How to see if resource file exists in Java?

Question

I am trying to output text to a resource file in Java like so:

File file = new File(MLM.class.getClassLoader().getResource("mazes.txt").toString()); BufferedWriter out = new BufferedWriter(new FileWriter(file)); .. 

but because the resource file has not been created I get a null pointer exception. How can I create a blank resource file first if it doesn't exist already to avoid this error?

Answer 1

A simple null check would suffice

URL u = MLM.class.getResource("/mazes.txt"); if (u != null) {          ... } 

From the javadoc for getResource

Returns:
A URL object or null if no resource with this name is found