CUIT101/111/114 CUT-SEST 3/24/2017

FILE INPUT
AND OUTPUT
 CUIT101/111/114 CUT-SEST 3/24/2017

2 CONTENTS

• What is a file?
• Types of Files
• File Handling Functions
• Example Code
 CUIT101/111/114 CUT-SEST 3/24/2017

3 WHAT IS A FILE?

• A collection of bytes stored on secondary storage, e.g. A hard disk

• Bytes make up pixels, characters, integers, pages, paragraphs or
database records.
• Stores data and programs

• Files allow different operations because of their structure

• Different files require specific programs to display and access their
bytes
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4 TYPES OF FILES

• ASCII TEXT(.txt)
• Stores sequences of characters
• Read/write one character at a time (no simultaneous operations)
• Functions actually process data sequentially (even full-line reading functions)
• Character conversions may be done to suit operating system requirements.
• Processed sequentially from beginning to end-of-file (EOF)
• BINARY
• Stores collections of bytes
• No sequential processing of data
• Each byte transferred to/from disk unprocessed
• Allow both sequential access and random-access
• Processed using simultaneous read and write operations
• E.g. Database files
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5 SOME FILE HANDLING FUNCTIONS

(1)
Function Description
1 fopen() Creates a new file or opens an existing file
2 fclose() Closes a file
3 getc() Reads a character from a file
4 putc() Writes a character to a file
5 getw() Reads an integer from a file
6 putw() Writes an integer to a file
7 fscanf() Reads a set of data from a file
8 fprintf() Writes a set of data to a file
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6 SOME FILE HANDLING FUNCTIONS

(2)
Function Description
9 fseek() Sets the file cursor to a desired point
10 ftell() Gives the current file cursor position in the file
11 rewind() Sets the file cursor to the beginning of the file
12 fread() Reads bytes from a binary file
13 fwrite() Writes bytes to a binary file
14 fgets() Reads a particular length of string from a file
15 fgetc() Reads a character from a file
16 feof() Returns 1(true) if EOF has been reached, otherwise
returns 0(false)
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7 DEFINING A FILE POINTER

• FILE *file_ptr; //pointer to a file object

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8 OPENING A FILE

• #define MYFILE "stud_pers.txt"

• file_ptr = fopen(MYFILE, “option");
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9 TEXT FILE OPENING OPTIONS

Option Meaning
r Opens a text file in read mode
w Opens or creates a text file in write mode
a Opens a file in append mode
r+ Opens a text file in both read and write mode
w+ Opens a text file in both read and write mode
a+ Opens a text file in both read and write mode
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10 BINARY FILE OPENING OPTIONS

Option Meaning
rb Opens a binary file in read mode
wb Opens a binary file in write mode
ab Opens a binary file in append mode
rb+ Opens a binary file in both read and write mode
wb+ Opens a binary file in both read and write mode
ab+ Opens a binary file in both read and write mode
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11 EXITING ON ERROR OF FILE

OPENING
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <stdio.h>
if ( !file_ptr)
{
perror("fopen()");
exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
}
• perror() first prints the message followed by a colon and the implementation-defined
message that describes the most recent error
• exit() immediately terminates entire program execution and also closes all open files
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12 TESTING IF A FILE DOES NOT EXIST

if (file_ptr == NULL)
{
printf("File %s does not exist! \n", MYFILE);
}
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13 APPENDING DATA TO A FILE

file_ptr = fopen(MYFILE, "a");

printf("Enter name: ");
scanf("%s",full_name);
printf("Enter date of birth (dd/mm/yyyy): ");
scanf("%s",dob);
fprintf(file_ptr,"%s \t %s \n",full_name, dob);
fclose(file_ptr);
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14 OVERWRITING A FILE

file_ptr = fopen(MYFILE, "w");

fprintf(file_ptr, "%s", FILE_HEAD);
//do something

fprintf(file_ptr, "%s %s \n", full_name, dob);

fclose(file_ptr);
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15 PRINTING ALL CONTENTS OF A FILE

file_ptr = fopen(FILE1, "r"); do

char c; {
if (file_ptr == NULL)
c = getc(file_ptr);
{
putchar(c); //display on
printf("File %s does not exist! \n",
screen
FILE1);
}while (c!= EOF);
}
else }

{ fclose(file_ptr);
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16 SKIPPING THE FIRST LINE IN A FILE

(1)
• Option 1
#define MAX_LINE_LENGTH 80
char buf[MAX_LINE_LENGTH];
file_ptr = fopen(FILE1, "r");
fgets(buf, MAX_LINE_LENGTH, file_ptr);

• fgets() reads full line, provided you know the length of each line
in the file. If you don’t, use Options 2 or 3.
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17 SKIPPING THE FIRST LINE IN A FILE

(2)
• Option 2
fscanf(file_ptr, "%*[^\n]\n", NULL);
• * indicates to not put the found pattern anywhere
• Whatever is saved is put into NULL, means not saved
• [^\n] means any character except newline.
• \n means newline.
• [^\n]\n means a full text line ending with newline.
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18 SKIPPING THE FIRST LINE IN A FILE

(3)
• Option 3

char c;
do
c = fgetc(file_ptr);
while (c != '\n')

• Read character by character until you get to the end of line marker
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19 SKIPPING LINES THAT START WITH

A SPECIFIC CHARACTER (E.G. #)
char buf[0x1000];
while ( fgets(buf, sizeof(buf), file_ptr) != NULL)
{ if (buf[0] == '#') continue; //immediately go back to while 
// do stuff
}
• while first tests if line is not blank, fgets() gets a full line that is max 1000
characters long

• //0x means what follows is HEX number HENCE 0x1000 = 16 3+ 0*162 + 0*161 +
0*160 = 4096
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20 READING FILE CONTENTS INTO
VARIABLES
char buf[MAX_LINE_LENGTH];
file_ptr = fopen(FILE1, "r");
fgets(buf, MAX_LINE_LENGTH,
file_ptr);
/* If items are stored line by line and
match defined variables, */
printf("%s", buf);
do {
3/24/2017
fscanf(file_ptr, "%s %s",
full_name, dob);
printf("%s \t %s \n", full_name,
dob);
/*or do something with data in
the variables, e.g. Store in array */
} while (!feof(file_ptr));
fclose(file_ptr);
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21 EXERCISE: PROPELLER GEARBOX
EXPERIMENTS
• Note: (variables, units) indicated in brackets.
• A propeller operating in open water can be
characterised by several parameters, the propeller
torque (a, Nm), the engine torque(b, Nm), the
gear ratio (c, fraction), the rotational speed of the
engine (d, Hz), and the rotational speed of the
propeller (e, Hz) and the gearbox efficiency (f,
fraction).
• These parameters are related as follows: d = ce
and a = fcb making d and a calculated fields.
• Each trial of the propeller (identified by a unique
integer trial number) adjusts one or more of the
non-calculated variables.
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• Bearing in mind that a full record of a trial of
the propeller includes all entered variables and
all calculated variables, write a program that
allows the user to
• Add a full record to a text file, where each
record occupies its own line.
• Find a specific record in the file and print it out.
• Delete a specific record in the file
• Overwrite a specific record in the file
• View all records in the file
• Your program must present a flexible user
menu.and must also make use of structures
when working with the records.