Java Program to Create a New File

There are two methods to create a New File in Java:

• Using the File Class
• Using the FileOutputStream Class

Both classes provide some methods that are mainly used for operations regarding files.

For example, to create, write, and compare two path names, check whether a specific file is present and many more. To understand this topic, first consider one example for both approaches.

Note:

To specify a directory is different in different operating systems (suppose a java file is in a folder named 'Folder' is created on the desktop)

In Linux and Mac: /Users/Folder/

In Windows: ' \\ ' used instead of  ' / ' to escape ' \ ' character. So the same directory is accessed as
\\Users\\Folder\\

1. Using the File Class

It is a class that is just a handle for underlying file system resources. It is used for those objects which do not have physical existence.

Syntax:

File.createNewFile()

Example:

import java.io.BufferedReader;
import java.io.File;
import java.io.InputStreamReader;

public class CreateUsingFile {
  
    // Function To Make New File
    public void newFile()
    {
        String strPath , strName ;

        try {

            // Creating BufferedReadered object
            BufferedReader br = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(System.in));
            System.out.print("Enter the file name : ");

            // Reading File name
            strName = br.readLine();
            System.out.print("Enter the file path : ");

            // Reading File Path
            strPath = br.readLine();

            // Creating File Object
            File file1 = new File(strPath + "\\" + strName + ".txt");

            // Method createNewFile() method creates blank file.
            file1.createNewFile();
        }

        catch (Exception ex1) {
            System.out.print("Failed to create a file.");
        }
    }
  
    public static void main(String args[]){
      
        // Creating New File via function
        CreateUsingFile gfg = new CreateUsingFile();
        gfg.newFile();
    }
}

Output:  

Explanation:

• BufferedReader (with InputStreamReader) reads input from the keyboard.
• User enters the file name and path using readLine().
• A File object is created with the given path and name.
• createNewFile() is called to generate the file on disk.
• If any error occurs, it prints “Failed to create a file.”

2. Using the FileOutputStream Class

The FileOutputStream class in Java is used to create or write data to files in the form of bytes. It can create a new file (if it doesn’t exist) or overwrite the existing one, making it useful for handling binary as well as text data.

Syntax:

FileOutputStream fos = new FileOutputStream(String filePath);

Example: echo > myFile.txt

Below is the implementation of the FilesOutputStream Class:

import java.io.BufferedReader;
import java.io.FileOutputStream;
import java.io.InputStreamReader;

public class UsingFileOutputStream {

    // Function To Create A New File
    public void newFile()
    {
        String strFilePath , strFileName ;

        try {

            // Creating BufferClass Object
            BufferedReader br = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(System.in));
            
            // Asking user for File Name
            System.out.print("Enter the file name : ");
            strFileName = br.readLine();
            
            // Asking File path from User
            System.out.print("Enter the file path : ");
            strFilePath = br.readLine();

            // Creating Object of FileOutputStream Class
            FileOutputStream fos = new FileOutputStream(strFilePath + "" + strFileName + ".txt");

        } catch (Exception ex1) {
            System.out.println("Exception Occurred");
        }
    }

    public static void main(String args[])
    {
        // Creating File Object
        UsingFileOutputStream gfg = new UsingFileOutputStream();
        gfg.newFile();
    }
}

Output: It will be the same as the previous one because just the approach to create a new file has changed the rest of the file name and the directory where it is added remains the same.

Explanation:

• A BufferedReader with InputStreamReader(System.in) reads input from the keyboard.
• The user enters a file name and file path using readLine().
• A FileOutputStream object is created with the full path (path + filename + ".txt").
• If the file does not exist, it is created. If it exists, it is overwritten.
• If an error occurs (e.g., invalid path), an exception message is displayed.

Note:

This Program is efficient for Windows users but Linux and Mac Users can face problems as the file name can be like "\test.txt" , so to resolve this issue use the statement mentioned below:

File file1 = new File(strPath + "" + strName + ".txt");

make sure the path given does end with / , i.e , "dir_path/"

Related Article

• File Class
• FileOutputStream Class