Cant get the outputfile in Java program

[camel-man]

Im using Eclipse and I have an input file name that I am reading from but for some reason when the program ends there is no output file that gets created? Does anyone know what I am doing wrong here?

 import java.io.File;
 import java.io.FileNotFoundException;
 import java.io.PrintWriter;
 import java.util.Scanner;
 
 public class NameAgeReverse{

	public static void main(String[] args) throws FileNotFoundException 
	{
		
		Scanner enter = new Scanner(System.in);
		String inputFile, outputFile;
		File input;
		PrintWriter output;
		
		System.out.println("Input file: ");
		inputFile= enter.nextLine();
		System.out.println("Output file: ");
		outputFile= enter.nextLine();
		
		input = new File(inputFile);
		Scanner in = new  Scanner(input);
		output = new PrintWriter(outputFile);
		
		while(in.hasNextLine()){
			
			String name = in.nextLine();
			output.println(name);
			
		}
				
		in.close();
		output.close();
				
	}	
}

 

[Grep]

I see nothing wrong that would stop it from working. Plus, a quick test shows it creating the output file, for me. I think it's a matter of what the working directory is when you run it. That's where the file should show up. There's probably an output file created somewhere. You could try using an output filename containing the entire full path to see if it shows up there.

 

[AlephZero]

What grep said, plus, you may not be able to "see" the output file while the program is still active in a debugger, because your OS might not finish updating the file system on your hard disk until the application terminates completely. Try running the code as a stand alone program from the command line, not in your debugger.

Re the file paths, you must be finding the input file, otherwise you would throw an exception when you try to open it. So you can make a good guess at where the output file "should" be created.

 

[harborsparrow]

You might need to explicitly flush the buffer and then dispose of the file object to make Java "release" its grip on the file so that you can see if on the file system. I/O tends to be a little arcane in any language.

 

[LudusRex]

It is difficult to determine the exact issue without seeing the specific code you are using, but there are a few common mistakes that could be causing your problem.

First, make sure that you are actually creating and writing to the output file. In your code, you have created a PrintWriter object for the output file, but you have not actually written anything to it. You need to use the PrintWriter's "println" or "print" methods to write to the file.

Second, check that you are providing the correct file path for your output file. If you are using relative paths, make sure that the output file is being created in the correct location. If you are using an absolute path, double check that the file is being created in the specified location.

Lastly, make sure that you are closing the output file properly. In your code, you are closing the PrintWriter, but you are not closing the Scanner for the input file. This could potentially cause issues with the output file not being created.

I would also recommend using try-catch blocks to handle any potential exceptions that may occur while writing to the file, as this can help identify and resolve any issues with file creation.

Overall, it is important to carefully review your code and make sure that all necessary steps are being taken to create and write to the output file. If you continue to have issues, you may want to seek assistance from a more experienced programmer or consult online resources for troubleshooting help.