Do basic file I/O in Visual C++

Article
05/08/2022

This article describes how to do basic file input/output (I/O) operations in Microsoft Visual C++ or in Visual C++ .NET.

Original product version: Visual C++
Original KB number: 307398

Summary

If you're new to the .NET Framework, you'll find that the object model for file operations in the .NET Framework is similar to the FileSystemObject that is popular with many Visual Studio developers.

To make the transition easier, see How To Use FileSystemObject with Visual Basic.
For a Visual C# .NET version of this article, see How to do basic file I/O in Visual C#.

This article refers to the following .NET Framework Class Library namespaces:

System::ComponentModel
System::Windows::Forms
System::Drawing

You can still use the FileSystemObject in the .NET Framework. Because the FileSystemObject is a Component Object Model (COM) component, the .NET Framework requires that access to the object be through the Interop layer. The .NET Framework generates a wrapper for the component for you if you want to use it. However, the File class, the FileInfo class, the Directory, DirectoryInfo classes, and other related classes in the .NET Framework, offer functionality that isn't available with the FileSystemObject, without the overhead of the Interop layer.

Demonstrated file I/O operations

The examples in this article describe basic file I/O operations. The Step-by-step example section describes how to create a sample program that demonstrates the following six file I/O operations:

Read a text file
Write a text file
View file information
List disk drives
List sub folders
List files

Read a text file

The following sample code uses a StreamReader class to read a text file. The contents of the file are added to a ListBox control. The try...catch block is used to alert the program if the file is empty. There are many ways to determine when the end of the file is reached; this sample uses the Peek method to examine the next line before reading it.

listBox1->Items->Clear();
try
{
    String* textFile = String::Concat(windir, (S"\\mytest.txt"));
    StreamReader *reader=new  StreamReader(textFile);
    do
    {
        listBox1->Items->Add(reader->ReadLine());
    } while(reader->Peek() != -1);
}

catch (System::Exception *e)
{
    listBox1->Items->Add(e);
}

In Visual C++, you must add the common language runtime support compiler option (/clr:oldSyntax) to successfully compile the previous code sample as managed C++. To add the common language runtime support compiler option, follow these steps:

Click Project, and then click <ProjectName> Properties.

Note

<ProjectName> is a placeholder for the name of the project.
Expand Configuration Properties, and then click General.
In the right pane, click to select Common Language Runtime Support, Old Syntax (/clr:oldSyntax) in the Common Language Runtime support project settings.
Click Apply, and then click OK.

Write a text file

This sample code uses a StreamWriter class to create and write to a file. If you have an existing file, you can open it in the same way.

StreamWriter* pwriter = new StreamWriter(S"c:\\KBTest.txt");
pwriter->WriteLine(S"File created using StreamWriter class.");
pwriter->Close();
listBox1->Items->Clear();
String *filew = new String(S"File Written to C:\\KBTest.txt");
listBox1->Items->Add(filew);

View file information

This sample code uses a FileInfo class to access a file's properties. Notepad.exe is used in this sample. The properties appear in a ListBox control.

listBox1->Items->Clear();
String* testfile = String::Concat(windir, (S"\\notepad.exe"));
FileInfo *pFileProps =new FileInfo(testfile);

listBox1->Items->Add(String::Concat(S"File Name = ", (pFileProps->get_FullName())));
listBox1->Items->Add(String::Concat(S"Creation Time = ", (pFileProps->get_CreationTime()).ToString()));
listBox1->Items->Add(String::Concat(S"Last Access Time = " ,(pFileProps->get_LastAccessTime()).ToString()));
listBox1->Items->Add(String::Concat(S"Last Write Time = ", (pFileProps->get_LastWriteTime()).ToString()));
listBox1->Items->Add(String::Concat(S"Size = ", (pFileProps->get_Length()).ToString()));

List disk drives

This sample code uses the Directory and Drive classes to list the logical drives on a system. For this sample, the results appear in a ListBox control.

listBox1->Items->Clear();
String* drives[] = Directory::GetLogicalDrives();
int numDrives = drives->get_Length();
for (int i=0; i<numDrives; i++)
{
    listBox1->Items->Add(drives[i]);
}

List sub folders

This sample code uses the GetDirectories method of the Directory class to obtain a list of folders.

