Thread: Writing an array to a file.

  1. #1
    Registered User Queatrix's Avatar
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    Question Writing an array to a file.

    How would you write a 1000 value array to a file?
    Right now I am using this:
    Code:
    ifstream outFile("file.dat", ios::out);
    while(g < 1000){
    outFile<<votes[g]<<endl;
    g=(g+1); }
    outFile.close();
    Does anyone know of a simpler way to do this?

    Thanks, August

  2. #2
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    >Does anyone know of a simpler way to do this?
    Dunno about simpler, but shorter.
    Code:
       copy( votes, votes+1000, ostream_iterator< int >(outFile,"\n") );

  3. #3
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    Does anyone know of a simpler way to do this?
    First, are you having much success using an ifstream object for output?

    A simpler way would be like this:
    Code:
    int g=0;
    while(g < 1000)
    {
    	outFile<<votes[g++]<<endl;
    }
    However, generally while loops are for looping an indeterminate number of times. For loops are for looping a set number of times:
    Code:
    for(int i = 0; i < 1000; i++)
    {
        
    
    }
    A faster way would be to assemble the data into a string, and then write to the file once. In addition, in your program you are writing to the file with no spaces between the data, so if your array looks like this:

    12, 4, 26, 2, 151

    your output file will look like this:

    124262151

    and I'm wondering how you are ever going to make sense of that data.
    Last edited by 7stud; 04-23-2005 at 06:37 PM.

  4. #4
    Registered User Queatrix's Avatar
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    Thanks, that is what I wanted to know.

    Quote Originally Posted by 7stud
    and I'm wondering how you are ever going to make sense of that data.
    I would to the same thing but reversed when collecting the data.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cool-August
    Thanks, that is what I wanted to know.


    I would to the same thing but reversed when collecting the data.
    It won't work. Try it.

  6. #6
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    >In addition, in your program you are writing to the file with no spaces between the data
    Perhaps you missed the endl.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by swoopy
    >In addition, in your program you are writing to the file with no spaces between the data
    Perhaps you missed the endl.
    Yep.

    Sorry for the bad advice Cool-August.

  8. #8
    Cat without Hat CornedBee's Avatar
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    The endl is bad there, though. It causes a flush and thus a disk access after every single number, which is horribly inefficient. Just a space ' ' or a newline '\n' would be better.
    All the buzzt!
    CornedBee

    "There is not now, nor has there ever been, nor will there ever be, any programming language in which it is the least bit difficult to write bad code."
    - Flon's Law

  9. #9
    Registered User Queatrix's Avatar
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    Once I made a math game with a high score for the top player.
    When you viewed the file it looked like this,
    12800august
    There where no newlines of spaces and yet when it read the file it could define the difference bettween the highscore and the player.

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