Re: [Dev-C++] More: Reading file with getc(fp)

[Luigi S. <gi...@li...>]

At 18:45 10/04/02 -0700, rchavez wrote:
>Hi,
>
>Thanks for the replies.  I added a check for NULL file pointer and found
>that indeed it is NULL.  That explains why the same code works in unix but
>not in Dev-C++.  (In my defense I took the example directly from a book.)
>
>So 2 new questions:
>
>1.  If the source file & the target file to be read are in the same
>directory I am using in Dev-C++, shouldn't
>
>    fopen("filename","r") find the file?    It doesn't seem to.

Uhm ... let me see if I understand the situation.

Say that I have a console application, named "cp.exe", which will duplicate 
a file (the source code, "cp.c", is attached).

Now I have:
- the binary file in "c:\rch" (thus full path name of the file is 
"c:\rch\cp.exe")
- the data file I wish to duplicate is "c:\rch\data.txt"

According to you, if I open a Dos box (I'm running Win98SE), switch my 
current position such that the prompt says I'm in "c:\rch", and issue the 
command:

cp data.txt a_copy.txt

I should expect some error to occur.

Well ... I did exactly what I described and no error occurred. :)

Now lets change situation.

I wish to run the console application "cp.exe" from within the Dev-C++ IDE 
(i.e. I click the "run" button). It is possible, but I do not recommend it; 
or better: I have only limited knowledge, so do not know hot to ensure that 
Dev-C++ will run the application from the directory I want. IMHO, console 
applications (by the way the sole kind of programs I am able to work out), 
must be used from within a Dos console.


>2.  Is
>
>    fopen("C:\Dev-C++\Dir1\Dir2\filename","r") a valid explict path syntax in
>
>Windows 2000  ?        (assuming Dir1 & Dir2 already exist)

I run Win98SE so can't say how things go on Win2000. However I think that 
the path you have written, that is: "C:\Dev-C++\Dir1\Dir2\filename", is not 
a valid one. Because of Dos using backslash ('\\') as directory separator, 
your string appears as: "C:Dev-C++Dir1Dir2filename" (which is, highly 
likely, a non existing file of the current directory on the unit "C"). The 
right way to write your path is: "C:\\Dev-C++\\Dir1\\Dir2\\filename", 
because this is the way to insert a backslash within a C string.


>There must be a better book for re-learning C than "A Book on C" or K&R!

This is something where I'm of little help, I've learned the few things I 
know about C, from the well known K&R - 2nd edition. I remember the preface 
telling that the book is not for beginners, but this should not be your 
case since you are "re-learning".


>Regards,
>Rob.

--
Luigi
gi...@li...