Thread: How to read files?

Ok, I am making a character creation program to assist my cousins game he is making. I need to be able to save thigs like character name, class, race, and ect,ect to a file. And then be albe to make a code to load the information into the game. I can get it to save to a .txt file with <ofstream> but I cant figure out how to load the information I saved to the .txt. I also need to be able to figure out how to utilize .ini files to configure ingame options. I am putting the character creation code up here to show how I am saving the stuff to a file but...I deleted all attempts at accessing and loading info from the file thanks ALOT in advance.

Code:

/*******************************************************************************
Ok, This is strictly here for the C Boards forum. The Only selection that works 
is the Create Character. I dont want to write all the code a right now so I just
made the program work not be complete. If you choose any option besides create
character it will just loop back to the menu until you choose create character.
Well as far as I know you are all alot smarter than me so I havent much more to
say as far as how the program works and such it is easy to read and figure out.
*******************************************************************************/
 
#include <iostream>
#include <fstream>
	
using namespace std;
	
int main()   
{ 
	float vn;
	int a[10];
	int z[3];
	vn = 1.01;
	string races[11] = { "Troll", "Titan", "Firbolg", "High Elf", "Half-Elf", 
					   "Dwarf", "Ogre", "Iskar", "Human", "Melerrian", "Sylph"};
	string names[12] = { "Raigne", "Centrea", "Valos", "Sathias", "Maria", "Sarah",
					   "Gonalas", "Sentrus", "Darivas", "Verinias", "Burlon", "Garlonsus",};
	cout << "*******************************************************************\n";
	cout << "*		   Xinathian Character Creator V " << vn << "b!!!				*\n";
	cout << "*******************************************************************\n";
	do {
		if ( z[1] == 1 ) { system("cls"); }
	cout << "***********************\n";
	cout << "*(1) Create Character *   Make A New Character\n";
	cout << "*(2) Modify Character *   Modify An Existing Character\n";
	cout << "*(3) Options		  *   Change Options for game\n";
	cout << "*(4) Exit			 *   Exit Program\n";
	cout << "***********************\n";
	cout << "Selection: ";
	cin >> a[1];
	switch ( a[1] ) {
		   case 1:
				cout << " Make A New Character? \n";
				cout << " (1) Yes  (2) No \n";
				cout << " Selection: \n";
				cin >> a[2];
				if ( a[2] == 1 ) {
					 ofstream a_file ( "Character.ini" );
					 cout << "Ok.. Please Select Your Race\n\n";
					 for ( int x = 0; x < 10; ++x ) {
						 if ( x == 7 || x == 14 || x == 21 ) {
							  cout << "\n";
							  }
						 cout << x + 1 << ") " << races[x] <<" ";
						 if ( x == 9 ) { cout << "\n\n"; }
						 }
					 cout << " Your Selection Please: ";
					 cin >> a[3];
					 cout << " You Chose "<< races[a[3] - 1] <<"\n Is this correct?!";
					 cout << " (1) Yes (2) No";
					 cout << " Selection: ";
					 cin >> a[4];
					 if ( a[4] == 1 ) {
						  a_file << ( races[a[3] - 1] );
						  cout << " Ok choose your character name please. \n\n";
						  for ( int t = 0; t < 12; ++t ) {
							  if ( t == 7 || t == 14 || t == 21 ) {
							  cout << "\n";
							  }
						 cout << t + 1 << ") " << names[t] <<" ";
						 if ( t == 11 ) { cout << "\n\n"; }
						 }
						 cout << "Your Selection Please: ";
						 cin >> a[5];
						 cin.ignore();
						 cout << "You Chose "<< names[a[5] - 1] <<" For Your Name.";
						 a_file <<"\n";
						 a_file << ( names[a[4] - 1] );
						 cin.get();
						 return 1;
						  }
					 else {
						  cout << " Ok returning to menu";
						  z[1] = 1;
						  }
					 cin.get();
					 }
				else {
					 cout << "Ok returning to menu";
					 z[1] = 1;
					 } 
			case 2:
				 z[1] = 1;
				 break;
			case 3:
				 z[1] = 1;
				 break;
			case 4:
				 return 1;
				 break;
			default:
					z[1] = 1;
					break;
	cin.get();
} 
} while ( z[1] == 1 );
cin.get();
}

EDIT: OK, that is the new code opposed to the EXTREMELY long one before. this should help you guys to help me ( or so I hope ). Well anyways I posted once at the bottom so you might read that before you read this. Well I hope you guys can help me Thanks Alot. Maybe someday Ill be able to returnthe favor.

Before I get into reading a file, I'm gonna teach you how to shorten this code by using something called an array with a meaningful index. Consider something like this:

Code:

    string races[10] = { "Human", "Elf", "Half-elf", "Dwarf", "Goblin", 
                         "Giant", "Demon", "Iskar", "Gnome", "Orge"};
    int choice;
    
    for (int x = 0; x < 10; x++) {
        cout << x + 1 << ". " << races[x] << endl;
        }
    
    cout << "Please, select a race: ";
    cin >> choice;
    
    cout << "You picked " << races[choice - 1] << ".";

You see how the use of the index as the value entered can simplify your code? Let this idea sink in a bit, then we'll get into file reading.

Heh, I just took the least obscure races from his code, which looks to me like an odd mix of Everquest and Magic: The Gathering.

At the cprogramming tuturials, it says (unless i read wrong wrong0 that

Code:

 cin.ignore();

made the program ignore the last enter that the user input. If I missunderstood that point or am just imagining it please do tell me the true meaning of it plz.
I got kicked off my computer at around 3 am this morning (was rewriting code) so now I and still writing it should be done soon. As long as I dont get anymore large intteruptions.

EDIT: I am writing the new code without any of the

Code:

 cin.ignore();

syntax in it. I made alittle program to experiment with them and I must be usinbg them wrong or sumthing because they have absolutely no effect on the program as far as I can tell. Can anyone please tell me what the

Code:

 cin.ignore();

does?

Yes, you're correct that cin.ignore() will remove the next character in the input buffer, but you should understand that:

Code:

 // Input buffer: [  55\n22  ]

cin >> integer1 >> integer2;  // will remove all whitespace automatically
cout << integer1 << endl << integer2;

Using your book or compiler help files to read more about I/O issues is a good idea, but this should get you going. In general, you read files either with FILE *, if you want to use C syntax, or streams, if you want to use C++ syntax. You can either use the general stream called fstream in ios::in mode or, my preference, an ifstream, which is an fstream dedicated to input only, so you don't have to indicate whether you want to input or output with the stream (you would use ofstream to write to file). Once you have declared an instance of the stream you associate a file with it (declaration and association can be done in a single statement if you wish), check that it was opened, and then use the stream as you would any other istream object, like cin. There is a variety of other flags/modes that can be used, if desired. One common one is to read/write in binary mode using the ios::binary modifier.