Input/Output: Exploring java.io

Chapter 20

Input/Output: Exploring java.io

This chapter explores java.io, which provides support for I/O operations. Chapter 13 presented an overview of Java’s I/O system, including basic techniques for reading and writing files, handling I/O exceptions, and closing a file. Here, we will examine the Java I/O system in greater detail.

As all programmers learn early on, most programs cannot accomplish their goals without accessing external data. Data is retrieved from an input source. The results of a program are sent to an output destination. In Java, these sources or destinations are defined very broadly. For example, a network connection, memory buffer, or disk file can be manipulated by the Java I/O classes. Although physically different, these devices are all handled by the same abstraction: the stream. An I/O stream, as explained in Chapter 13, is a logical entity that either produces or consumes information. An I/O stream is linked to a physical device by the Java I/O system. All I/O streams behave in the same manner, even if the actual physical devices they are linked to differ.