Programming Fundamentals using C

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Module H: Files
 Programming Fundamentals using C

Objectives
• What is a file?
• How are data stored in files?
• How to access data in a text file?

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Contents

1- What is a file?
2- File types
3- Ways for accessing files
4- Connecting to a file
5- Declaration a file variable
6- Steps for accessing a file
7- File Functions and Demonstrations
Bonus- Text Files and Parallel Arrays

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 Programming Fundamentals using C

1- What is a file?
• A complete, named collection of information,
such as a program, a set of data used by a
program, or a user-created document. A file is
the basic unit of storage that enables a computer
to distinguish one set of information from
another. A file is the “glue” that binds a
conglomeration of instructions, numbers, words,
or images into a coherent unit that a user can
retrieve, change, delete, save, or send to an
output device (from MS Computer Dictionary)

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What is a file?...
• A file is not necessarily stored contiguously on a
secondary storage device .
• Disk  Track  Sector
• Some sectors  Cluster
• Unit of disk allocation: Cluster
• This cluster contains data to point to the next
one.
• The contents of a file is accessible after we have
turned the power off and back on at a later time.

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2- File Types
• The fundamental unit of a file is a byte. 
• A file is a stream of bytes. 
• A file concludes with a special mark called the
end of file mark (EOF).
• Based on the way used to store data:
– Text file: Unit of data in a file is an ASCII code of
character.
– Binary file: Unit of data in a binary byte  Each
byte on the file is a direct image of the
corresponding byte in memory

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File Types…
Characters 01000001
“ABC” 01000010
01000001 (‘A’) 01000011
01000010 (‘B’) Text file
01000011 (‘C’) 00110010
00000000 (NULL) 00110110
ASCII codes 00110000
of digits
Data 00110010 (‘2’)
00110110 (‘6’)
00110000 (‘0’)
Number
260 (2 bytes) convert
00000001 Binary
00000001 file
00000100
00000100

Text format is more portable than binary format

But binary format is more efficient than text format
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3- Ways for Accessing Files

• Typically, a file consists of records that
we can access in either of two ways
– randomly (like CD's, hard disks) or
– sequentially (like Cassette Tapes).

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4- Connecting to a File
• Os manages hardware  Connecting a file in
a program should be announced to the OS.
• OS can manage some files concurrently. At a
time, only one file can be accessed 
Information about the opened file must be
maintained for next read or write.
typedef struct _iobuf
stdio.h
{
char* _ptr;
int_cnt;
char* _base;
int _flag;
int _file;
int _charbuf;
int _bufsiz;
char* _tmpfname;
} FILE;
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5- Declaration
• FILE* identifier ; typedef struct _iobuf
{
• Example char* _ptr;
int_cnt;
#include <stdio.h> char* _base;
int _flag;
FILE* f=NULL; int _file;
• The variable f will be int
int
_charbuf;
_bufsiz;
updated when a specific char* _tmpfname;
} FILE;
file is opened.
• f points to a memory block
having the pre-defined
structure

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6- Steps for Accessing a File

Reading file to variables Writing variables to file

1) Select file by filename 1) Select file by filename

// function // function
2) Open the file. 2) Open the file
3) Determine the position in the 3) Determine position in the
file will be read. file will be written.
4) Loop 4) Loop
Read file contents to variables. - Set data to variables (if needed)
Process variables. - Write data of variables
5) Close file to file
5) Close file

Generally, we used to process Specify a filename (a string):

a file from the begin of the file. Absolute pathname:
“c:/t1/t11/f1.txt” or
“c:\\t1\\t11\\f1.txt”
File in the current folder: “f1.tcxt”

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To specify a filename
D:

T1 T2 T3

T21 f4.txt
T22

T221 T222 f3.txt

“f1.txt”
When p.exe “./f1.txt”
executes, the “.\\f1.txt”
directory T222 is T2221 f1.txt p.exe ”T2221/f2.txt”
the working “./T2221/f2.txt”
(current) directory. “../f3.txt”
f2.txt “D:/T3/f4.txt”

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7- Some Common File Functions

Purpose STDIO.H Syntax
Open a file FILE* fopen(char fname[], char mode[])
Close a opening file int fclose(FILE*)
Read a character int fgetc(FILE*)
Write a character int fputc(char, FILE*)  EOF (-1)
Read a string fgets( char S[], int nbytes, FILE* f);  NULL if EOF
Write a string fputs ( char*, FILE*)
Read a number fscanf ( FILE*, char* format, PointerList)
Write a number fprintf ( FILE*, char* format, VarList)
Test whether the file is EOF? int feof(FILE*)
Rewind to the beginning void rewind (FILE*)
Get the current file position long ftell(FILE*)
Move the current position int fseek (FILE*, long offset, int fromPos)
Rename a closed file rename ( char fName[], char newName[])
Remove a closed file remove ( char fName[])
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7.1- The fopen() function

FILE *fopen(char file_name[], char mode[]);
• file_name parameter is a null-byte terminated
string containing the name of the file. 
• mode parameter is a null-byte terminated
string containing the connection mode
– "r" - read from the file,
– "w" - write to the file: if the file exists, truncate its
contents and then write; if the file does not exist,
create a new file and then write to that file,
– "a" - write to the end of the file: if the file exists,
append to the end of the file; if the file does not
exist, create it and then write.

