2. /** * Returns a file (not directory) located at or within fileOrDirectory * that has been edited most recently, according to the file's last Modified) method. * If fileOrDirectory does not contain any files, returns null * If multiple files were last modified at the same time, any of them may * be returned. * * @param fileOrDirectory the file or directory to start searching from * @return a File f located at or within FileOrDirectory which contains the largest value of f.last Modified) * public static File findLatestFile(File fileOrDirectory) { This method makes use of the last Modified) File method (documentation here), which returns a long (which is a type of number, similar to an int) denoting when the file was last modified & saved. Higher values means that the file has been modified later in time. These values can be compared using normal relational operators, like > Assuming your directory structure matches the structure in the screenshot above, some example behavior follows: findLatest File(new File("src")); // should return a File pointing to the java file you saved most recently