[FIXED] How to output file as terminal shows in JAVA? (Java 14 Intellij IDEA)

Issue

I need to read an input txt file and formatted print as an output file. Since I output it in terminal through multiple statements, fileOutput.println() doesn't work well. The output file is empty. Is there any other way I can output the file as the terminal shows? Thanks.

The input txt file is:

My terminal shows the formatted print as expected:

My code is as follow:

import java.io.File;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.io.PrintWriter;
import java.util.Scanner;



public class ReadFile {
    public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException {
        String[] words; // array of strings

        Scanner fileInput = new Scanner(new File("/Users/transactions_input.txt"));
        File outputFile = new File("/Users/transactions_output.txt");
        PrintWriter fileOutput = new PrintWriter(outputFile);

        while (fileInput.hasNext()) {
            // read a line, split it with comma as a delimiter, and store them as an array
            words = fileInput.nextLine().split(",");
            // formatted print
            if (words.length == 2) {
                System.out.println(words[0] + "," + words[1]);
            }
            else if (words.length == 4) {
                System.out.println(words[0] + "," + words[1]);
                System.out.println(words[0] + "," + words[2]);
                System.out.println(words[0] + "," + words[3]);
        }
            else if (words.length == 3) {
                System.out.println(words[0] + "," + words[1]);
                System.out.println(words[0] + "," + words[2]);
            }

            fileOutput.println();
        
        }
    }
}

Solution

Your code prints the formatted lines to stdout, while only one statement prints to the desired output file.

Replace the calls to System.out.println() with fileOutput.println().

E.g.: fileOutput.println(words[0] + "," + words[1]);

instead of: System.out.println(words[0] + "," + words[1]);

Remember to close the PrintWriter or use try-with-resources.

Alternatively, you can print to stdout and use output redirection when executing the program.

Answered By - Asaf Amnony

Answer Checked By - Marilyn (PHPFixing Volunteer)