Java File can't open certain files

Question

I'm trying to open files from within Java with something like this:

java.awt.Desktop.getDesktop().open(new File("c:\\coolfile.txt");

Of course it all works fine and dandy in most cases.

HOWEVER!

When I have a file with the unicode character u3000, I cannot open it! Even if the file exists.

For example:

java.awt.Desktop.getDesktop().open(new File("c:\\coolfile\u3000withweirdname.txt");

I get an Exception, EVEN WHEN THE FILE EXISTS

[java] java.io.IOException: Failed to open file:/E:/_prog/test%E3%80%80.txt. Error message: The system cannot find the path specified.

Please help me i tried pretty much everything. This is driving me insane :/

Edit:

To give some more info:

I can easily create file with this name from Java.

It seems it has something to do with whitespace

I don't know if it applies to other characters; I didn't find any yet. But of course if there's 1 there could easily be 100.

I'm pretty sure I can't read from the file or write to it from Java, but I haven't tested that since it isn't my main concern.

Is that cut and paste? i.e. do your filename string really have single '\' chars in them? — John3136, Mar 09 '12 at 04:38
You need to double the "\" like java.awt.Desktop.getDesktop().open(new File("c:\\coolfile\\u3000withweirdname.txt"); — RealHowTo, Mar 09 '12 at 04:40
\u3000 is how to write unicode char u3000. i think so at least — user1258312, Mar 09 '12 at 04:48
RealHowTo no thats wrong. That would just give me \u3000 in the path which i dont need at all. I need the UNICODE CHARACTER u3000 in the path. — user1258312, Mar 09 '12 at 04:50
Can you guys please read the question. It seems like u assume i made some simple stupid mistake but like i said i tried almost everything. — user1258312, Mar 09 '12 at 04:51
Could check 'new File("c:\\coolfile\u3000withweirdname.txt").exists() ? — Jayan, Mar 09 '12 at 04:54
@user1258312 Give an SSCCE for others to help you, and also state what all you have tried — prajeesh kumar, Mar 09 '12 at 05:04
Ok i don't know what SSCCE is, but i appreciate all the help i can get. — user1258312, Mar 09 '12 at 05:09
Check whether (http://stackoverflow.com/questions/3610013/file-listfiles-mangles-unicode-names-with-jdk-6-unicode-normalization-issues) is related to your problem — prajeesh kumar, Mar 09 '12 at 05:19
And this also (http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1545625/java-cant-open-a-file-with-surrogate-unicode-values-in-the-filename) — prajeesh kumar, Mar 09 '12 at 05:20
Yes i think it is related. I searched through stackoverflow before posting and i read that thread and tried the solution. But it doesn't solve my problem. — user1258312, Mar 09 '12 at 05:23
Maybe you can modify their solution to solve my problem, but im not smart enough for that =( — user1258312, Mar 09 '12 at 05:23
I think they are related 100%, but WHERE IS THE SOLUTION? :( — user1258312, Mar 09 '12 at 05:24
1) Make some changes for debugging! `File f = new File("c:\\coolfile\u3000withweirdname.txt"); System.out.println("Exists: " + f.exists() ); //is it real path?` 2) For better help sooner, post an [SSCCE](http://sscce.org/). Note that is the top-hit on Google for the term quoted earlier, please don't expect people to spoon-feed information to you. 3) The quoted code would not compile, so please stop wasting our time, if not your own. — Andrew Thompson, Mar 09 '12 at 05:37

score 1 · Answer 1 · answered Mar 09 '12 at 05:49

1

java.awt.Desktop.getDesktop().open(new File("c:\\coolfile\u3000withweirdname.txt");

That doesn't compile. Clearly it isn't your real code.

[java] java.io.IOException: Failed to open file:/E:/_prog/test%E3%80%80.txt

And there is proof. Clearly you passed a URL to new FileInputStream(). It doesn't take a URL string, it takes a file name.

answered Mar 09 '12 at 05:49

user207421

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"Clearly you passed a URL to new FileInputStream()" this is wrong. I got the file path from calling getFiles() on a folder – user1258312 Mar 09 '12 at 21:21
@user1258312 Not proven. Show us the code. Where did the file:// and the %-escapes come from if it wasn't a URL? – user207421 Mar 10 '12 at 00:26
i don't know know i assumed it would come when formatting the exception for display or something. I realize now i should have made a compilable example. The reason i did not post the project is that its way too big and would just clutter the discussion up. – user1258312 Mar 10 '12 at 00:59
ok man i posted a fix now. I might have made some dumb mistake somewhere else but trust me i didn't enter URL i entered correct file name. – user1258312 Mar 10 '12 at 01:16

score 1 · Accepted Answer · answered Mar 10 '12 at 01:08

Ok i think i actually found a kind of solution to my question and i post it here to help any people that may have similar problems.

This fix only works for Windows (XP and up i think) BUT i don't even know if this problem exist in other OS. And even if it does a similar fix should be possible.

I am using the following code to succesfully open a file with the character:

Process p = new ProcessBuilder("cmd", "/c start \"\" \"E:\_prog\test\u3000.txt\"").start();

Which opens the file 'E:_prog\testu3000.txt'

oh and btw thx to muCommander, i stole the fix from their program — user1258312, Mar 10 '12 at 01:11

score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Mar 09 '12 at 05:26

0

As far as i know \u3000 is ideographic space character. To test your code I created a file with name CompanyAlt+3000Address.

Note: when you press Alt+3000, windows will create an ideographic space character. Then I copied the file name, to my java program and it worked for me.

Desktop.getDesktop().open(new File("C:\\Users\\Chandru\\Desktop\\Company╕Address.txt"));

answered Mar 09 '12 at 05:26

Chandra Sekhar

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And if i copy your ╕ i get "java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: The file: c:\tstâ••.txt doesn't exist." when trying to open c:\test .txt – user1258312 Mar 09 '12 at 05:36
╕ it should work dear, even I am using Windows XP. Even while typing the comment I pressed Alt+3000 and it give me ╕ symbol. – Chandra Sekhar Mar 09 '12 at 05:41

Java File can't open certain files

3 Answers3