12.

1 INTRODUCTION
• File Handling is the storing of data in a High-level I/O functions
file using a program. Function Description
• the programs store results, and other data
of the program to a file using file fopen() function is used to create a new file or open
handling in C. an existing file in C.
• Also, we can extract/fetch data from a file fclose() Closes as a file
to work with it in the program.
fprintf ( ) write data into a file
File operations
fscanf ( ) read data from a file
1. Naming a file
2. Opening an existing file putc ( )/ write a character into a file
fputc()
3. Reading data from an existing file
getc ( ) read a character from a file
4. Writing data to a file
/fgetc()
5. Closing the file
putw ( ) write a number into a file
Two ways to perform the operations in c.
1. low-level i/o and uses UNIX getw ( ) read number from a file

2. High-level i/o and uses functions in C’s fputs ( ) write a string into a file
standard library. fgets ( ) read a string from a file
fread() read an entire record from a file
fwrite() write an entire record into a file
 12.2 DEFINING AND OPENING A FILE
• To store data in a file in the secondary 1. fp as a file pointer to the data type FILE.
memory, we must specify 2. Filename- the file opened in the named
1. Filename filename and assign an identifier to the
FILE type pointer fp.
2. Data structure
3. Mode- It is a string (usually a single
3. Purpose
character ) that specifies the mode in
• file_name − It is a string that specifies the which the file is to be opened.
name of the file that is to be opened or
“r” − open for reading
created using the fopen method.
“rb” − open for reading in binary mode
It may contain two parts
“w” − open for writing only
A primary name and an optional period
with the extension. “wb” − open for writing in binary mode
• Data structure of a file is defined as FILE “a” − open for append only
in the library of standard I/O functions “ab” − open for append in binary
definition. “r+” − open for reading and writing both
• Purpose-what we want to do with the file. “rb+” − open for reading in binary mode
Example “w+” − open for writing and reading
FILE *fp; “wb+” - open for writing and reading in
fp = fopen(“file_name”, “mode”); binary mode
“a+” − open for read and append
“ab+” − open for read and append in binary
 12.3 CLOSING A FILE
• A file must be closed as soon as the all • Once the file is closed, its file pointer can
operations are completed. be reused for another file.
fclose(file_pointer); • All files are closed automatically
• Close file associated with the FILE pointer whenever a program terminates.
file_pointer.
Example
----------
----------
FILE *fp1,*fp2;
fp1=fopen(“INPUT”,”w”);
fp2=fopen(“OUTPUT”,”r”);
----------
----------
fclose(fp1);
fclose(fp2);
 12.4 INPUT/OUTPUT OPERATIONS ON FILES
The getc() and putc() function #include <stdio.h>
• The file is opened with mode w and int main()
filepointer fp1. {
putc(c,fp1); FILE *fp;
• Writes a character contained in the char c;
character variable c to the file associated printf("Data Input\n");
with FILE pointer fp1.
fp=fopen("INPUT.TXT","w");
c=getc(fp2);
while ((c=getchar()) != EOF)
• Reads a character from the file whose file
pointer is fp2. putc(c,fp);
• The file pointer moves by one character fclose(fp);
position for every operations of getc() and printf("Data Output\n");
putc(). fp=fopen("INPUT.TXT","r");
Example while ((c=getc(fp))!=EOF)
printf("%c",c);
fclose(fp);
return 0;
}
get() and putw() functions printf("Data Output\n");
• Integer oriented functions. f1=fopen("DATA.TXT","r");
• Used to read and write integer values. while ((n=getw(f1))!=EOF)
putw(integer,fp); printf("%d",n);
integer_variable=getw(fp); fclose(f1);
Example return 0;
#include <stdio.h> }
int main() Output
{ Data file
FILE *f1; 1
int n,i; 2
printf("Data file\n"); 3
f1=fopen("DATA.TXT","w"); 4
for (i=1;i<=10;i++) 5
{ 6
scanf("%d",&n); -1
if(n== -1) break; Data Output
putw(n,f1); 1 2 3 4 5 6
} .
fclose(f1);
fscanf() and fprintf() functions
printf("Item Name no price Quantity\n");
• These functions are used performed I?O for(i=1;i<=3;i++)
operations on files.
{
fprintf(fp,”control string”,list); scanf("%s %d %f %d", item, &n, &price, &qty);
fscanf(fp,control string”,list); fprintf(fp,"%s %d %f %d",item,n,price,qty);
• Where fp is a file pointer associate with a }
file that has been opened for writing. fclose(fp);
• The control string contains output printf("Data Output\n");
specifications for the items in the list. fp=fopen(filename,"r");
• The list may include variables, constants printf("Item Name no price Quantity\n");
and strings. for(i=1;i<=3;i++)
Example {
fscanf(fp,"%s %d %f %d",item,&n,&price,&qty);
#include <stdio.h>
printf("%s %d %f %d\n",item,n,price,qty);
int main()
}
{ fclose(fp);
FILE *fp; int n,qty,i; return 0;
float price,value; }
char item[10],filename[10]; Output
printf("Input file name\n");
scanf("%s",filename);
fp=fopen(filename,"w");
printf("input inventory details\n");
Output

