Java Reference
In-Depth Information
// Rename the backup file to "junk.dat"
// Renaming requires a File object for the target.
f
.
renameTo
(
new
new
File
(
"junk.dat"
));
}
}
Deleting a File
Problem
You need to delete one or more files from the disk.
Solution
Use a
java.io.File
object's
delete()
method; it deletes files (subject to permissions) and
directories (subject to permissions and to the directory being empty).
Discussion
This is not very complicated. Simply construct a
File
object for the file you wish to delete,
and call its
delete()
method:
public
public class
class
Delete
Delete
{
public
public static
static
void
void
main
(
String
[]
argv
)
throws
throws
IOException
{
// Construct a File object for the backup created by editing
// this source file. The file probably already exists.
// Some text editors create backups by putting ~ at end of filename.
File bkup
=
new
new
File
(
"Delete.java~"
);
// Now, delete it:
bkup
.
delete
();
}
}
Just recall the caveat about permissions in the Introduction to this chapter: if you don't have
permission, you can get a return value of false or, possibly, a
SecurityException
. Note also
that there are some differences between platforms. Some versions of Windows allow Java to
remove a read-only file, but Unix does not allow you to remove a file unless you have write
