How to close a file in exception handling situation?

"   Now we are in the catch block, we just need one thing - TO DELETE THAT INCOMPLETE FILE.   "

Have you checked that you actually need to do that?  As I remember files opened to be written are provisional and become permanent only when the 'real' directory entry is written (when you close after having finished writing)

>>Have you checked that you actually need to do that?

(Which is why i said the following):

>>Check that it exists first

A file that can not be created ........ will not exist.  Quite logical.

;JOOP!

>> A file that can not be created ........ will not exist.  Quite logical.

Not necessarily so. Sometimes a new empty file is the result

Facts:
1. File exists - DAMN SURE
2. While the application is running and a breakpoint is put at that exception point, and tried to delete the file manually thru Windows Explorer also its showing an error message - FILE IN USE
3. We cannot close - As I already told CLOSE is also THROWING the same EXCEPTION.
4. Exited the application and then tried to open that INCOMPLETE EXCEL FILE ON FLOPPY - Gave ERROR OPENING.
5. Exitied the application and tried to delete it manually thru Windows Explorer - FILE DELETED SUCCESSFULLY

Thanks for responses - Please continue

Make sure you don't have the file open in another application

I am putting a small demo - ITS NOT THE ACTUAL CODE. But you can have the feel

import java.io.*;

public class FileInUseDelete
{
      public FileInUseDelete()
      {
            FileWriter fw = null;

            try{
                  fw = new FileWriter(file);

                  // write some 2 Mega Bytes
                  for(int i=0; i<2000000; i++)
                  {
                        fw.write('a');
                  }
                  fw.close();
            }catch(IOException e){
                  e.printStackTrace();

                  // purposefully you will reach here
                  // dont try to close b'kas that what you cannot do with JExcelApi - as it is the one which is throwing excpetions
                  // JUST DELETE THE FILE - PLEASE

                  /* Will not work with JExcelApi
                  try{
                        fw.close();
                  }catch(IOException e2){
                        e2.printStackTrace();
                  }*/

                  File f = new File(file);
                  f.delete();
            }
      }

      public static void main(String args[])
      {
            new FileInUseDelete();
      }

      private String file = "a:\\candelete.me";
}

And please try to think and visualize before filling-up the thread with comments - Thanks

Firstly, you should retain a File and its reference from the start. Secondly, you ought to have a finally block as i mentioned

try calling deleteOnExit()

http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.2/docs/api/java/io/File.html#deleteOnExit()

I tried with deleteOnExit() too - It didnot work

Good point..

So as an alternative you could use the Workbook.createWorkbook() methods that take an output stream.. then the JExcelApi expects you to manage the stream yourself.. and you will have control over the stream so that if an Exception occurs..

-Matt