Question

I have this small code

    File source;
    if ( !source.exists() ) {
        source = new File("instances/student"+student.getStudentID()+".data");
    }

The problem is, source is not initialized. Since the whole point is to check if it exists, how do I avoid this?

Answer 1

Create a File object.

File source = new File(...);

What constructor you use depends on how you want to locate a file. A simple path String could be enough.

EDIT: just realized the source of your confusion may be that you think creating the File object will try to locate the file or create it on the file system. That’s not the case. Just calling new File(...) won’t check its existence or try to create it. A File object is simply an abstraction for a path in your file system. It could be a directory as well.