Class Poco::File
Author: Applied Informatics Software Engineering GmbH and Contributors
Date: 2009-11-24

# Poco

# class File

Library: Foundation
Package: Filesystem
Header: Poco/File.h

## Description

The File class provides methods for working with a file.

## Inheritance

Direct Base Classes: FileImpl

All Base Classes: FileImpl

Known Derived Classes: TemporaryFile

## Member Summary

Member Functions: canExecute, canRead, canWrite, copyDirectory, copyTo, createDirectories, createDirectory, createFile, created, exists, getLastModified, getSize, handleLastError, isDevice, isDirectory, isFile, isHidden, isLink, list, moveTo, operator !=, operator <, operator <=, operator =, operator ==, operator >, operator >=, path, remove, renameTo, setExecutable, setLastModified, setReadOnly, setSize, setWriteable, swap

## Types

### FileSize

typedef FileSizeImpl FileSize;

## Constructors

### File

File();

Creates the file.

### File

File(
const std::string & path
);

Creates the file.

### File

File(
const char * path
);

Creates the file.

### File

File(
const Path & path
);

Creates the file.

### File

File(
const File & file
);

Copy constructor.

## Destructor

### ~File

virtual ~File();

Destroys the file.

## Member Functions

### canExecute

bool canExecute() const;

Returns true if and only if the file is executable.

On Windows and OpenVMS, the file must have the extension ".EXE" to be executable. On Unix platforms, the executable permission bit must be set.

### canRead

bool canRead() const;

Returns true if and only if the file is readable.

### canWrite

bool canWrite() const;

Returns true if and only if the file is writeable.

### copyTo

void copyTo(
const std::string & path
) const;

Copies the file (or directory) to the given path. The target path can be a directory.

A directory is copied recursively.

### createDirectories

void createDirectories();

Creates a directory (and all parent directories if necessary).

### createDirectory

bool createDirectory();

Creates a directory. Returns true if the directory has been created and false if it already exists. Throws an exception if an error occurs.

### createFile

bool createFile();

Creates a new, empty file in an atomic operation. Returns true if the file has been created and false if the file already exists. Throws an exception if an error occurs.

### created

Timestamp created() const;

Returns the creation date of the file.

Not all platforms or filesystems (e.g. Linux and most Unix platforms with the exception of FreeBSD and Mac OS X) maintain the creation date of a file. On such platforms, created() returns the time of the last inode modification.

### exists

bool exists() const;

Returns true if and only if the file exists.

### getLastModified

Timestamp getLastModified() const;

Returns the modification date of the file.

### getSize

FileSize getSize() const;

Returns the size of the file in bytes.

### handleLastError

static void handleLastError(
const std::string & path
);

For internal use only. Throws an appropriate exception for the last file-related error.

### isDevice

bool isDevice() const;

Returns true if and only if the file is a device.

### isDirectory

bool isDirectory() const;

Returns true if and only if the file is a directory.

### isFile

bool isFile() const;

Returns true if and only if the file is a regular file.

### isHidden

bool isHidden() const;

Returns true if the file is hidden.

On Windows platforms, the file's hidden attribute is set for this to be true.

On Unix platforms, the file name must begin with a period for this to be true.

### isLink

bool isLink() const;

Returns true if and only if the file is a symbolic link.

### list

void list(
std::vector < std::string > & files
) const;

Fills the vector with the names of all files in the directory.

### list

void list(
std::vector < File > & files
) const;

Fills the vector with the names of all files in the directory.

### moveTo

void moveTo(
const std::string & path
);

Copies the file (or directory) to the given path and removes the original file. The target path can be a directory.

### operator !=

bool operator != (
const File & file
) const;

### operator <

bool operator < (
const File & file
) const;

### operator <=

bool operator <= (
const File & file
) const;

### operator =

File & operator = (
const File & file
);

Assignment operator.

### operator =

File & operator = (
const std::string & path
);

Assignment operator.

### operator =

File & operator = (
const char * path
);

Assignment operator.

### operator =

File & operator = (
const Path & path
);

Assignment operator.

### operator ==

bool operator == (
const File & file
) const;

### operator >

bool operator > (
const File & file
) const;

### operator >=

bool operator >= (
const File & file
) const;

### path

const std::string & path() const;

Returns the path.

### remove

void remove(
bool recursive = false
);

Deletes the file. If recursive is true and the file is a directory, recursively deletes all files in the directory.

### renameTo

void renameTo(
const std::string & path
);

Renames the file to the new name.

### setExecutable

void setExecutable(
bool flag = true
);

Makes the file executable (if flag is true), or non-executable (if flag is false) by setting the file's permission bits accordingly.

Does nothing on Windows and OpenVMS.

### setLastModified

void setLastModified(
const Timestamp & ts
);

Sets the modification date of the file.

### setReadOnly

void setReadOnly(
bool flag = true
);

Makes the file non-writeable (if flag is true), or writeable (if flag is false) by setting the file's flags in the filesystem accordingly.

### setSize

void setSize(
FileSize size
);

Sets the size of the file in bytes. Can be used to truncate a file.

### setWriteable

void setWriteable(
bool flag = true
);

Makes the file writeable (if flag is true), or non-writeable (if flag is false) by setting the file's flags in the filesystem accordingly.

### swap

void swap(
File & file
);

Swaps the file with another one.

### copyDirectory

void copyDirectory(
const std::string & path
) const;

Copies a directory. Used internally by copyTo().