Is this correctly writing to a text file?

Question

I am trying to save the integers in an array to a text file. Neither of these seem to be doing the trick while sitting in my main method and I was wondering if someone could point out my mistake.

public static void main (String[] params) throws IOException
{ 
   numberPlayers();
   int diceroll = dicethrow(6);
   int[] scorep1 = scorearrayp1();
   questions(diceroll, scorep1);
   sort(scorep1);

   File file = new File ("C:/Users/Usman/Desktop/directory/scores.txt");
   PrintWriter writer = new PrintWriter("scores.txt");
   writer.println("Player 1 score: " + scorep1[0]);
   writer.println("Player 2 score: " + scorep1[1]);
   writer.println("Player 3 score: " + scorep1[2]);
   writer.println("Player 4 score: " + scorep1[3]);
   writer.close();

   System.exit(0);
}

No score.txt file is created on my desktop in either of these attempts.

public static void main (String[] params) throws IOException
{ 
   numberPlayers();
   int diceroll = dicethrow(6);
   int[] scorep1 = scorearrayp1();
   questions(diceroll, scorep1);
   sort(scorep1);

   File file = new File("C:/Users/Me/Desktop/file.txt");
   PrintWriter printWriter = null;
   try
   {
      printWriter = new PrintWriter(file);
      printWriter.println("hello");
   }
   catch (FileNotFoundException e)
   {
      e.printStackTrace();
   }
   finally
   {
     if ( printWriter != null ) 
     {
        printWriter.close();
     }
   }

   System.exit(0);
}

EDIT: This is what I have made of the answers so far, please feel free to edit the wrong bit so I can clearly see what I've missed.

System.out.println("What's happening");
   String path = System.getProperty("user.home") + File.separator + "Desktop/file1.txt";
   File file = new File(path);

   PrintWriter printWriter = null;
   try
   {
      printWriter = new PrintWriter(file);
      printWriter.println("hello");
      FileWriter fileWriter = new FileWriter(file);
   }
   catch (FileNotFoundException e)
   {
      e.printStackTrace();
   }
   finally
   {
     if ( printWriter != null ) 
     {
        printWriter.close();
     }
   }

Also what about this:

PrintWriter writer = new PrintWriter("the-file-name.txt", "UTF-8");
writer.println("The first line");
writer.println("The second line");
writer.close();

This is your best resources: https://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/essential/io/file.html — user1803551, Dec 05 '15 at 19:28

score 1 · Answer 1 · edited May 23 '17 at 12:15

1

Rather a problem of directory

see this: How to use PrintWriter and File classes in Java?

If the directory doesn't exist you need to create it. Java won't create it by itself since the File class is just a link to an entity that can also not exist at all.

 // NOK for C:/Users   see below
 // File file = new File("C:/Users/Me/Desktop/file.txt");
 File file = new File("C:/classical_dir/file.txt");
 file.getParentFile().mkdirs();

 PrintWriter printWriter = new PrintWriter(file);

This works well on my pc:

 File file = new File("C:/foo/bar/blurps/file.txt");

This throws an exception: windows seems not to want it

 File file = new File("C:/Users/Me/Desktop/file.txt");

because, C:/Users/Me seems to be prohibited: C:/Users seems to be protected by system

see this for writing in User directory: how can I create a file in the current user's home directory using Java?

    String path = System.getProperty("user.home") + File.separator + "Desktop/file1.txt";
    File file = new File(path);

