Strange error moving folder in temp using moveItemAtPath. Cocoa Error 516

Question

I try to move the file folder to a temporary folder, but I always get the same error: The operation could not be completed. (Cocoa error 516.)

This is the code, do you see anything strange? Thanks in advance.

    // create new folder
NSString* newPath=[[self getDocumentsDirectory] stringByAppendingPathComponent:@"algo_bueno"];
NSLog(@"newPath %@", newPath);
if ([[NSFileManager defaultManager] fileExistsAtPath:newPath]) {
    NSLog(@"newPath already exists.");
} else {
    NSError *error;
    if ([[NSFileManager defaultManager] createDirectoryAtPath:newPath withIntermediateDirectories:YES attributes:nil error:&error]) {
        NSLog(@"newPath created.");
    } else {
        NSLog(@"Unable to create directory: %@", error.localizedDescription);
        return;
    }
}

// create a file in that folder
NSError *error;
NSString* myString=[NSString stringWithFormat:@"Probando..."];
NSString* filePath=[newPath stringByAppendingPathComponent:@"myfile.txt"];
if ([myString writeToFile:filePath atomically:YES encoding:NSUTF8StringEncoding error:&error]) {
    NSLog(@"File created.");
} else {
    NSLog(@"Failed creating file. %@", error.localizedDescription);
    return;
}

// move this folder and its folder
NSString *tmpDir = NSTemporaryDirectory();
NSLog(@"temporary directory, %@", tmpDir);
if ([[NSFileManager defaultManager] moveItemAtPath:newPath toPath:tmpDir error:&error]) {
    NSLog(@"Movido a temp correctamente");
} else {
    NSLog(@"Failed moving to temp. %@", error.localizedDescription);
}

Answer 1

Error 516 is equal to NSFileWriteFileExistsError

You cannot move the file to a place where the file already exists :)

(see here docs - https://developer.apple.com/library/mac/#documentation/Cocoa/Reference/Foundation/Miscellaneous/Foundation_Constants/Reference/reference.html and search for '516')

---

More useful, your destination path should be a file name, not a folder. Try the following:

// move this folder and its folder
NSString *tmpDir = NSTemporaryDirectory();
NSString *tmpFileName = [tmpDir stringByAppendingPathComponent:@"my-temp-file-name"];
NSLog(@"temporary directory, %@", tmpDir);
if ([[NSFileManager defaultManager] moveItemAtPath:newPath toPath:tmpFileName error:&error]) {
    NSLog(@"Movido a temp correctamente");
} else {
    NSLog(@"Failed moving to temp. %@", error.localizedDescription);
}

Answer 2

temp, :

NSFileManager

CFUUIDRef uuid = CFUUIDCreate(NULL);
CFStringRef uuidString = CFUUIDCreateString(NULL, uuid);
NSString *tmpDir = [[NSTemporaryDirectory() stringByAppendingPathComponent:(NSString *)uuidString];
CFRelease(uuid);
CFRelease(uuidString);
// MOVE IT
[[NSFileManager defaultManager] moveItemAtPath:myDirPath toPath:tmpDir error:&error]

Answer 3

The destination path for moveItemAtPath:toPath:error:should be a completely new path for the file or directory in which you are navigating. As you do this now, you are basically trying to overwrite the temp directory with your file.

Simple fix:

NSString *targetPath = [tmpDir stringByAppendingPathComponent:[newPath lastPathComponent]];
if ([[NSFileManager defaultManager] moveItemAtPath:targetPath toPath: error:&error]) {
   NSLog(@"Moved sucessfully");
}