Discussing the article: "From Basic to Intermediate: Random Access to Files (II)"
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Check out the new article: From Basic to Intermediate: Random Access to Files (II).
In the previous article, From Basic to Intermediate: Random Access (I), we briefly introduced the random-access model for reading and writing data in files. However, in that article, in order not to present too much information at once, we did not explain one issue that, if not the one causing the most confusion and headache, is certainly one of the most critical for anyone implementing file-handling mechanisms in general.
However, pay very close attention to what follows, because understanding this point correctly is far more important than understanding everything else that will be presented in this article. It is not always necessary to know in advance what data type will be stored in a file. Most of the time, files are structured in some particular way, whatever that structure may be. A file's structure largely determines—or, if you prefer, enables—the data types we use, without forcing us to think about every low-level read or write operation.
This may sound somewhat strange, but in practice this is usually exactly how things work. Except in very specific situations, we rarely need to know the exact data type stored at a particular file position. But when such a situation does arise, knowing and understanding what needs to be done becomes far more important than it may seem. This is because, depending on how well you understand how these mechanisms work, you, as a programmer, may encounter serious difficulties when solving certain file-related problems. For this reason, I ask you, dear reader, to pay close attention to every point that will be explained in this article. Because understanding what we will cover here can make the difference between reading a file correctly and being completely unable to understand anything in its contents.
Author: CODE X