What are common exceptions thrown during file operations, and how do you handle them?

Question

ICSM Computer · Answer

During file operations in C#, common exceptions can occur due to various reasons such as missing files, access permissions, or path issues. Here’s a list of common exceptions along with best practices for handling them:
Common File Operation Exceptions
Exception
Description
FileNotFoundException
The file you're trying to access does not exist.
DirectoryNotFoundException
The directory path is invalid or not found.
UnauthorizedAccessException
No permission to access the file or directory (e.g., read-only or access denied).
IOException
General I/O error (e.g., file in use, disk full, etc.).
PathTooLongException
The file or directory path exceeds the system-defined max length.
NotSupportedException
Path contains a colon or invalid format.
SecurityException
The caller does not have the required permission.
ArgumentException
The path is empty, contains only white space, or has invalid characters.
Best Practice: Handling Exceptions Gracefully
using System;
using System.IO;
using System.Security;
string filePath = @"C:\some\file.txt";
try
{
    string content = File.ReadAllText(filePath);
    Console.WriteLine("File content loaded successfully.");
}
catch (FileNotFoundException ex)
{
    Console.WriteLine("Error: File not found. " + ex.Message);
}
catch (DirectoryNotFoundException ex)
{
    Console.WriteLine("Error: Directory not found. " + ex.Message);
}
catch (UnauthorizedAccessException ex)
{
    Console.WriteLine("Error: Access denied. " + ex.Message);
}
catch (IOException ex)
{
    Console.WriteLine("I/O Error: " + ex.Message);
}
catch (SecurityException ex)
{
    Console.WriteLine("Security Error: " + ex.Message);
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
    Console.WriteLine("Unexpected Error: " + ex.Message);
}
Tip:
Always catch specific exceptions first.Only use a general Exception catch block for unknown or fallback logging.Consider logging errors and notifying users without crashing the app.

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What are common exceptions thrown during file operations, and how do you handle them?

ICSM Computer

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Common File Operation Exceptions

Best Practice: Handling Exceptions Gracefully

Tip:

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Exception	Description
`FileNotFoundException`	The file you're trying to access does not exist.
`DirectoryNotFoundException`	The directory path is invalid or not found.
`UnauthorizedAccessException`	No permission to access the file or directory (e.g., read-only or access denied).
`IOException`	General I/O error (e.g., file in use, disk full, etc.).
`PathTooLongException`	The file or directory path exceeds the system-defined max length.
`NotSupportedException`	Path contains a colon or invalid format.
`SecurityException`	The caller does not have the required permission.
`ArgumentException`	The path is empty, contains only white space, or has invalid characters.