Mailing-List: contact issues-help@commons.apache.org; run by ezmlm
Precedence: bulk
Reply-To: issues@commons.apache.org
Date: Sun, 5 Aug 2012 04:27:02 +0000 (UTC)
From: "Wilf Middleton (JIRA)" <jira@apache.org>
To: issues@commons.apache.org
Message-ID: <1618444028.14499.1344140822600.JavaMail.jiratomcat@issues-vm>
In-Reply-To: <1522353212.11775.1344022502756.JavaMail.jiratomcat@issues-vm>
Subject: [jira] [Commented] (IO-340) The use of file.exists() is failure
 prone. Where file.exists() is checked, it should be replaced with the
 following dual check:  exists = ( file.exists() || file.length()>0 )
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit


    [ https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/IO-340?page=com.atlassian.jira.plugin.system.issuetabpanels:comment-tabpanel&focusedCommentId=13428795#comment-13428795 ] 

Wilf Middleton commented on IO-340:
-----------------------------------

More proof for Murphy's Law.
                
> The use of file.exists() is failure prone. Where file.exists() is checked, it should be replaced with the following dual check:  exists = ( file.exists() || file.length()>0 )
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>                 Key: IO-340
>                 URL: https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/IO-340
>             Project: Commons IO
>          Issue Type: Bug
>          Components: Utilities
>    Affects Versions: 2.5, 3.x
>         Environment: All
>            Reporter: Wilf Middleton
>              Labels: File, exists, false
>             Fix For: 2.5, 3.x
>
>   Original Estimate: 24h
>  Remaining Estimate: 24h
>
> The use of file.exists() is failure prone. In many cases the jvm can report that a file does not exist even when it does. This is due to the caching in the operating system.
> Since file.exists() is prone to report false values, a second check can and should be made to file.length()>0.
> Where file.exists() is checked, it should be replaced with the following dual check:  
> A file more reliably exists if:  file.exists() || file.length()>0
> Then if the file does not exist, file.length will be 0.

--
This message is automatically generated by JIRA.
If you think it was sent incorrectly, please contact your JIRA administrators: https://issues.apache.org/jira/secure/ContactAdministrators!default.jspa
For more information on JIRA, see: http://www.atlassian.com/software/jira