FAQ: How do I write text to a file using Java?

Answer: I've found the most convenient way to do this is with a FileWriter and a PrintWriter. I use both a FileWriter and a PrintWriter because although the PrintWriter has more convenience methods to write with, the FileWriter will throw an exception on instantiation if something goes wrong (such as trying to write to a directory instead of a file), while the PrintWriter does not.

Here's a complete sample Java program that demonstrates this file-writing process. I create a File, wrap that in a FileWriter, then wrap that in a PrintWriter.

package com.devdaily.javasamples;

import java.io.File;
import java.io.FileWriter;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.io.PrintWriter;

/**
 * Demonstrates how to write to a file using Java.
 * Uses a File, FileWriter, and PrintWriter.
 * The PrintWriter offers many convenience methods for writing text.
 * Created by Alvin Alexander, http://devdaily.com.
 */
public class JavaWriteTextToAFileExample
{

  public static void main(String[] args) 
  {
    PrintWriter pw = null;
    try
    {
      pw = new PrintWriter(new FileWriter(new File("/Users/al/HelloWorld.txt")));
      // a print writer gives you many more methods to write with
      pw.println("Hello, World");
    }
    catch (IOException e)
    {
      e.printStackTrace();
      // deal with the exception
    }
    finally
    {
      pw.close();
    }
  }

}