ENOTDIR - NotDirectoryException or FileSystemException ?

[David M. Lloyd]

For what my opinion is worth, I agree.  I think it is perfectly 
reasonable to expand the definition of NotDirectoryException to include 
this case, even though I do acknowledge Alan's point that there is a 
subtle difference.

On 11/15/2012 09:20 AM, Jim Gish wrote:
> Moving a discussion between Alan and me here that was on core-libs-dev.
> In short, I'm suggesting that
> UnixException.translateToIOException(File,String) check for
> UnixConstants.ENOTDIR and throw a NotDirectoryException instead of the
> more general FileSystemException.
>
>
> On 11/15/2012 06:48 AM, Alan Bateman wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> Exactly -- that's my point.  This is one of those cases.  You're
>>> trying to create a new file in a directory, but the file you
>>> specified isn't a directory - it's a plain file.  The error code
>>> coming back is ENOTDIR and so what you get is the more general
>>> FileSystemException with "Not a directory" as the error message, when
>>> in fact, we could throw NotDirectoryException if we'd simply check
>>> for errno of ENOTDIR in the first place along with the other checks
>>> being done in UnixException translateToIOException(File,String).
>> This isn't an obvious as it might seem because having ENOTDIR always
>> map to DirectoryNotEmptyException may cause that exception to be
>> thrown in other cases too.  Additionally, this specific exception was
>> intended for cases where you attempt to do something on a directory
>> but it turns out the file is not a directory, this is subtly different
>> to the case here. So we need to separate this one, I think the
>> FileSystemException that you are seeing now is reasonable.
>>
> I assume you meant to say NotDirectoryException, above.  I realize that
> it might be thrown in other cases, but seems appropriate.  I'm fine with
> it staying as FileSystemException, but would like to understand this
> thoroughly.  The only cases I can see breaking are those that expect the
> more general FileSystemException and are counting on the message being
> "Not a directory".  Those would break /unless /NotDirectoryException
> also carried the message "Not a directory", which we can't do since
> there are currently other messages being used, such as the path in error.
>
> You say "this specific exception was intended for cases where you
> attempt to do something on a directory but it turns out the file is not
> a directory".  Isn't that what we're doing in this case?  We're
> attempting to create a file in the path specified (which is not, as it
> turns out, a directory).
>
> Thanks,
>     Jim
>
>> -Alan
>
> --
> Jim Gish | Consulting Member of Technical Staff | +1.781.442.0304
> Oracle Java Platform Group | Core Libraries Team
> 35 Network Drive
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> jim.gish at oracle.com
>


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