Using fstream and ip addresses

Is something like this legal? It doesn't work right now, but is it possible to do something like this?

Code:

---

#include <iostream>
#include <fstream>
using namespace std;

int main()
{
    char c[51];
    fstream infile("64.237.35.121:78");
    if (!infile)
        cout << "Can't open address" << endl;
    infile << "BARF" << endl;
    while (infile >> c)
        cout << c;
    cin >> c;
    return 0;
}

---

>> Is something like this legal?
For a type other than fstream...sure.

>> is it possible to do something like this?
Yep. You could define TCP stream types or UDP stream types ect...

gg

What do you mean for a type other than fstream? I know what sockets are and such, but this idea popped in my head.

I only meant that fstream doesn't work on sockets directly...

gg

Oh, I thought it could, since it can open files across a LAN. So winsock is your only choice on windows?

>> I thought it could, since it can open files across a LAN.
Network File Systems are typically transparent to the application. Under Windows you use UNC paths or mounted volumes.
Under *nix, NSF drives are equally transparent to the application.

>> So winsock is your only choice on windows?
That or some 3rd party library that does what you want.

gg