Thread: File creation Problem, Txt-Binary

Hi, just starting to work with creating files, reading and writing to them. I want to create a file that will list some customer details. For some reason though, the file appears to be written in binary. This is of no use to me as I want to be able to print the file as a record of customers. Any suggestions. I'll append somne code below.

Thanks a lot,
Hugh

void add_customer()
{
struct customer new_cust={0,"",0,0};

if((cfPtr=fopen("cust_file.txt","r+"))==NULL)
{
printf("File could not be opened.\n");
}
else
{
printf("\n\nEnter account number. 1 to 100\n\n?");
scanf("%d",&new_cust.acct_num);

printf("\n\nEnter Customer Name\n\n?");
fscanf(stdin,"%s",new_cust.cust_name);

fseek(cfPtr,(new_cust.acct_num-1)*sizeof(struct customer), SEEK_SET);

fwrite(&new_cust, sizeof(struct customer),1,cfPtr);

system ("cls");
}
fclose(cfPtr);
}

Use code-tags, when you post a code here in the board

What do you mean with the file is written in binary?

A possible solution. Assuming the record is represented by a structure S of size sizeof(S), then you could read sizeof(S) bytes and map those bytes onto the structure. And then print each member of the struct in the way you want to present it to the user.

Also the fclose() is in the wrong place in your function. Now you also call fclose() when the file is not opened.

Hello Shiro, thankyou for your reply. I was wondering if you had time to elaborate.

In regard to binary, this is how the file appears when I open it in notepad. Visual studio will not open the file and warns me that the file is a binary file?. As I say, below is how it appears.


Healy È +
 Onifri d Ç  Fallon �
ó
 Kettle ô
W  Thomas c  Dunne È +
 Raven


struct customer
{
int acct_num;
char cust_name[20];
int barcode_start;
int barcode_end;

};

Above is the structure. Also you mentioned that fclose was in the wrong place, where would you suggest it should be? Could you explain?
Thank you,
H

I'm not sure, but I think the write position of the fclose() should be after you write the data with fwrite(), after this:

fwrite(&new_cust, sizeof(struct customer),1,cfPtr);

The function fwrite() is for writing, the function fread() can be used for reading. Calculate the size of your struct customer, assume this size is N bytes. Then read in N bytes into a buffer of N bytes, for example a char array of N elements. Finally use pointer conversion or copy the bytes into the appropriate structure members.

Pointer conversion:

Code:

char binary_data [N];
struct customer *customer_data;

// read from file
fread (binary_data, sizeof (char), N, cfPtr);

// map data onto structure
customer_data = (struct customer *) data;

About the fclose():

Code:

if((cfPtr=fopen("cust_file.txt","r+"))==NULL)
{
  printf("File could not be opened.\n");
}
else
{
  printf("\n\nEnter account number. 1 to 100\n\n?");
  scanf("%d",&new_cust.acct_num);

  printf("\n\nEnter Customer Name\n\n?");
  fscanf(stdin,"%s",new_cust.cust_name);

  fseek(cfPtr,(new_cust.acct_num-1)*sizeof(struct customer),   
    SEEK_SET);

  fwrite(&new_cust, sizeof(struct customer),1,cfPtr);

  // You are now done with the file, so close it here.
  fclose (cfPtr);

  system ("cls");  
}

// Not that if you get here, fopen() may have failed. If fopen()
// returns NULL, then after the if-branch, you get here and try
// to close a not opened file.
fclose(cfPtr);