Windows API Reference - File I/O

File I/O Overview

The File I/O API allows applications to read, write, and manage files on the system. It’s a fundamental part of Windows OS functionality.

Key Concepts

• Read: Retrieving data from files.
• Write: Creating, modifying, and deleting data in files.
• Open: Establishing a connection to a file.
• Close: Ending the connection to a file.
• File Modes: Different modes determine how data is read/written (Read, Write, Append, etc.).

File I/O Operations

Here's a breakdown of some common operations:

• OpenFile: Opens a file for reading or writing. Returns a file handle.
• ReadFile: Reads data from a file handle.
• WriteFile: Writes data to a file handle.
• CloseFile: Closes the file handle. Ensures data is properly flushed and saved.
• GetFileAttributes: Retrieves metadata about the file (size, timestamp, permissions, etc.).
• File SaveNamed: Saves the current file as a new file.
• File WriteFileNamed: Writes a file.

Example Code (Illustrative - Simplified for this context)**

This is a simplified example to demonstrate the concept. Real-world code would be much more complex.

                
                // Example: Read a file
                try {
                    fileHandle = openFile("C:\\example.txt");
                    content = readFile(fileHandle);
                    print(content);
                } catch (Exception e) {
                    print("Error reading file:", e);
                }