Input file name

pen
input inventory details
Item Name no price Quantity

note
1
50.50
100
pencil
2
56.90
290
paper
3
120.00
500
Data Output
Item Name no price Quantity

note 1 50.500000 100

pencil 2 56.900002 290
paper 3 120.000000 500
 12.5 ERROR HANDLING DURING I/O
OPERATIONS
Error situations
1. Trying to read beyond the end-of-file mark.
2. Device overflow
3. Trying to use a file that has not been opened.
4. Trying to perform an operations on a file, when the file is opened for another type of
operations
5. Opening a file with an invalid filename
6. Attempting to write to a write-protected file.
• foef-use to test for an end of file condition.
• ferror-reports status of the file indicated.
Example for(i=10;i<=100;i+=10)
#include <stdio.h> {
int main() n=getw(fp2);
{ if (feof(fp2))
char *filename; {
FILE *fp1,*fp2; printf("Run out of data\n");
int i,n; break;
fp1=fopen("TEST.TXT","w"); }
for (i=10;i<=100;i+=10) else .
putw(i,fp1); printf("%d\n",n);
fclose(fp1); }
printf("Input filename"); fclose(fp2);
s:scanf("%s",filename); return 0;
if ((fp2=fopen(filename,"r"))== NULL) }
{
printf("Cannot open the file\n");
printf("Try again\n");
goto s;
}
Else
Output
Input filenametet
Cannot open the file
Try again
TEST.TXT

10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
 12.6 RANDOM ACCESS FILE
• functions for random access file
processing. value meaning
1. fseek() 0 Beginning of the file
2. ftell() 1 Current position
3. rewind()
2 End of the file
fseek()
This function is used for seeking the .
pointer position in the file at the specified
Statement Meaning
byte.
Syntax fseek(fp,0l,0); Got o the beginning
fseek( file_ptr, offset, position); fseek(fp,0l,1); Stay at the current position
file_ptr :pointer to the file concerned.
fseek(fp,0l,2); Go to the end of the file
offset: is a number or variale of type long.
fseek(fp,m,0); Move to (m+1)th byte in the
the no. positions (bytes) to be moved
file
from the location specified by position.
fseek(fp,m,1); Go forward by m bytes
position: is an integer number.
The position can take one of the three values. fseek(fp,-m10); Go backward by m bytes
from the current position
The offset may be positive, meaning move
fseek(fp,-m,2); Go backward by m bytes
forwards, or negative, meaning move
from the end
backwards
Example printf("\nThe current position of the file
#include <stdio.h> pointer is: %ld\n", ftell(fp));
int main () rewind(fp);
{ printf("The current position of the file pointer
FILE *fp; is: %ld\n", ftell(fp));
int c; printf("After rewrite the contents\n");
fp = fopen("OUTPUT.txt","w+"); printf("Read the Random Access File\n");
fputs("Random Access file example", fp); while(1)
fseek( fp, 0, SEEK_SET ); {
printf("Random Access file contains\n"); c = fgetc(fp);
while(1) if( feof(fp))
{ {
c = fgetc(fp); break;
if( feof(fp)) }
{ printf("%c", c);
break; }
} fclose(fp);
printf("%c", c); return(0);
} }
fputs("\nC Programming E Balagurusamy", fp);
fputs("\nsecond edition", fp);
Output
Random Access file contains
Random Access file example
The current position of the file pointer is: 70
The current position of the file pointer is: 0
After rewrite the contents
Read the Random Access File
Random Access file example
C Programming E Balagurusamy
second edition
 12.7 COMMAND LINE ARGUMENTS
What is a command line argument? #include <stdio.h>
void main( int argc, char *argv[] )
• It is a parameter supplied to a program when the
{
program is invoked. FILE *fp;
• This parameter may represent a filename the int i;
program should process. Char word[15];
• The command line arguments are handled using fp=fopen(argv[1],"w");
main() function arguments where argc refers to printf("No. of arguments in command line =%d\n",argc);
for(i=2;i<argc;i++)
the number of arguments passed, and argv[] is a
{
pointer array which points to each argument
fprintf(fp,"%s",argv[1]);
passed to the program. }
• In order to access the command line arguments, fclose(fp);
we must declare the main() function and its printf("contents of %s file \n",argv[1]);
parameters are fp=fopen(argv[1],"r");
main(int argc,char *argv[]) for(i=2;i<argc;i++)
{
{ fscanf(fp,"%s",word);
------------- printf("%s",word);
------------- }
fclose(fp);
}
printf("\n\n");
for(i=0;i<argc;i++)
printf("%s\n",argv[i]);
}