08 Intermediate: File I/O in C Programming

What is a binary file in C?

A binary file is a file that contains data in a non-human-readable format, often used for storing complex data structures.

What is a delimiter in a text file?

A delimiter in a text file is a character or sequence of characters used to separate fields or values within the file.

What is a file descriptor in C?

A file descriptor is an integer that represents an open file within a process. It is used in low-level file I/O operations.

What is a file pointer in C?

A file pointer is a variable that points to the current position in a file. It is used for reading and writing data in the file.

What is a file stream in C?

A file stream is a stream of data between your program and a file, established when you open a file for reading or writing.

What is a text file in C?

A text file is a file that contains human-readable text, typically in the form of characters and lines of text.

What is the purpose of error checking when opening a file in C?

Error checking when opening a file ensures that the file exists and can be opened successfully before performing read or write operations.

What is File I/O in programming?

File Input/Output (File I/O) is a mechanism that allows programs to read data from and write data to files on a storage device.

What is the difference between binary and text mode when opening a file in C?

In binary mode, the file is treated as a binary file, and data is read or written as-is. In text mode, certain transformations may be applied, like converting newline characters.

What is the difference between reading and writing modes in file I/O?

Reading modes (e.g., "r") are used for reading data from a file, while writing modes (e.g., "w") are used for writing data to a file.

What is the purpose of the `feof` function in C?

The `feof` function in C is used to check if the end-of-file indicator has been set for a file stream.

What is the purpose of the `fprintf` function in C?

The `fprintf` function in C is used to format and write data to a file stream.

What is the purpose of the `fseek` function in C?

The `fseek` function in C is used to move the file position indicator to a specific location within a file.

What is the purpose of the `ftell` function in C?

The `ftell` function in C is used to get the current file position indicator's position within a file.

What is the purpose of the `rewind` function in C?

The `rewind` function in C is used to move the file position indicator back to the beginning of a file.

How do you read and write CSV (Comma-Separated Values) files in C?

To read and write CSV files, you can use text I/O functions like `fscanf` and `fprintf`, parsing and formatting data based on the comma delimiter.

How do you check if a file was opened successfully in C?

You can check if a file was opened successfully by checking the return value of the `fopen` function. It returns a pointer to the file if successful and `NULL` if an error occurred.

How do you close a file in C?

You can close a file in C using the `fclose` function. For example: `fclose(file);`

How do you open a file for reading in C?

You can open a file for reading in C using the `fopen` function. For example: `FILE *file = fopen("example.txt", "r");`

How do you open a file for writing in C?

You can open a file for writing in C using the `fopen` function with the "w" mode. For example: `FILE *file = fopen("output.txt", "w");`

How do you open a file in append mode in C?

You can open a file in append mode in C using the `fopen` function with the "a" mode. For example: `FILE *file = fopen("log.txt", "a");`

How do you read a line from a text file in C?

You can read a line from a text file using the `fgets` function. For example: `fgets(buffer, sizeof(buffer), file);`

How do you read and write binary data structures to/from a file in C?

You can read and write binary data structures using `fread` and `fwrite` functions with the appropriate data structure and size.

How do you read and write text data structures to/from a file in C?

You can read and write text data structures by reading and writing individual elements using text I/O functions like `fscanf` and `fprintf`.

How do you read data from a file in C?

You can read data from a file in C using functions like `fscanf` or `fgets`. For example: `fscanf(file, "%d", &number);`

How do you read from the standard input (keyboard) in C?

You can read from the standard input in C using functions like `scanf` or `fgets`. For example: `scanf("%d", &number);`

How do you write binary data to a file in C?

You can write binary data to a file using the `fwrite` function. For example: `fwrite(data, sizeof(data[0]), num_elements, file);`

How do you write data to a file in C?

You can write data to a file in C using functions like `fprintf` or `fputs`. For example: `fprintf(file, "Hello, World!");`

How do you write to the standard output (console) in C?

You can write to the standard output in C using functions like `printf` or `puts`. For example: `printf("Hello, World!");`