How to WriteAllText but restrict to overwrite the existing file? - vb.net

Question

Jan 8. 2023:
The AppendAllText can append into existing file and can create a file if no file exist.
the WriteAllText can Write into new created file and overwrite the existing file.
I'm trying to find another alltext for what I want to happen.
What I want to do is to save my textboxcontent.text into txt file.
I want to save 3 different content that will be displayed into my textboxcontent.text
And I only have one button.
That one button will open savefiledialog but with the code I have, I can only do 2 things, Write and Append.
Now, This is what suppose to happen.
*If I save the textcontent.text to an existing txt file, it will prompt message box "Do you want to overwrite this file?" And even if I click Yes, it will not allow to.
I must be able to create new txt file since I was not able to overwrite the file.
The reason is because I don't want to delete or overwrite the existing file with important information saved in it.
I hope somebody can help me.
This is the code I have.
```Imports System.io
Private lastSaveFileName As String = String.Empty
Private Function GetSaveFileName3(ByVal suggestedName As String) As String
Using sfd3 As New SaveFileDialog()
sfd3.Filter = "Text Files (*.txt) |*.txt"
sfd3.FileName = suggestedName
sfd3.OverwritePrompt = True
If DialogResult.OK Then
End If
If sfd3.ShowDialog() = DialogResult.OK Then
MessageBox.Show(
Me, "Your activity is not saved! This file have records from your last session, you cannot overwrite this file. Please create new file to save new records.",
"Save error", MessageBoxButtons.OK, MessageBoxIcon.Exclamation
)
Else
End If
Return String.Empty
End Using
End Function
Private Sub Button6_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button6.Click
lastSaveFileName = GetSaveFileName3(lastSaveFileName)
If Not String.IsNullOrEmpty(lastSaveFileName) Then
File.AppendAllText(lastSaveFileName, TextContent.Text)
End If
End Sub ' This code above includes IMPORTS.IO
Jan 9, 2023: Update
This is what I've done so far.
I tried to use the File.Exist but I don't know where to place it to make it run in the way I wanted.
Please see this code and help me fix it.
This code is running well in almost the way I want. I'm missing something.
Imports System.IO
Private lastSaveFileName As String = String.Empty
Private Sub SaveFile_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles SaveFile.Click
If Not File.Exists(lastSaveFileName) Then
lastSaveFileName = GetSaveFileName(lastSaveFileName)
If Not String.IsNullOrEmpty(lastSaveFileName) Then
File.WriteAllText(lastSaveFileName, txtdisplay1.Text)
End If
ElseIf File.Exists(lastSaveFileName) Then
lastSaveFileName = GetSaveFileName2(lastSaveFileName)
If Not String.IsNullOrEmpty(lastSaveFileName) Then
File.WriteAllText(lastSaveFileName, txtdisplay1.Text)
End If
End If
End Sub
Private Function GetSaveFileName2(ByVal suggestedName As String) As String
Using sfd As New SaveFileDialog()
sfd.Filter = "Text Files (*.txt) |*.txt"
sfd.FileName = suggestedName
sfd.OverwritePrompt = True
If sfd.ShowDialog() = DialogResult.OK Then
'If File.Exists(lastSaveFileName) Then
MessageBox.Show(
Me, "Your activity is not saved! This file have records from your last session, you cannot overwrite this file. Please create new file to save new records.",
"Save error", MessageBoxButtons.OK, MessageBoxIcon.Exclamation
)
End If
Return String.Empty
End Using
End Function
Private Function GetSaveFileName(ByVal suggestedName As String) As String
Using sfd As New SaveFileDialog()
sfd.Filter = "Text Files (*.txt) |*.txt"
sfd.FileName = suggestedName
sfd.OverwritePrompt = True
If sfd.ShowDialog() = DialogResult.OK Then
Return sfd.FileName
End If
Return String.Empty
End Using
End Function
With this code, I was able to save the textdisplay to a txtfile but it's like, it's bypassing the Elseif function.
Sometimes, poeple forgot to avoid important files and accidentally deleted it. This is what I'm preventing to happen.
I let the overwriteprompt true to let it ask the user if they want to replace. It accidentally click the yes, this will show message "This file have records from your last session, Please create new file to save new records." means that even the user want to replace it, the program will not allow it. I don't want to remove that scenario.
(Scenario 1)
What happen in this code is this, when I click the button, savefiledialog pop up and giving me choice how I want to save the textdisplay.
I can create new file or replace existing file.
First, I choose to replace, and a messagebox shows and saying, I can't replace the file.
Then I create new file, it lets me save the txt display normally.
(scenario 2)
That's what I want. The code runs that way at first, but if you click the button again, and try to create new file first, the message box will show saying I can't replace the file. then when I choose to replace, no message box shows and the file was replace. I lost the file.
That's where I need help. I only want the Scenario 1.
Please try on your own I you don't get what I mean.

Answer 1

I tried this and this code works the way I want.
Private Sub SaveButton_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles SaveButton.Click
Dim saveFileDialog1 As New SaveFileDialog()
saveFileDialog1.Filter = "Text files (*.txt)|*.txt|All files (*.*)|*.*"
saveFileDialog1.FilterIndex = 2
saveFileDialog1.RestoreDirectory = True
If saveFileDialog1.ShowDialog() = DialogResult.OK Then
If File.Exists(saveFileDialog1.FileName) Then
MessageBox.Show("A file with that name already exists. Please select a different file name or choose a different location to save the file.")
Else
File.WriteAllText(saveFileDialog1.FileName, Txtdisplay1.Text)
End If
End If
End Sub
Answered by: schoemr