How to check if a file is in use?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ken Adams
  • Start date Start date
K

Ken Adams

Hello there, basically I have a little app that goes through a list of files
and renames them according to some selectable options and all I need to know
is how to check if the file is in use by someother process or application
before I attempt to process it. It seems this should be a simple task, but
any help would be appreciated.

Cleave
 
Hi,

Ken Adams said:
Hello there, basically I have a little app that goes through a list of
files and renames them according to some selectable options and all I need
to know is how to check if the file is in use by someother process or
application before I attempt to process it. It seems this should be a
simple task, but any help would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

Your best shoot is trying to rename it, and if an exception is throw , well
then you cannot and go to the next :)
 
I know of no way to do this easily, or even conveniently. I have found that
the most optimal way is simply to attempt to perform an operation on the
file, using a Try/Catch. If the operation fails, the Exception will mention
that the file is already in use, and you can handle it by trying again, or
some other means.

--
HTH,

Kevin Spencer
Microsoft MVP
..Net Developer
You can lead a fish to a bicycle,
but it takes a very long time,
and the bicycle has to *want* to change.
 
Ken said:
Hello there, basically I have a little app that goes through a list of files
and renames them according to some selectable options and all I need to know
is how to check if the file is in use by someother process or application
before I attempt to process it. It seems this should be a simple task, but
any help would be appreciated.

Cleave
Click to expand...
Get a copy of "handle" from www.sysinternals.com. I don't know if they are
provding source on that one but it shows all files in use!

/steveA
 
Steve Alpert said:
Get a copy of "handle" from www.sysinternals.com. I don't know if they
are provding source on that one but it shows all files in use!
Click to expand...

The trouble is, even if you are able to know that it wasn't in-use, it may
become in-use in that instant before you decided to do something with it.
Better to just try it and see if it works.

-- Alan
 
The trouble is, even if you are able to know that it wasn't in-use, it may
become in-use in that instant before you decided to do something with it.
Better to just try it and see if it works.
Click to expand...

exactly, The only way to do it is trying to open it and handling the
exception if not
 
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