Copying saved files from a List<File> into a directory recursively in java

Question

I have searched for this answer and I have tried to solve the problem but I can't. I got and Exception of type

No fue posible copiar los archivos. Motivo: C:\Test1 (Acceso denegado)java.io.FileNotFoundException: C:\Test1 (Acceso denegado)
java.io.FileNotFoundException: C:\Test1 (Acceso denegado)

Translated would be something like "It was not possible copying the files. Motive: (Access denied)".

What I am trying to do is to copy a List into a directory recursively.

I could simply copy the files recursively (I already did that) but the requirements are to copy all into a List and then do whatever I want (copy, delete, etc) with the records in the list.

My List contains this records:

C:\Test\Carpeta_A
C:\Test\Carpeta_A\Entrenamiento_1.txt
C:\Test\Carpeta_A\Requerimientos.txt
C:\Test\Carpeta_B
C:\Test\Carpeta_B\queries.txt
C:\Test\Things.txt

Here is my code:

This is the main method.. it calls a method for listing and saving the files and directories and then calls the method for copying the files into another directory preserving my main structure:

public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException
{
        String fuente = "C:/Test";
        String ruta   = "C:/Test1";
        teeeeeest listing = new teeeeeest();
        List<File> files = listing.getFileListing(fuente);

        listing.copyDirectories(files, ruta);         
}

 public List<File> getFileListing( String fuente ) throws FileNotFoundException
 {              
            List<File> result = getFileListingNoSort(fuente);
            Collections.sort(result);
            return result;
  }

 private List<File> getFileListingNoSort( String fuente ) throws FileNotFoundException 
 {
            File source = new File(fuente);
            List<File> result = new ArrayList<>();
            File[] filesAndDirs = source.listFiles();
            List<File> filesDirs = Arrays.asList(filesAndDirs);
            for(File file : filesDirs) {
              result.add(file); //always add, even if directory
              String s = file.getPath().trim();
              if (! file.isFile()) {
                //must be a directory
                //recursive call!
                List<File> deeperList = getFileListingNoSort(s);
                result.addAll(deeperList);
              }
            }
            return result;
  }

public static void copyDirectories(List<File> files, String destiny) 
            throws IOException 
    {
        InputStream in   = null;
        OutputStream out = null;
        File targetPath = new File(destiny);
        System.out.println(targetPath.getPath());


        for(int i = 0; i < files.size(); i++)
        {
            File temp = new File(files.get(i).toString());
            //System.out.println(temp.getPath());               

            try
            {
                if(temp.isDirectory())
                {
                    if(!targetPath.exists())
                    {
                        targetPath.mkdir();
                    }                                               


                    File[] filesAndDirs = temp.listFiles();
                    List<File> filesDirs = Arrays.asList(filesAndDirs);
                    for(File file : filesDirs) 
                    {  

                      if (! file.isFile())
                      {
                        //must be a directory
                        //recursive call!
                          copyDirectories(filesDirs,destiny);

                      }
                    }

                }
                else
                {
                    in = new FileInputStream(files.get(i).toString());
                    out = new FileOutputStream(targetPath);
                    System.out.println(temp.getPath());                    

                    byte[] buf = new byte[1024];
                    int len;
                    while ((len = in.read(buf)) > 0) 
                    {
                        out.write(buf, 0, len);
                    }
                }                   
            }
            catch(Exception e)
            {
                System.err.println("No fue posible copiar los archivos. Motivo: " + e.getMessage() + e);
                e.printStackTrace();

            }           
        }
    }

Answer 1

It would be very bad of me to just paste the working code here, it will not help you to think about what the problems are. I will try to give you enough without giving everything: Please mark my answer as accepted if it helps you.

1: You should not sort the file listing. The order the files are read in is important so that you don't get files before directories in your list. That said, it doesn't matter if you sort them because the shorter names, which are the directories, will appear first anyway. Still, don't do work you shouldn't be doing. Remove the getFileListing method and use only the getFileListingNoSort.

List<File> files = listing.getFileListingNoSort(fuente);

2: You need to pass both the source and the destination directories to copyDirectories so that you can make a destination filename from the source filename.

listing.copyDirectories(files, fuente, ruta);

3: You need to create a destination file out of the source filename. There may be better ways, but using simple String parsing will do the trick:

File temp = files.get(i);
String destFileName = destiny + temp.toString().substring(source.length());
File destFile = new File(destFileName);

4: You must create the new directories based on the new destFile. You are using the targetPath, which is only the base directory, not the new directory that needs to be created.

if(!destFile.exists())
{
    destFile.mkdir();
}                                               

5: After you make the destination directory, there is nothing else to do. Remove all that code after that up to the 'else'

6: Your outfile should be the new destFile you created.

out = new FileOutputStream(destFile);

7: close your input and output streams or the file copies will not be complete.

in.close();
out.close();

That should get you going. Use an IDE if you can so that you can step through the program with a debugger and see what's happening.

Answer 2

In your copyDirectories method calls the destiny is always the same value, even in recursive calls. You are copying all the files to the same destination file.