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Reading and Writing Data to a File in C

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:

  1. Open the file in write mode using `fopen()`.
  2. Write data to the file using `fwrite()`.
  3. 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:

  1. Open the file in read mode using `fopen()`.
  2. Read data from the file using `fread()`.
  3. 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

  1. What is the purpose of the `fopen()` function in C?

    The `fopen()` function is used to open a file and return a file pointer.

  2. What is the purpose of the `fwrite()` function in C?

    The `fwrite()` function is used to write data from a buffer to a file.

  3. 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.

  4. 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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