pentaho/pentaho-kettle · error · KettleException

SharedOjects.WriteToFile.ErrorWritingFile

SharedOjects.WriteToFile.ErrorWritingFile

Error message

SharedOjects.WriteToFile.ErrorWritingFile

What it means

SharedObjects.writeToFile() wraps any IOException thrown while writing the shared objects XML file into a KettleException with localized message 'SharedOjects.WriteToFile.ErrorWritingFile'. Before throwing, it attempts to restore the original file from the .backup copy so the user's shared objects file (kettle.properties-style shared objects, e.g. databases/steps saved as shared) is not lost. The boolean flag indicates whether the backup was restored.

Solutions

1. Check free disk space and free some if the volume is full
2. Grant the running user write permission on the shared objects file and its directory (e.g. ~/.kettle)
3. Verify the filesystem is mounted read-write; remount or fix container volume settings
4. Restore manually from the .backup file next to the shared objects file if it is corrupted
5. Check the wrapped cause (KettleException.getCause()) for the exact IOException

Example fix

// before
sharedObjects.saveToFile(); // throws KettleException on IO failure
// after
try {
  sharedObjects.saveToFile();
} catch ( KettleException e ) {
  boolean restored = e.getMessage().contains( "restored" ); // check log
  logError( "Could not write shared objects file; backup restored=" + restored, e );
}

java.io.File f = new java.io.File( sharedObjects.getFilename() );
if ( !f.getParentFile().canWrite() || f.exists() && !f.canWrite() ) {
  throw new IllegalStateException( "Cannot write shared objects file: " + f );
}
if ( f.getUsableSpace() < 1024 * 1024 ) {
  throw new IllegalStateException( "Low disk space" );
}

try {
  sharedObjects.saveToFile();
} catch ( KettleException e ) {
  Throwable root = e; while ( root.getCause() != null ) root = root.getCause();
  logger.error( "Shared objects write failed (backup may have been restored): {}", root.getMessage(), e );
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling saveToFile() on a SharedObjects instance when the underlying file cannot be written: disk full, read-only filesystem, missing write permission on the file/directory, or the output stream failing mid-write.

Common situations: Running Spoon/Carte/PDI jobs whose user lacks write access to ~/.kettle or the shared-objects directory; read-only container filesystems; full disks during long transformation runs; antivirus/backup tools locking the shared.xml file on Windows.

Understand the failure class

Background: "failed to write file", "Could not save figure", "Error saving remote file" — file write failed: causes and fixes across languages and libraries — this error's family across 38 libraries.

Related errors

• MailConnection.Error.WriteMboxFile
• Cannot open control file
• Cannot open data file
• ChangeFileEncoding.Error.CreatingFile
• Couldn't write to the database cache

AI-assisted analysis of pentaho/pentaho-kettle@f3058517a1 (2026-09-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/4e6dcf0704894838. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at engine/src/main/java/org/pentaho/di/shared/SharedObjects.java:319

      out = new PrintStream( outputStream );

      out.print( XMLHandler.getXMLHeader( Const.XML_ENCODING ) );
      out.println( "<" + XML_TAG + ">" );

      Collection<SharedObjectInterface> collection = objectsMap.values();
      for ( SharedObjectInterface sharedObject : collection ) {
        String xmlContent = sharedObject.getXML();
        out.println( xmlContent );
      }
      out.println( "</" + XML_TAG + ">" );
    } catch ( Exception e ) {
      // restore file if something wrong
      boolean isRestored = false;
      if ( backupFileName != null ) {
        restoreFileFromBackup( backupFileName );
        isRestored = true;
      }
      throw new KettleException(
        BaseMessages.getString( PKG, "SharedOjects.WriteToFile.ErrorWritingFile", isRestored ), e );
    } finally {
      if ( out != null ) {
        out.flush();
      }
      if ( out != null ) {
        out.close();
      }
      if ( out != null ) {
        outputStream.close();
      }
    }
  }

  private FileObject getFileObjectFromKettleVFS( String filename ) throws KettleFileException {
    return KettleVFS.getInstance( DefaultBowl.getInstance() ).getFileObject( filename );
  }

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