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Home Interviews How do you log all file system operations (create, read, write, delete) in an application? – MindStick
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1 Answers

ICSM Computer
ICSM Computer 15 May 2025
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To log all file system operations (create, read, write, delete) in a C# application, you need to manually intercept or wrap each file operation since .NET does not automatically log them.

Here are common strategies:

1. Wrap File Access in a Logging Utility Class

Create a custom static helper class that logs every file operation.

using System;
using System.IO;

public static class FileLogger
{
    public static string ReadAllText(string path)
    {
        Log("READ", path);
        return File.ReadAllText(path);
    }

    public static void WriteAllText(string path, string content)
    {
        Log("WRITE", path);
        File.WriteAllText(path, content);
    }

    public static void Delete(string path)
    {
        Log("DELETE", path);
        File.Delete(path);
    }

    public static void Create(string path)
    {
        Log("CREATE", path);
        using (File.Create(path)) { }
    }

    private static void Log(string action, string path)
    {
        Console.WriteLine($"{DateTime.Now}: {action} -> {path}");
        // Or write to a log file or database
    }
}

2. Use FileSystemWatcher for External Monitoring

Use FileSystemWatcher to detect file changes in real time within a directory.

using System;
using System.IO;

class Watcher
{
    public static void StartWatching(string folderPath)
    {
        var watcher = new FileSystemWatcher(folderPath)
        {
            IncludeSubdirectories = true,
            EnableRaisingEvents = true
        };

        watcher.Created += (s, e) => Console.WriteLine($"Created: {e.FullPath}");
        watcher.Changed += (s, e) => Console.WriteLine($"Changed: {e.FullPath}");
        watcher.Deleted += (s, e) => Console.WriteLine($"Deleted: {e.FullPath}");
        watcher.Renamed += (s, e) => Console.WriteLine($"Renamed: {e.OldFullPath} → {e.FullPath}");
    }
}

Note: FileSystemWatcher does not detect read operations and can sometimes miss events under high activity.

3. Optional: Use Interception or AOP

  1. For larger applications:
  2. Use Aspect-Oriented Programming (AOP) (e.g., PostSharp) to intercept methods.
  3. For advanced scenarios, hook into Windows API using tools like ETW (Event Tracing for Windows) or Detours (native-level, not C#).

Summary

Method Captures Read Write Delete Remarks
Logging Wrapper (C#) Yes Yes Yes Best control; manual
FileSystemWatcher No Yes Yes External, async
Windows Audit Policy Yes Yes Yes System-wide; needs admin

Read More

  1. How do you periodically archive old log files based on size or date?
  2. What are the best practices to handle large log files in C#?
  3. How do you implement retry logic when reading a file that may be temporarily unavailable?
  4. How can you restrict file size when writing to a log file?
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