Deleting files using a .jar

Question

I have a .jar file called install.jar, which copies various file types to %appdata%/folder/abc/

What I need is a way to delete the files, either with the same jar or a new one, so I can reset the application for an update. I have looked on SO as well as google, and have found no answer.

If java doesn't let you delete folders, I need a way to delete all files inside of a folder, or at the very least, rename the folder.

You mean you haven't found anything on SO that explains how to delete a folder? http://stackoverflow.com/search?tab=relevance&q=[java]%20%2bdelete%20%2bfolder — assylias, Sep 14 '12 at 16:35
possible duplicate of [deleting folder from java](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/3775694/deleting-folder-from-java) — assylias, Sep 14 '12 at 16:38
If this is an application self-updater under windows then the file-locking of windows os may get in the way unless you stop the process first and ensure the updater jar is in a separate unrelated folder... Otherwise this question is a duplicate — Stephen Connolly, Sep 14 '12 at 17:25

score 4 · Accepted Answer · answered Sep 14 '12 at 16:36

// Deletes all files and subdirectories under dir.
// Returns true if all deletions were successful.
// If a deletion fails, the method stops attempting to delete and returns false.
public static boolean deleteDir(File dir) {
    if (dir.isDirectory()) {
        String[] children = dir.list();
        for (int i = 0; i < children.length; i++) {
            boolean success = deleteDir(new File(dir, children[i]));
            if (!success) {
                return false;
            }
        }
    }

    // The directory is now empty so delete it
    return dir.delete();
}

score 0 · Answer 2 · edited May 23 '17 at 11:52

0

You could locate some useful information in this link. Which was previously asked.

Visit < Is there a quick way to delete a file from a Jar / war without having to extract the jar and recreate it?>

edited May 23 '17 at 11:52

Community

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answered Sep 14 '12 at 16:39

Ruser1510890

66
7

I am not trying to delete files from a jar, but use a jar to delete external files. – Azulflame Sep 14 '12 at 16:56

Deleting files using a .jar

2 Answers2