Question

How can I check that I can delete a file in Java?

For example, if a file test.txt is opened in another program I can’t delete it. And I have to know it before actual deletion, so I can’t do this:

if (!file.delete()) { ... }

And srcFile.canWrite() is not working either.

Answer 1

Open the file with a Write Lock.

See here http://download.oracle.com/javase/6/docs/api/java/nio/channels/FileLock.html

FileChannel channel = new RandomAccessFile("C:\\foo", "rw").getChannel();

// Try acquiring the lock without blocking. This method returns
// null or throws an exception if the file is already locked.
FileLock lock = channel.tryLock();

// ...  

// release it
lock.release();