Thread: Using istream to read from memory?

  1. #1
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    Using istream to read from memory?

    Is there an easy way to make an istream or child class that reads from a buffer in memory? I've mostly just used std::ifstream and read from files, but want to be able to read data from a memory buffer in the same way (e.g. I want to be able to use std::getline).

    I know I could make a child class (most likely of streambuf) and implement all the functions, but some part of me thinks there's a much easier way that I am just not seeing.
    You ever try a pink golf ball, Wally? Why, the wind shear on a pink ball alone can take the head clean off a 90 pound midget at 300 yards.

  2. #2
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    You could use stringstreams. You don't have to open a file with a stringstream:
    Code:
    #include<iostream>
    #include<string>
    #include<sstream>
    using namespace std;
    
    
    int main()
    {
    	string str = "first line\nsecond line";
    	string input = "";
    	istringstream inFile(str);
    	
    	getline(inFile, input);
    	cout<<input<<endl;
    	
    	return 0;
    }

  3. #3
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    ...or if you are reading from a file, and you want to store all the lines of data, you can do this:
    Code:
    #include <iostream>
    #include <fstream>
    #include <vector>
    #include <string>
    using namespace std;
    
    
    int main()
    {
    
    	ifstream inFile("C:\\TestData\\data.txt");
    	if(!inFile)
    	{
    		cout<<"couldn't open file"<<endl;
    		return 1;
    	}
    	
    	vector<string> myStrings; //You can use an array of strings here
    	string str = "";
    	
    	while(getline(inFile, str))
    	{
    		myStrings.push_back(str); //inserts the str in the back of the vector
    	}
    
    	cout<<myStrings[0]<<endl;
    
    	return 0;
    }
    Last edited by 7stud; 11-21-2005 at 08:28 PM.

  4. #4
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    Thanks, that first way looks like what I need.

    It is a file that has been memory-mapped; I can't use ifstream because I need the filename to be in UTF-16 and sadly, C++ does not, at the moment anyway, allow wchar_t* filenames when opening a std::ifstream() or std::wifstream(). It's a proposed addition whenever the next C++ standard comes out but that doesn't really do me any good now .

    So I'm using WinAPI calls to memory-map the file. The stringstream method looks like it will work for subsequent reads on the file without too much pain and suffering.
    Last edited by Cat; 11-22-2005 at 12:18 AM.
    You ever try a pink golf ball, Wally? Why, the wind shear on a pink ball alone can take the head clean off a 90 pound midget at 300 yards.

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