1 Types of Files

2 File Operations

Files
3 File Handling functions

4 File Positions
 Text File (or) ASCII File - The file that
contains ASCII codes of data like
File Types
digits, alphabets and symbols is
called text file (or) ASCII file.

Text or ASCII File Binary File

Binary File - The file that contains

data in the form of bytes (0's and 1's)
is called as binary file. Generally, the
binary files are compiled version of
text files.
 1 Creating a file

2 Reading a file
Operations
on files 3 Writing a file

4 Closing a file
 Creating / Opening
a file

We use the pre-defined method fopen()

To create a new file or open an to create a new file or to open an
existing file, we need to create a existing file.
file pointer of FILE type. There are different modes in which a file
can be opened.

Following is the sample code for

creating file pointer. FILE *f_ptr ;
f_ptr = fopen("abc.txt", "w") ;
File *f_ptr ;
 File Modes
r Opens a text file in reading mode.

w Opens a text file in writing mode.

a Opens a text file in append mode.

r+ Opens a text file in both reading and writing mode.

Opens a text file in both reading and writing mode. It set the cursor position to
w+ the beginning of the file if it exists.

Opens a text file in both reading and writing mode. The reading operation is
a+ performed from begining and writing operation is performed at the end of the file.
 Note

• The above modes are used with text files only. If we want to work with

binary files we use

• rb, wb, ab, rb+, wb+ and ab+.

 1 getc()

2 getw()

Reading from
a file 3 fscanf()

4 fgets()

5 fread()
 getc()

• getc( *file_pointer )
• This function is used to read a character from specified
file which is opened in reading mode.
• It reads from the current position of the cursor.
• After reading the character the cursor will be at next
character.
 Code for getc()

#include<stdio.h>
#include<conio.h>
int main()
{
FILE *fp;
char ch;
fp = fopen("a.txt","r");
printf("Reading character from the file: %c\
n",getc(fp));
ch = getc(fp);
printf("ch = %c", ch);
fclose(fp);
getch();
return 0;
}
Output
 getw()

• getw( *file_pointer )
• This function is used to read an integer value form the
specified file which is opened in reading mode.
• If the data in file is set of characters, then it reads ASCII
values of those characters.
 Code for getw()

#include<stdio.h>
#include<conio.h>
int main()
{
FILE *fp;
int i,j;
fp = fopen("a1.txt","w");
putw(65,fp); // inserts A
putw(97,fp); // inserts a
fclose(fp);
fp = fopen("a1.txt","r");
i = getw(fp); // reads 65 - ASCII value of A
j = getw(fp); // reads 97 - ASCII value of a
printf("SUM of the integer values stored in
file=%d",i+j);//65+97=162
fclose(fp);
return 0;
}
Output
 fscanf()

• fscanf( *file_pointer, typeSpecifier, &variableName )

• This function is used to read multiple datatype values
from specified file which is opened in reading mode.
 Code for fscanf()
#include<stdio.h>
#include<conio.h>
int main()
{
char str1[10], str2[10], str3[10];
int year;
FILE * fp;
fp = fopen ("file5.txt", "w+");
fputs("We are in 2023", fp);
rewind(fp); // moves the cursor to begining of the file
fscanf(fp, "%s %s %s %d", str1, str2, str3, &year);
printf("Read String1 - %s\n", str1 );
printf("Read String2 - %s\n", str2 );
printf("Read String3 - %s\n", str3 );
printf("Read Integer - %d", year );
fclose(fp);
return 0;
}
Output
 fgets()

• fgets(variableName, numberOfCharacters, *file_pointer )

• This method is used for reading a set of characters from
a file which is opened in reading mode starting from the
current cursor position.
• The fgets() function reading terminates with reading
NULL character.
 Code for fgets()

#include<stdio.h>
#include<conio.h>
int main()
{
FILE *fp;
char str[100];
fp = fopen ("file.txt", "r");
fgets(str,6,fp);
printf("str = %s", str);
fclose(fp);
getch();
return 0;
}
 fread()

• fread(source, sizeofrElement, noOfChar, FILE *pointer )

• This function is used to read specific number of
sequence of characters from the specified file which is
opened in reading mode.
 Code for fread()

#include<stdio.h>
#include<conio.h>
#include<string.h>
int main()
{
FILE *fp;
char str[100];
fp = fopen("file.txt","r");
fread(str,sizeof(char),5,fp);
str[strlen(str)+1] = 0;
printf("str = %s", str);
fclose(fp);
return 0;
}
 1 putc()