see this also: How to get the Desktop path in java

edited May 23 '17 at 12:15

Community

1
1

answered Dec 05 '15 at 19:27

guillaume girod-vitouchkina

3,061
1
10
26

For some reason this is still failing to produce a file for me on my desktop. Perhaps you can take a look at my edit and see what I've done wrong. Thanks – Overclock Dec 05 '15 at 19:46
the system doesnt want this path – guillaume girod-vitouchkina Dec 05 '15 at 19:53
Nothing I do seems to be having an effect. – Overclock Dec 05 '15 at 20:06
see my code System.getProperty("user.home"). It doesnt work ? – guillaume girod-vitouchkina Dec 05 '15 at 20:20
Do I put the code you've provided before `File file = new File("C:/Users/Me/Desktop/directory/scores.txt");` or do I replace it? – Overclock Dec 05 '15 at 20:21
I replaced the first two lines and didn't get any resulting file on my desktop – Overclock Dec 05 '15 at 20:23
you should add some trace in your code to see where it doesnt work. 1: try with simple dir and file like my example. Il must work . 2 try in your desktop. See this also: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/570401/in-java-under-windows-how-do-i-find-a-redirected-desktop-folder – guillaume girod-vitouchkina Dec 05 '15 at 20:27
or this: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1080634/how-to-get-the-desktop-path-in-java – guillaume girod-vitouchkina Dec 05 '15 at 20:28
If you see my edit I have added in a println that doesn't get executed when the `exitmethod` finshes. I was wonder perhaps it is where I have placed the code that is making it not work. It is at the end of the main method, right before `System.exit(0)` and after the declerations of my methods. – Overclock Dec 05 '15 at 20:37

score 0 · Answer 2 · edited May 23 '17 at 11:44

0

Because File object does not create a physical copy of a file. For details follow this link
Does creating a File object create a physical file or touch anything outside the JVM?

Now if we come to your solution then first make a empty file on the disk by following command

     import java.io.*;

public class Test {
    public static void main(String [] args) {

        // The name of the file to open.
        String fileName = "C:\\Users\\MOSSAD\\Desktop\\new\\temp.txt";

        try {
            // Assume default encoding.
            FileWriter fileWriter =
                new FileWriter(fileName);

            File file = new File (fileName);
   PrintWriter writer = new PrintWriter(file);
   writer.println("Player 1 score: " + 5);
   writer.println("Player 2 score: " + 2);
   writer.println("Player 3 score: " + 3);
   writer.println("Player 4 score: " + 4);
   writer.close();
        }
        catch(IOException ex) {
            System.out.println(
                "Error writing to file '"
                + fileName + "'");
            // Or we could just do this:
            // ex.printStackTrace();
        }
    }
}

you need to use double slash in path .link

edited May 23 '17 at 11:44

Community

1
1

answered Dec 05 '15 at 19:30

Shvet Chakra

1,043
10
21

I *think* I follow what you're trying to say, but I'm not too sure. I have added an edit to my question for you to check if I've made the changes you think are needed. If I haven't, could you please edit it so that I may see what you meant. Thank you – Overclock Dec 05 '15 at 19:45
I have edited my answer you can follow here what i was trying to explain before. – Shvet Chakra Dec 05 '15 at 19:54
This is not working either. Is there some other major problem as to where I've placed the code or something like that? It's ridculous how I can try every possible alteration and still come up without getting the file saved. – Overclock Dec 05 '15 at 20:05
Unfortunately it still doesn't work. I'm not getting any errors back from the complier so that tells me the code isn't the problem but there isn't a file anywhere to be found on my desktop. – Overclock Dec 05 '15 at 21:17
have you put the right path like : C:\\Users\\Usman\\Desktop\\directory\\scores.txt – Shvet Chakra Dec 05 '15 at 21:20
I have. Where you have `File file = new File (fileName);` is `fileName` supposed to be scores? Other than this I can't think of anything else – Overclock Dec 05 '15 at 21:23
No that should be in that way. – Shvet Chakra Dec 05 '15 at 21:24
I've left it as that and it's still not working. Thank you very much for your help regardless, maybe it's something that I'll end up stumbling across in my own time. – Overclock Dec 05 '15 at 21:25
Let us [continue this discussion in chat](http://chat.stackoverflow.com/rooms/97089/discussion-between-shvet-chakra-and-overclock). – Shvet Chakra Dec 05 '15 at 21:30

Is this correctly writing to a text file?

2 Answers2