pentaho/pentaho-kettle · error · ContentCreationException

File already exists.

Error message

File already exists.

What it means

FileObjectContentLocation.createLocation(name) creates a sub-location; if the resolved child file object already exists it throws ContentCreationException 'File already exists.' instead of overwriting or returning the existing location.

Solutions

1. Check existence first (getLocation(name) or exists) and reuse the existing location instead of creating.
2. Delete the existing location if a fresh directory is required.
3. Generate unique location names per run (timestamp/run-id).
4. Synchronize creation across concurrent workers.

Example fix

// before
ContentLocation sub = location.createLocation("exports");
// after
ContentLocation sub = location.getLocation("exports");
if (sub == null) {
  sub = location.createLocation("exports");
}

ContentLocation existing = location.getLocation(name); // null when absent
boolean exists = existing != null;

try {
  sub = location.createLocation(name);
} catch (ContentCreationException e) {
  if (e.getMessage().equals("File already exists.")) sub = location.getLocation(name);
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling createLocation(name) where file.resolveFile(name).exists() is true.

Common situations: Re-running a reporting job that creates the same sub-directory each run; concurrent jobs both attempting to create the same location; leftover artifacts from a previous failed run.

Understand the failure class

Background: "already exists" / EEXIST / FileAlreadyExistsException: what the 'file already exists' error means and how to fix it — this error's family across 37 libraries.

Related errors

• File already exists:
• Failed to create the content-location
• Not File nor directory.
• AbstractFileErrorHandler.Exception.CouldNotCreateFileErrorHandlerForFile
• Append file in repository is not possible

AI-assisted analysis of pentaho/pentaho-kettle@f3058517a1 (2026-09-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/72f3ea4ce8df92c4. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at plugins/pentaho-reporting/impl/src/main/java/org/pentaho/di/trans/steps/pentahoreporting/urlrepository/FileObjectContentLocation.java:189

  }

  /**
   * Creates a new content location in the current location. This method must never return null. This method will fail
   * if an entity with the same name exists in this location.
   *
   * @param name the name of the new entity.
   * @return the newly created entity, never null.
   * @throws ContentCreationException if the item could not be created.
   */
  public ContentLocation createLocation( final String name ) throws ContentCreationException {
    if ( RepositoryUtilities.isInvalidPathName( name ) ) {
      throw new IllegalArgumentException( "The name given is not valid." );
    }
    try {
      final FileObject file = getBackend();
      final FileObject child = file.resolveFile( name );
      if ( child.exists() ) {
        throw new ContentCreationException( "File already exists." );
      }
      child.createFile();
      try {
        return new FileObjectContentLocation( this, child );
      } catch ( ContentIOException e ) {
        throw new ContentCreationException( "Failed to create the content-location", e );
      }
    } catch ( FileSystemException e ) {
      throw new RuntimeException( e );
    }
  }

  /**
   * Checks, whether an content entity with the given name exists in this content location. This method will report
   * invalid filenames as non-existent.
   *
   * @param name the name of the new entity.
   * @return true, if an entity exists with this name, false otherwise.

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