2 putw()

Writing into a
file 3 fprintf()

4 fputs()

5 fwrite()
 putc()

• putc( char, *file_pointer )

• This function is used to write/insert a character to the

specified file when the file is opened in writing mode.
 Code for putc()

#include<stdio.h>
#include<conio.h>
int main()
{
FILE *fp;
char ch;
fp = fopen("file1.txt","w");
putc('A',fp);
ch = 'B';
putc(ch,fp);
fclose(fp);
return 0;
}
 putw()

• putw( int, *file_pointer )

• This function is used to writes/inserts an integer value to

the specified file when the file is opened in writing mode.
 Code for putw()

#include<stdio.h>
#include<conio.h>
int main()
{
FILE *fp;
int i;
fp = fopen("file2.txt","w");
putw(66,fp);
i = 100;
putw(i,fp);
fclose(fp);
return 0;
}
 fprintf()

• fprintf( *file_pointer, "text" )

• This function is used to writes/inserts multiple lines of

text with mixed data types (char, int, float, double) into
specified file which is opened in writing mode.
 Code for fprintf()

#include<stdio.h>
#include<conio.h>
int main()
{
FILE *fp;
char *text = "\nthis is example text";
int i = 10;
fp = fopen("file3.txt","w");
fprintf(fp,"This is line1\nThis is line2\n%d",i);
fprintf(fp,text);
fclose(fp);
return 0;
}
 fputs()

• fputs( "string", *file_pointer )

• This method is used to insert string data into specified

file which is opened in writing mode.
 Code for fputs()

#include<stdio.h>
#include<conio.h>
int main()
{
FILE *fp;
char *text = "\nthis is example text";
fp = fopen("file4.txt","w");
fputs("Hi!\nHow are you?",fp);
fclose(fp);
return 0;
}
 fwrite()

• fwrite( “StringData”, sizeof(char), noOfChar, FILE *ptr )

• This function is used to insert specified number of

characters into a binary file which is opened in writing
mode.
 Code for fwrite()

#include<stdio.h>
#include<conio.h>
int main()
{
FILE *fp;
char *text = "Welcome to C Language";
fp = fopen("file5.txt","w");
fwrite(text,sizeof(char),5,fp);
fclose(fp);
return 0;
}
 Closing a file

• Closing a file is performed using a pre-defined method

fclose().
• fclose( *f_ptr )
• The method fclose() returns '0'on success of file close
otherwise it returns EOF (End Of File).
 rewind( *file_pointer )
File
pointers • This function is used reset the cursor
position to the beginning of the file.

ftell() rewind() fseek()

fseek( *file_pointer, noOfChar, fromPosition)

• This function is used to set the cursor
ftell( *file_pointer )
position to the specific position.
• This function returns the
• beginning of the file (indicated with 0)
current position of the
• current cursor position (indicated with 1)
cursor in the file.
• ending of the file (indicated with 2)
 Code for ftell()

#include<stdio.h>
#include<conio.h>
int main() Output:
{
FILE *fp; Cursor position = 0
int position; Cursor position = 5
fp = fopen ("file4.txt", "r");
position = ftell(fp);
printf("Cursor position = %d\n",position);
fseek(fp,5,0);
position = ftell(fp);
printf("Cursor position = %d", position);
fclose(fp);
return 0;
}
 Code for rewind()

#include<stdio.h>
#include<conio.h>
int main()
Output:
{
Cursor position = 0
FILE *fp;
Cursor position = 5
int position;
Cursor position = 0
fp = fopen ("file4.txt", "r");
position = ftell(fp);
printf("Cursor position = %d\n",position);
fseek(fp,5,0);
position = ftell(fp);
printf("Cursor position = %d\n", position);
rewind(fp);
position = ftell(fp);
printf("Cursor position = %d", position);
fclose(fp);
return 0;
}
 Code for fseek()

#include<stdio.h>
#include<conio.h>
int main()
Output:
{
Cursor position = 0
FILE *fp;
Cursor position = 5
int position;
Cursor position = 12
fp = fopen ("file4.txt", "r");
position = ftell(fp);
printf("Cursor position = %d\n",position);
fseek(fp,5,0);
position = ftell(fp);
printf("Cursor position = %d\n", position);
fseek(fp, -5, 2);
position = ftell(fp);
printf("Cursor position = %d", position);
fclose(fp);
return 0;
}