How do I check to see if any file in a directory is locked?

I consume a nightly automated query which generates over 100 files and places them in a given directory.

If any of the files in the directory are locked for editing by another user, the "job" won't complete.

Is there a way in MATLAB to check to see if any file in a given directory is locked?

Answer 1

[Pat Canny]

There is a function in the MATLAB Report Generator utilities called "isFileLocked".

Here is one way to use that function to check to see if any file in a given directory is locked.

aFolder = "\\someDirectory\someSubdirectory";
filesInFolder = dir(aFolder);
fileNames = string({filesInFolder(3:end).name})'; % the first two items are not actual file names
numFiles = numel(fileNames);
fileLocked = false(1,numFiles);
for i=1:numFiles
    thisfileName = fullfile(aFolder,fileNames(i));
    fileLocked(i) = mlreportgen.utils.isFileLocked(thisfileName);
end
if any(fileLocked)
    disp("A file is locked")
    lockedFiles = fileNames(fileLocked)
else
    disp("No files are locked. All is well!")
end

[Stephen23]

"the first two items are not actual file name"

This is incorrect, as any regular reader of this forum will know.

It is also very easy to demonstrate that it is incorrect:

fclose(fopen('+2.txt','w'));
S = dir();
S.name

ans = '+2.txt'

ans = '.'

ans = '..'

S.isdir

ans = logical
   0

ans = logical
   1

ans = logical
   1

Learn more here:

https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/345841-unexplained-error-on-dir#answer_271627

https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/21150-function-call#comment_46042

https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/394807-create-text-file-containing-list-of-file-names#comment_556641

https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/288815-gui-for-loop-not-working-correctly#answer_224956

https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/484430-using-struct-dir-selpath-what-do-and-mean-as-struct-name#answer_395754

https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/40949-omitting-pointers-when-listing-folder-contents#answer_50568

https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/13978-list-of-files-sorting#answer_19278

As Walter Roberson wrote in that last link: "In short: if your code assumes that '.' and '..' are the first two entries in a directory, your code has a bug (even in MS Windows). If your code assumes that directory entries are returned in any sorted order, your code has a bug (in all OS.)"