Thread: Streams related questions..

[list=1][*]When opening a file (fopen) , whats the difference between string and binary modes?? or in other words , why\when would i use one over the other??
[*]why do data stored in binary mode looks like gibberish??
[*] how do i save a file with a name that has more than 7
characters preceding the dot such as "textfilename.txt" ?? my compiler truncates the name till it becomes "textfil.txt"..
[*] Can anyone explain (or point me to a site) that shows clearly\simply (with diagrams if possible) the relation between a File , its stream and how data transfers back and forth between them?[/list=1]


Appreciate your help

Try the FAQ at this website. Google is another option.

Well i've checked the FAQ before asking and it doesn't answer any of my questions.

And i've searched google too but all what i've got was either C projects code or refferences to other languages.

Please answer as many as you can\want or link me to a site that answers my question(s). I really got tired of searching..

1) Binary mode is a raw stream of characters. No translations are made for values that are treated specially by the system, such as end-of-file. A binary file may contain valid data that matches the end-of-file code. If the file were opened in text mode that translation would be made and you would improperly read the contents.

2) Because it isn't supposed to be a printable format. When you open a binary file in a text editor, the editor tries its best to represent the nonprintable characters, resulting in gibberish.

3) That's an implementation defined issue. Get a better compiler.

4) Not clearly/simply. The concept is rather difficult, so any decent explanation will appear obscure. Take a look at "The Standard C Library" by P. J. Plauger, it describes the streaming system and implements it completely.

Thanks alot for the replies guys , especially Prelude .