This article will guide you through the process of reading and writing data to a file in C programming language. We will cover the basics of file handling in C, including opening, reading, writing, and closing files.
File Handling in C
In C, files are handled using the `stdio.h` library, which provides functions for opening, reading, writing, and closing files. The most commonly used functions for file handling in C are:
- `fopen()`: Opens a file and returns a file pointer.
- `fread()`: Reads data from a file and stores it in a buffer.
- `fwrite()`: Writes data from a buffer to a file.
- `fclose()`: Closes a file and releases the file pointer.
Writing Data to a File
To write data to a file in C, you need to follow these steps:
- Open the file in write mode using `fopen()`.
- Write data to the file using `fwrite()`.
- Close the file using `fclose()`.
Here is an example code snippet that demonstrates how to write data to a file:
#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
FILE *fp;
char data[] = "Hello, World!";
// Open the file in write mode
fp = fopen("example.txt", "w");
if (fp == NULL) {
printf("Error opening file!\n");
return 1;
}
// Write data to the file
fwrite(data, sizeof(char), strlen(data), fp);
// Close the file
fclose(fp);
printf("Data written to file successfully!\n");
return 0;
}
Reading Data from a File
To read data from a file in C, you need to follow these steps:
- Open the file in read mode using `fopen()`.
- Read data from the file using `fread()`.
- Close the file using `fclose()`.
Here is an example code snippet that demonstrates how to read data from a file:
#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
FILE *fp;
char data[100];
// Open the file in read mode
fp = fopen("example.txt", "r");
if (fp == NULL) {
printf("Error opening file!\n");
return 1;
}
// Read data from the file
fread(data, sizeof(char), 100, fp);
// Close the file
fclose(fp);
printf("Data read from file: %s\n", data);
return 0;
}
Complete Program
Here is the complete program that demonstrates how to read and write data to a file in C:
#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
FILE *fp;
char data[] = "Hello, World!";
char read_data[100];
// Open the file in write mode
fp = fopen("example.txt", "w");
if (fp == NULL) {
printf("Error opening file!\n");
return 1;
}
// Write data to the file
fwrite(data, sizeof(char), strlen(data), fp);
// Close the file
fclose(fp);
printf("Data written to file successfully!\n");
// Open the file in read mode
fp = fopen("example.txt", "r");
if (fp == NULL) {
printf("Error opening file!\n");
return 1;
}
// Read data from the file
fread(read_data, sizeof(char), 100, fp);
// Close the file
fclose(fp);
printf("Data read from file: %s\n", read_data);
return 0;
}
FAQs
- What is the purpose of the `fopen()` function in C?
The `fopen()` function is used to open a file and return a file pointer.
- What is the purpose of the `fwrite()` function in C?
The `fwrite()` function is used to write data from a buffer to a file.
- What is the purpose of the `fread()` function in C?
The `fread()` function is used to read data from a file and store it in a buffer.
- What is the purpose of the `fclose()` function in C?
The `fclose()` function is used to close a file and release the file pointer.
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