Filestream C
A file is a collection of data stored in a disk with a specific name and a directory path. When a file is opened for reading or writing, it becomes a stream.
The stream is basically the sequence of bytes passing through the communication path. There are two main streams: the input stream and the output stream. The input stream is used for reading data from file (read operation) and the output stream is used for writing into the file (write operation).
C# I/O Classes
The System.IO namespace has various classes that are used for performing numerous operations with files, such as creating and deleting files, reading from or writing to a file, closing a file etc.
The following table shows some commonly used non-abstract classes in the System.IO namespace −
Sr.No. | I/O Class & Description |
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1 | BinaryReader Reads primitive data from a binary stream. |
2 | BinaryWriter Writes primitive data in binary format. |
3 | BufferedStream A temporary storage for a stream of bytes. |
4 | Directory Helps in manipulating a directory structure. |
5 | DirectoryInfo Used for performing operations on directories. |
6 | DriveInfo Provides information for the drives. |
7 | File Helps in manipulating files. |
8 | FileInfo Used for performing operations on files. |
9 | FileStream Used to read from and write to any location in a file. |
10 | MemoryStream Used for random access to streamed data stored in memory. |
11 | Path Performs operations on path information. |
12 | StreamReader Used for reading characters from a byte stream. |
13 | StreamWriter Is used for writing characters to a stream. |
14 | StringReader Is used for reading from a string buffer. |
15 | StringWriter Is used for writing into a string buffer. |
The FileStream Class
The FileStream class in the System.IO namespace helps in reading from, writing to and closing files. This class derives from the abstract class Stream.
You need to create a FileStream object to create a new file or open an existing file. The syntax for creating a FileStream object is as follows −
For example, we create a FileStream object F for reading a file named sample.txt as shown −
Sr.No. | Parameter & Description |
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1 | FileMode The FileMode enumerator defines various methods for opening files. The members of the FileMode enumerator are −
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2 | FileAccess FileAccess enumerators have members: Read, ReadWrite and Write. |
3 | FileShare FileShare enumerators have the following members − Charlie then visits the Cullen house and meets Renesmee, believing she is a niece of Edward's whom Bella and Edward adopted. He then phases into his wolf form. Breaking dawn part 2.
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Example
The following program demonstrates use of the FileStream class −
Live DemoWhen the above code is compiled and executed, it produces the following result −
Advanced File Operations in C#
The preceding example provides simple file operations in C#. However, to utilize the immense powers of C# System.IO classes, you need to know the commonly used properties and methods of these classes.
Sr.No. | Topic & Description |
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1 | Reading from and Writing into Text files It involves reading from and writing into text files. The StreamReader and StreamWriter class helps to accomplish it. |
2 | Reading from and Writing into Binary files It involves reading from and writing into binary files. The BinaryReader and BinaryWriter class helps to accomplish this. |
3 | Manipulating the Windows file system It gives a C# programamer the ability to browse and locate Windows files and directories. |