File.exists() -- case-insensitive

[N.V.Dev]

Hi,

Wondering if there is a way to check if the file exists having case insentive.

For example, I have a file in Unix Alex.doc

If I try checking for the file

File file = new File ("alex.doc");
File.exists () should return true


If this is not possible, is there any easy work-around

I understand, I could do an "alex.doc".toUpper() or "alex.doc".toLower()

and check the file. What if the file is in Mixed case.


Let me know how to resolve this.

Thanks in advance,
Dev

 

[David Hilsee]

Hi,

Wondering if there is a way to check if the file exists having case insentive.

For example, I have a file in Unix Alex.doc

If I try checking for the file

File file = new File ("alex.doc");
File.exists () should return true


If this is not possible, is there any easy work-around

I understand, I could do an "alex.doc".toUpper() or "alex.doc".toLower()

and check the file. What if the file is in Mixed case.

A simple solution could involve getting a directory listing (File.list())
and searching for the file name using java.lang.String.equalsIgnoreCase().

 

[Michael Borgwardt]

No, it shouldn't, because in Unix, that's a completely different file.

A simple solution could involve getting a directory listing (File.list())
and searching for the file name using java.lang.String.equalsIgnoreCase().

The only solution, I'd say.

 

[Liz]

Sounds trivial to just try it to see what happens.

 

[Anony!]

A simple solution could involve getting a directory listing (File.list())
and searching for the file name using java.lang.String.equalsIgnoreCase().

Thats means "loading" the directory in a tree like structure I assume.
Sounds like alot of work for something simple.

AAA

 

[Andrew Thompson]

Thats means "loading" the directory in a tree like structure I assume.

N.V.'s example suggests to me that thay are
only interested in the current directory.

That being the case, David's File.list()
would return an array that you could loop
through.

Even if you want to check sub-directories as
well, it is not that much more complicated,
and can be done without the need for a 'tree
like structure'. Though the 'tree structure'
may make sense in some situations, I do not
feel it is necessary or justifiable here.

 

[Sean W Thomson]

Hi,

Wondering if there is a way to check if the file exists having case insentive.

For example, I have a file in Unix Alex.doc

If I try checking for the file

File file = new File ("alex.doc");
File.exists () should return true


If this is not possible, is there any easy work-around

I understand, I could do an "alex.doc".toUpper() or "alex.doc".toLower()

and check the file. What if the file is in Mixed case.


Let me know how to resolve this.

Thanks in advance,
Dev

Can you not just retrive the canonical path to the file and check it?
It will return the case the file (well the file its looking at) is in
regardless of what you use to create the file instance.

SeanWT

 

[Anony!]

(e-mail address removed) (N.V.Dev) wrote in message

Can you not just retrive the canonical path to the file and check it?
It will return the case the file (well the file its looking at) is in
regardless of what you use to create the file instance.

SeanWT

what u mean by canonical path?

AaA

 

[Sean W Thomson]

For example you could make two methods like this

public String getExactFileName(File f) {
String returnVal;
try {
returnVal = f.getCanonicalPath();
returnVal =
returnVal.substring(returnVal.lastIndexOf(File.separator)+1);
}
catch(IOException e) {
returnVal = "";
}
return returnVal;
}
public boolean fileExistsCaseSensative(File f) {
return getExactFileName(f).equals(f.toString());
}

You could use them like
String goodName = "TeStInG.example", badName =
"tEsTiNg.example";
File goodFile = new File(goodName);
if (!goodFile.exists())
try {
goodFile.createNewFile();
goodFile.deleteOnExit();
}
catch(IOException e) {
System.err.println("Error creating example file");
System.exit(1);
}
File badFile = new File(badName);
System.out.println(fileExistsCaseSensative(goodFile) + " " +
fileExistsCaseSensative(badFile));

Which outputs "true false", it checks that the filename the file
instance is constructed with is the same as the file its actually
looking at (case sensative)

I hope this helps

(Sorry about the sloppy code im only 16 and still learning java)

SeanWT

 

[Sean W Thomson]

Opps, toString() returns the same as getName() but I meant to use the
latter anyway. Sorry

 

[Does It Matter]

Hi,

Wondering if there is a way to check if the file exists having case insentive.

For example, I have a file in Unix Alex.doc

If I try checking for the file

File file = new File ("alex.doc");
File.exists () should return true


If this is not possible, is there any easy work-around

I understand, I could do an "alex.doc".toUpper() or "alex.doc".toLower()

and check the file. What if the file is in Mixed case.


Let me know how to resolve this.

The quick solution is create a method that gets the lists of files for
you and does a case insensitive comparison.

Question: how do you handle the situation when the file "Alex.doc" and
"alex.doc" exist in the same directory? This is possible in UNIX. If the
documents are user created then you have to consider this. If the
documents are created by you then just make it a convention to write them
all one case (upper or lower).