File Handling in C

File Handling in C

C is an essential part of programming that allows you to perform operations like creating, reading, writing, and closing files. C provides a standard library of functions to handle files.

Basic Steps for File Handling in C

1. Include the necessary header file: <stdio.h>
2. Open the file using fopen(): This function opens a file and returns a file pointer.
3. Perform file operations: You can read from, write to, or append to the file using various functions.
4. Close the file using fclose(): This function closes the file and releases any resources associated with it.

File Opening Modes

When opening a file using fopen(), you must specify the mode in which the file is to be opened:

• "r": Open a file for reading.
• "w": Open a file for writing. If the file does not exist, it will be created. If it exists, its contents will be truncated.
• "a": Open a file for appending. If the file does not exist, it will be created.
• "r+": Open a file for both reading and writing.
• "w+": Open a file for both reading and writing. If the file exists, its contents will be truncated.
• "a+": Open a file for both reading and appending. If the file does not exist, it will be created.