I have searched and searched and can't seem to find a way using the C++ standard stream libraries to open a file in non exclusive mode so that I can read from it while it is being written to. I have found ways using C file I/O but I prefer to use streams when I possibly can, so I defer to the more knowledgable to see if there is a way before I start looking for alternative libraries, (C or Boost I am thinking)
There is no way to do this. C++ doesn't have such a concept. It's only Win32 that does. It works in the C API only by either platform-specific extensions to the mode string or a way of wrapping a native handle into a FILE*.
For what it's worth, on Linux, files are always opened non-exclusive. You have to jump through a few hoops to lock a file against concurrent access.
Boost doesn't have a library that can do this.
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
Hmm, then I will have to find a platform specific extension, I know it is possible because there are a fair amount of parsers for active log files, though I don't know if they are written in C++ or not, but it is worth a shot I guess. Trying to parse a file that at times is updated 5 times in a second (Everquest log file) for a friend since he needs something to keep track of who is looting what and categorize the loots so he can take the good stuff for the guild bank for all to use.
You want to read AND write to the same stream? Use an fstream.Originally Posted by Wraithan
Isn't this what the tail command is for in *nix?
Brewbuck: Nah I am not writing to the stream, I am only reading it. An external program is writing to it, I just want to continuously grab anything added to the file so I can parse for certain events.
