WriteFile()

I'm just starting to learn file I/O in Windows Programming, and I'm not sure how to use the WriteFile() function. For example, I have a 8x8 square matrix that I want to output to a file, but am unsure of how to do it. One of the main problems that I have run across is that I don't know how to output a 'return' or newline to the file.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

How is the data organized in your program? Ie, is it in an 2 dimensional array? In that case you should be able to do something like this:

Code:

HANDLE hFile=CreateFile("data.dat",GENERIC_WRITE,0,NULL,CREATE_ALWAYS,FILE_ATTRIBUTE_NORMAL,NULL);

int data[8][8];

//fill array

WriteFile(hFile,(LPVOID)&data,sizeof(data),NULL,NULL);

To read it in again, you pretty much just do the reverse using ReadFile.

Note: I've never actually used these functions, I'm just reading a programming reference. It should work though.

One of the main problems that I have run across is that I don't know how to output a 'return' or newline to the file.

You shouldn't have to do this, unless you want to store different data objects in the one file. If that's the case, a newline or return character is probably not the best separator, because a string may contain that character, therefore disrupting the way the data is read back in.

But if you really want to, then the characters are ASCII codes 13 (CR) and 10 (newline).

Alright, I think I understand a little better - how do I output just an integer from the array. Do I always need to make it into a string before I can output it?

how do I output just an integer from the array

If you just want to do that, it may be easier to use fprintf.

Code:

FILE *f;
f=fopen("data.dat","w");
fprintf(f,"%d",data[0][0]);

That will simply output the first element of the array to the file.

Do I always need to make it into a string before I can output it?

Nope, you can do it how you want.

bennyandthejets, there are a great many people who would debate the virtues of portable code vs OS dependant code. I for one, choose CreateFile,WriteFile,ReadFile, etc. Windows API for file access. The reason? Speed. Windows caches files and reads them much faster than the C runtime. But never mind the caching, even on the very first read of the file, the WinAPI blows away the "portable" code in time trials.

Just my two cents.

Thanks for the tip. I have no idea about file writing, I've never really needing to use it. So you think the API functions are better?

"better" is an opinion thing. Faster, certainly. But I have to be careful not to say better because people around here are very much obsessed with portability.

you can always do inline wrapper classes/functions or macros for OS dependant stuff though. Then when you want to port, all you have to do is fill in the proper functions in your wrappers. Portability can be pretty easily achieved in this way. Obviously I'm not a C/C++ purist. I would rather see the job get done in the most appropriate way for the platform.