof /path/and/name/of/the/file

for process explorer you can use the find menu and enter the file name to show you the handle which will point you to the process locking the file.

here is some code that does what I think you need to do:

FileOutputStream to;

try {
    String file = "/tmp/will_delete.txt";
    to = new FileOutputStream(file );
    to.write(new String("blah blah").getBytes());
    to.flush();
    to.close();
    File f = new File(file);
    System.out.print(f.delete());
} catch (FileNotFoundException e) {
    // TODO Auto-generated catch block
    e.printStackTrace();
} catch (IOException e) {
    // TODO Auto-generated catch block
    e.printStackTrace();
}

It works fine on OS X. I haven't tested it on windows but I suspect it should work on Windows too. I will also admit seeing some unexpected behavior on Windows w.r.t. file handling.

Answer 5

None of the solutions listed here worked in my situation. My solution was to use a while loop, attempting to delete the file, with a 5 second (configurable) limit for safety.

File f = new File("/path/to/file");

int limit = 20; //Only try for 5 seconds, for safety
while(!f.delete() && limit > 0){
    synchronized(this){
        try {
            this.wait(250); //Wait for 250 milliseconds
        } catch (InterruptedException e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        }
    }
    limit--;
}

Using the above loop worked without having to do any manual garbage collecting or setting the stream to null, etc.

Answer 6

As Jon Skeet commented, you should close your file in the finally {...} block, to ensure that it's always closed. And, instead of swallowing the exceptions with the e.printStackTrace, simply don't catch and add the exception to the method signature. If you can't for any reason, at least do this:

catch(IOException ex) {
    throw new RuntimeException("Error processing file XYZ", ex);
}

Now, question number #2:

What if you do this:

...
to.close();
System.out.println("Please delete the file and press <enter> afterwards!");
System.in.read();
...

Would you be able to delete the file?

Also, files are flushed when they're closed. I use IOUtils.closeQuietly(...), so I use the flush method to ensure that the contents of the file are there before I try to close it (IOUtils.closeQuietly doesn't throw exceptions). Something like this:

...
try {
    ...
    to.flush();
} catch(IOException ex) {
    throw new CannotProcessFileException("whatever", ex);
} finally {
    IOUtils.closeQuietly(to);
}

So I know that the contents of the file are in there. As it usually matters to me that the contents of the file are written and not if the file could be closed or not, it really doesn't matter if the file was closed or not. In your case, as it matters, I would recommend closing the file yourself and treating any exceptions according.