This text discusses the fread() perform in C programming language and the best way to make use of it in this system.
fread() Operate in C Language
The fread() perform requires three arguments: the pointer to an array, the scale of every component from the array pointer, and the variety of parts to learn from the stream. It will possibly additionally take further arguments for controlling how a lot knowledge is learn, how the information is learn, and so forth. For instance, the syntax for it might be one thing like this:
The first argument given is the pointer to the array buffer which shall be populated with the learn knowledge. The array’s second argument is the scale of each component in bytes. The third parameter specifies what number of parts shall be taken from the stream. Let’s implement the next code by which the fread() perform is used.
We opened a file from the PC within the above code. The fread() perform receives a pointer referring to the FILE object buffer. We provide dimension as sizeof(char) since we’re studying characters from the file stream, and the integer quantity 33 is handed to the perform to point that we wish to learn 33 characters from the enter file stream.
Output
The whole variety of objects learn is what the fread() perform returns. This can be utilized to make sure that the perform is profitable. If the return worth is lower than the variety of parts specified, then some parts weren’t learn from the stream.
Advantages of fread() Operate
The advantages of a fread() perform are:
1: Readability from a Stream
The power to learn knowledge from a stream is among the fread() perform’s most vital benefits. Because of this you don’t have to manually open and shut a file earlier than and after studying, however the knowledge continues to be appropriately learn from a stream of bytes. This function makes the fread() perform significantly environment friendly when coping with giant knowledge units by which the information should be learn in precisely the identical order it was written.
2: Security
By way of security, capabilities within the C normal library even have an related error code. Within the case of fread(), an error code of 0 signifies that the required variety of objects (in bytes) was not learn. This code can be utilized to deal with errors associated to deprave or incomplete knowledge units.
3: Capable of Learn Partial Information
The fread() perform will also be used to learn partial knowledge objects by specifying various bytes that’s lower than the scale of the information object. That is helpful for complicated knowledge varieties resembling structs, the place the person might solely have to entry sure fields of the struct.
4: Versatility
Additionally, the fread() technique has the benefit of being fairly versatile. It’s extremely appropriate with any enter system and will also be used to learn from strings and arrays.
Conclusion
The fread() perform is vital for applications that have to entry and manipulate binary knowledge. When paired with different library capabilities, this can be very useful. The perform is comparatively easy to make use of and will be tailor-made to a program’s particular wants with the addition of non-obligatory arguments.
