Thread: Need help opening multiple files (c programming)

If you can open/close/rw from a file, no difference for 20 files also.
It seems like you don't need to open 20 files simultaneously.

Assuming your program is working correctly with the first file and all files are formated alike, this should be a simple matter. You have some choices...

You can build an array (per msh's suggestion) with all the filenames in it.
For more flexibility you could ask the user to enter the filenames for you.
For "maximum smarts" you can itemize the files in the folder then process them in turn.

In any event you will need to make your program loop until it's finished and you will have to replace the hard coded filename with a variable...

Code:

char fName[64];

 infile = fopen(fName, "r");

Originally Posted by awb8.

I have been told not to use an array, so I have been trying to avoid an array and would also like to keep the file short.

I have 20 files with a random number of values in each, and need to do the same calculations to each file and print them at the end of the code. I've been trying to use a for loop to generate the file number e.g.

Code:

 for (z=10; z==20; z++)
 {
     infile = fopen(("data-%d.txt", z) "r");
 }
 if (infile == NULL)
 {
    printf("Can't open data-%d.txt\n");
    system("pause");
    exit(1);
}

Ok that can work... but you need an extra step in there... fopen doesn't understand text formatting....

Code:

char fName[16];

 for (z=10; z<21; z++)    // assuming numbers from 10 to 20 inclusive
 { 
    sprintf(fName,"data-%d.txt",z);
    infile = fopen(fName "r");
    if (infile == NULL)
       {
         printf("Can't open %s \n",fName);
         system("pause");
         exit(1);
       }

// process your data here

  }  // end of for loop

In the interests of clarity you may want to make your file processing into a function call and call it from the spot marked but there's nothing wrong with doing it all in one big loop.

Thank you I will try that now. Can you just explain one thing for me.

Why in your post earlier did you use:
char fName[64]
but in your last post you used
char fName[16]

I have never used the char function before and am a little confused by it

Why are you scanning the file twice?

Your first while loop is going to leave the file pointer at the end. The second one is going to read nothing new. One of the two has to go...

It seems to me you want....

Code:

           fscanf(infile, "%f", &Total);
           for (i = 0; i < Total ; i ++)

...at the head of your processing loop.

Firstly thank you all for the help you gave me, it was useful.
I did manage to finish my task eventually

Originally Posted by awb8.

Firstly thank you all for the help you gave me, it was useful.
I did manage to finish my task eventually

Congratulations.... care to share your final code?