How should i place cleanup code in a finally block to close a file?

[Natalie55]

I’m trying to understand how to properly use a finally block in my exception handling. I have a piece of code that opens a file connection, and I want to ensure the connection closes whether an exception occurs or not, but I’m not sure if I’m placing my cleanup logic correctly.

[PaisleyVH]

Yeah I used a finally block once. I opened the file, did the work, and closed the handle in that block.

[Matthew.J]

I tried that approach, but in practice I still ran into cases where the close failed because something happened while tearing down, and it felt like chasing a ghost.

[Grace.G]

Are you sure the cleanup is the real problem, or is the earlier code path holding the resource longer than it should?

[Brian_A]

Sometimes I forget to check the resource state before closing, and I end up calling close twice. It taught me to add a guard, but it’s still rough.