This is a request to add the ability to detect/create/delete symbolic links in the java.io.File class.

For example, one of our licensees would like to do:

How does one create symbolic link in java? Also how does one detect if a
directory name is a symbolic link and get the link destination?

I went through java.io.File class which does not seem to have any methods for
these purposes.

In our installation program we have to do something like the following through a
java program.

Assume that /var/opt/Xerox/MSS01 is a link to /opt/Xerox/MSS0101.

Check to see if /var/opt/Xerox/MSS01 is a symbolic link
If it is get the directory name it points to
Remove /var/opt/Xerox/MSS01
Create /var/opt/Xerox/MSS01 as a link to another directory
/opt/Xerox/MSS0102

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Another report from ###@###.###:

It would be nice if Java had a concept of symbolic
link (java.io.symlink?). I believe symbolic links
are common to most major OS (aliases in Windows/Mac)
and this could be a no-op on other platforms.

It should probably be a subclass of java.io.File
and have methods to find what it is linked to.

brian.klock@eng 1997-11-20
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