How do I get a file's directory using the File object?

Question

In either case, I'd expect file.getParent() (or file.getParentFile()) to give you what you want.

Additionally, if you want to find out whether the original File does exist and is a directory, then exists() and isDirectory() are what you're after.

File.getParent() from Java Documentation

If you do something like this:

File file = new File("test.txt");
String parent = file.getParent();

parent will be null.

So to get directory of this file you can do next:

parent = file.getAbsoluteFile().getParent();

File API File.getParent or File.getParentFile should return you Directory of file.

Your code should be like :

    File file = new File("c:\\temp\\java\\testfile");
    if(!file.exists()){
        file = file.getParentFile();
    }

You can additionally check your parent file is directory using File.isDirectory API

if(file.isDirectory()){
    System.out.println("file is directory ");
}

File filePath=new File("your_file_path");
String dir="";
if (filePath.isDirectory())
{
    dir=filePath.getAbsolutePath();
}
else
{
    dir=filePath.getAbsolutePath().replaceAll(filePath.getName(), "");
}

File directory = new File("Enter any 
                directory name or file name");
boolean isDirectory = directory.isDirectory();
if (isDirectory) {
  // It returns true if directory is a directory.
  System.out.println("the name you have entered 
         is a directory  : "  +    directory);  
  //It returns the absolutepath of a directory.
  System.out.println("the path is "  + 
              directory.getAbsolutePath());
} else {
  // It returns false if directory is a file.
  System.out.println("the name you have
   entered is a file  : " +   directory);
  //It returns the absolute path of a file.
  System.out.println("the path is "  +  
            file.getParent());
}