Using File I/O

The file I/O functions enable applications to access files regardless of the underlying file system. However, their functionality may vary depending on the operating system in use. If you have questions about a specific function, consult the reference information for that function.

For functions that manipulate files, the file names may be relative to the current directory. A file name is relative to the current directory if it does not begin with a disk designator or directory name separator, such as a backslash (\). If the file name begins with a disk designator, it is a full path.

The examples in this section illustrate how to perform the following tasks:

• Creating and opening files
• Reading, writing, and locking files
• Creating and using a temporary file
• Searching for files and changing file attributes
• Monitoring changes in a directory or directory tree
• Testing for the end of the file
• Retrieving a file pointer