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The fopen() function…

• The other connection modes for text files are
– "r+" - opens the file for reading and possibly writing,
– "w+" - opens the file for writing and possibly
reading; if the file exists, truncates its contents and
then writes to the file; if the file does not exist,
creates a new file and then writes to that file,
– "a+" - opens the file for writing to the end of the file
and possibly reading; if the file exists, appends to
the end of the file; if the file does not exist, creates
it and then writes to the file.
– Modes for binary files: “rb”, “wb”, “r+b”, “w+b”,”a+b”
• fopen returns NULL if the attempt to connect
to the file fails.

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7.2- The fclose() function

int fclose(FILE *); 0: successful, EOF (-1): fail
• File opened writing, fclose writes any data
remaining in the file stream's buffer to the file
and concludes by appending an end of file
mark immediately after the last character. 
• File opened reading, fclose ignores any
data left in the file stream's buffer and closes
the connection. 
• fclose can fail if the secondary storage medium is
full, an I/O error occurs or the medium has been
prematurely removed.

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7.3- The fgetc(), fputc() Functions

Return Function Parameter

The next byte read (ASCII int fgetc(FILE* fp) Pointer of the file opened
code)
or EOF(-1) End of File

The character written int fputc( int ch, FILE* fp) Character will be written to
or EOF the file

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 Programming Fundamentals using C

Demonstration 1
Write a C-program that
will use command line
to perform writing a
text file from
characters inputted by
user until the keys
Ctrl+Z then ENTER
are pressed.
Syntax of the program:
copy_con filename

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Demonstration 1…

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Demonstration 1…

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Demonstration 1…

argCount=1 argCount=2

args[0]: name of the program

args[1]: parameter of the
program

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Demonstration 1…

Function for printing the content of a text file

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7.4- The fgets(), fputs() Functions

Return Function Parameter
Success: str char* fgets(char* str, int num, FILE* fp) num: Maximum number
Fail: NULL of characters will be read
Success: >=0 int fputs( char* str, FILE* fp) str: string is written
Fail: EOF (-1) will be written to the file

The fgets() function reads characters from the file associated with fp into a string
pointed to by str until num-1 characters have been read, a newline character is
encountered, or the end of the file is reached. The string is null-terminated and the
newline character is retained. The function returns str if successful and a null pointer if
an error occurs.

The fputs() function: The null that terminates str is not written and it does not
automatically append a carriage return/linefeed sequence.

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Demonstration 2

Write a C-program that will performs the

following operations:
- User enters a filename of a text file
- User will enter data to the file line-by-line
until a null string is inputted.
- User will see the content of the file.

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Demonstration 2…

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Demonstration 2…

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Demonstration 2…

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7.5- The fscanf(), fprintf() Functions

Return Function Parameter
- Success: int fscanf(FILE* fp, char* format, They are the same in the
Number of data ListOfVarAddresses) function scanf()
items which are
read
- Fail: 0 or
EOF(-1)
int fprintf( FILE* fp, char* format, They are the same in the
VarList) function printf()

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Demonstration 3

Write a C-program that will perform the

following operations:
- User enters a filename of a text file
- User will enter data to the file line-by-line
until a null string is inputted.
- User will see the content of the file.
(The problem of the previous demo. But, the
functions fscanf() and fprintf() are used.)

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Demonstration 3….

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Demonstration 3…

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Demonstration 3…

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Demonstration 4
• Create a file, named array1.txt. The first number in the
file is number of elements of an integer array. The later
numbers are values of elements.

• Write a C-program that will:

• Read the array contained in the above file.
• Print it’s elements in ascending order to monitor.
• Write it to the file array2.txt using the same format with the file
array1.txt.
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Demonstration 4…

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Demonstration 4…

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Demonstration 5
• Create a file, named array3.txt containing real numbers.

• Write a C-program that will:

• Print out number of values
• Print out the average of values contained in the above file.

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Demonstration 5…

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Demonstration 6: rewind(FILE*)

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Demonstration 7: fseek(…)

content for testing fseek function

content for testing fseek function
content for testing fseek function
content for testing fseek function EOF
(2bytes)
content for testing fseek function

content for testing fseek function

content for testing fseek function

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 Programming Fundamentals using C

Summary
• File: Related data that are stored in a mass
storage (disks).
• Files are managed by the operating system
(OS).
• OS identifies a file through it’s name.
• To specify a absolute filename in C:
“C:\\f1\\f11\\file1.dat” or “C:/f1/f11/file1.dat”
• To process data in a file: We need to know
format and meaning of each data in file.

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Summary
Purpose STDIO.H Syntax
Open a file FILE* fopen(char fname[], char mode[])
Close a opening fle int fclose(FILE*)
Read a character int fgetc(FILE*)
Write a character int fputc(char, FILE*)  EOF (-1)
Read a string fgets( char S[], int nbytes, FILE* f);  NULL if EOF
Write a string fputs ( char*, FILE*)
Read a number fscanf ( FILE*, char* format, PointerList)
Write a number fprint ( FILE*, char* format, VarList)
Test whether the file is EOF? int feof(FILE*)
Rewind to the beginning void rewind (FILE*)
Get the current file position long ftell(FILE*)
Move the current position int fseek (FILE*, long offset, int fromPos)
Rename a closed file rename ( char fName[], char newName[])
Remove a closed file remove ( char fName[])
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Summary

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Summary

Text ch= fgetc(f); char ch; int fputc(ch,f); Text

file file

fgets(S,nbytes,f); char S[20]; fputs(S,f);

!=NULL or NULL

numeric
fscanf ( f, “%♣” , &x); variable fprintf ( f, “%♣” , x);
x

Return value:
-1 (EOF) end-of- file error or file error
>0 : read successfully

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Thank You

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