Input/Output Alternatives

This product provides several options for I/O programming:

• C run-time library direct, unbuffered I/O
  
  
• ANSI C run-time library stream I/O
  
  
• Console and port direct I/O
  
  
• The Microsoft Foundation Class Library
  
  
• The Microsoft iostream Class Library

The iostream classes are useful for buffered, formatted text I/O. They are also useful for unbuffered or binary I/O if you need a C++ programming interface and decide not to use the Microsoft Foundation classes. The iostream classes are an object-oriented I/O alternative to the C run-time functions.

You can use iostream classes with the Microsoft® Windows® operating system. String and file streams work without restrictions, but the character-mode stream objects cin, cout, cerr, and clog are inconsistent with the Windows graphical user interface. You can also derive custom stream classes that interact directly with the Windows environment. If you link with the QuickWin library, however, the cin, cout, cerr, and clog objects are assigned to special windows because they are connected to the predefined files stdin, stdout, and stderr.

You cannot use iostream classes in tiny-model programs because tiny-model programs cannot contain static objects such as cin and cout.