File Delete detection

Question

Is there a good way to detect deletes in Java? I know I can loop through the contents of a folder and compare the previous results, but is there a better event driven way?

Answer 1

I think this can interest You: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1031931/what-is-the-easiest-way-to-track-a-change-in-a-folder-in-java

Answer 2

There's no pure-java way to do what you describe. Here's a project that uses the JNI to do filesystem monitoring on Windows and Lniux, but I don't endorse it (I merely found it through google).

Answer 3

The name of the Java 7 feature you'll be interested in (when it is properly available) is the WatchService.