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File Handling

File handling notes

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10 views4 pages

File Handling

File handling notes

Uploaded by

Information technology
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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File Handling in C++

The File Handling I

Basics of Files

• File: A file is a collection of data stored on a disk with a specific name and format.
• C++ provides file handling capabilities through the <fstream> header, which
includes three classes:
o ifstream: Input file stream for reading from files.
o ofstream: Output file stream for writing to files.
o fstream: File stream for both reading and writing.

Types of Disk I/O

• Sequential Access: Data is accessed in a specific order, starting from the


beginning.
• Random Access: Data can be accessed directly using file pointers without
following a sequential order.

Standard Input/Output

• Standard Input: Refers to the default input device, usually the keyboard. In C++, it
is represented by std::cin.
• Standard Output: Refers to the default output device, usually the console. In C++,
it is represented by std::cout.

Binary Mode and Text Mode

• Text Mode: The file is interpreted as a sequence of characters. End-of-line


characters may be translated (e.g., \n to a carriage return in some systems).
• Binary Mode: The file is treated as a sequence of bytes with no translation. Used for
non-text data such as images or executables.

File Operators

• Operators are used to manipulate file streams:


o << (Insertion): Writes data to the file.
o >> (Extraction): Reads data from the file.

End-Of-File (EOF)

• EOF: A special condition that indicates the end of a file has been reached.
• Function: eof() method can be used with file streams to check for EOF.

while (!file.eof()) {
// Read data
}

The File Handling II

Opening and Closing a File

• Opening a File:
o Use the open() function or constructor of the stream class.

ofstream outFile;
outFile.open("example.txt");

• Closing a File:
o Use the close() function to release file resources.

outFile.close();

Writing to a File

• Use the << operator to write data to the file.

ofstream outFile("example.txt");
outFile << "Hello, File!";
outFile.close();

Reading from a File

• Use the >> operator or file methods such as getline() to read data.
ifstream inFile("example.txt");
string data;
while (getline(inFile, data)) {
cout << data << endl;
}
inFile.close();

Error Conditions

• Check for errors during file operations using the following methods:
o fail(): Checks if a file operation failed.
o bad(): Checks for serious errors such as hardware failure.
o good(): Checks if the file stream is in a good state.

if (file.fail()) {
cout << "Error opening file!";
}

Record Input/Output

• Record Writing:
o Use binary mode to write structured data (e.g., objects or records).

struct Record {
int id;
char name[50];
};

ofstream outFile("records.dat", ios::binary);


Record rec = {1, "John Doe"};
outFile.write(reinterpret_cast<char*>(&rec), sizeof(rec));
outFile.close();

• Record Reading:
o Use binary mode to read structured data.

ifstream inFile("records.dat", ios::binary);


Record rec;
inFile.read(reinterpret_cast<char*>(&rec), sizeof(rec));
cout << "ID: " << rec.id << ", Name: " << rec.name << endl;
inFile.close();

Conclusion

File handling in C++ provides a robust mechanism for interacting with files. Understanding
the concepts of text and binary modes, standard I/O, and error handling ensures efficient
file operations for a variety of applications.

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