Question

I have a File.Delete in my finally clause like so:

finally
{
    //remove the temporary file
    if(File.Exists(transformedFile))
        File.Delete(transformedFile);
}

According to the C# documentation, calling File.Delete on a nonexistent file will not throw any exceptions.

Is it okay to remove the File.Exists wrapped, or will that expose me to possible additional exceptions?

Answer 1

If you need it, it’s insufficient, as the file could be deleted after you confirm that it exists. In a case like this, the best practice is to simply try to delete the file. If it fails with a “file not found” type of error, then you’ll know the file didn’t exist. This removes an extra operation and avoids any kind of race window.