listBox1->Items->Clear();
String* dirs[] = Directory::GetDirectories(windir);
int numDirs = dirs->get_Length();
for (int i=0; i<numDirs; i++)
{
    listBox1->Items->Add(dirs[i]);
}

List files

This sample code uses the GetFiles method of the Directory class to obtain a listing of files.

listBox1->Items->Clear();
String* files[]= Directory::GetFiles(this->windir);
int numFiles = files->get_Length();
for (int i=0; i<numFiles; i++)
{
    listBox1->Items->Add(files[i]);
}

Many things can go wrong when a user gains access to files. The files may not exist, the files may be in use, or users may not have rights on the files of folders that they're trying to access. Consider these possibilities when you write code to handle the exceptions that may be generated.

Step-by-step example

Start Visual Studio .NET.
On the File menu, point to New, and then click Project.
Under Project Types, click Visual C++ Projects. Under Templates section, click Windows Forms Application (.NET).
Type KB307398 in the Name box, type C:\ in the Location box, and then click OK.
Open the Form1 form in the Design view, and then press F4 to open the Properties window.
In the Properties window, expand the Size folder. In the Width box, type 700. In the Height box, type 320.
Add one ListBox control and six Button controls to Form1.

Note

To view the toolbox, click Toolbox on the View menu.

In the Properties window, change the Location, the Name, the Size, the TabIndex, and the Text properties of these controls as follows:

Control ID	Location	Name	Size	TabIndex	Text
button1	500, 32	button1	112, 23	1	Read Text File
button2	500, 64	button2	112, 23	2	Write Text File
button3	500, 96	button3	112, 23	3	View File Information
button4	500, 128	button4	112, 23	4	List Drives
button5	500, 160	button5	112, 23	5	List Subfolders
button6	500, 192	button6	112, 23	6	List Files
listBox1	24, 24	listBox1	450, 200	0	listBox1

Open the Form1.h file. In the Form1 class declaration, declare one private String variable with the following code:
```
private:
String *windir;
```

In the Form1 class constructor, add the following code:

windir = System::Environment::GetEnvironmentVariable("windir");

To do file Input output operations, add the System::IO namespace.

Press SHIFT+F7 to open Form1 in Design view. Double-click the Read Text File button, and then paste the following code:

// How to read a text file:
// Use try...catch to deal with a 0 byte file or a non-existant file.
listBox1->Items->Clear();

try
{
    String* textFile = String::Concat(windir, (S"\\mytest.txt"));
    StreamReader *reader=new  StreamReader(textFile);
    do
    {
        listBox1->Items->Add(reader->ReadLine());
    } while(reader->Peek() != -1);
}
catch(FileNotFoundException *ex)
{
    listBox1->Items->Add(ex);
}  

catch (System::Exception *e)
{
    listBox1->Items->Add(e);
}

In the Form1 Design view, double-click the Write Text File button, and then paste the following code:

// This demonstrates how to create and to write to a text file.
StreamWriter* pwriter = new StreamWriter(S"c:\\KBTest.txt");
pwriter->WriteLine(S"The file was created by using the StreamWriter class.");
pwriter->Close();
listBox1->Items->Clear();
String *filew = new String(S"File written to C:\\KBTest.txt");
listBox1->Items->Add(filew);

In the Form1 Design view, double-click the View File Information button, and then paste the following code in the method:

// This code retrieves file properties. The example uses Notepad.exe.
listBox1->Items->Clear();
String* testfile = String::Concat(windir, (S"\\notepad.exe"));
FileInfo *pFileProps =new FileInfo(testfile);

listBox1->Items->Add(String::Concat(S"File Name = ", (pFileProps->get_FullName())));
listBox1->Items->Add(String::Concat(S"Creation Time = ", (pFileProps->get_CreationTime()).ToString()));
listBox1->Items->Add(String::Concat(S"Last Access Time = " ,(pFileProps->get_LastAccessTime()).ToString()));
listBox1->Items->Add(String::Concat(S"Last Write Time = ", (pFileProps->get_LastWriteTime()).ToString()));
listBox1->Items->Add(String::Concat(S"Size = ", (pFileProps->get_Length()).ToString()));

In the Form1 Design view, double-click the List Drives button, and then paste the following code:

// This demonstrates how to obtain a list of disk drives.
listBox1->Items->Clear();
String* drives[] = Directory::GetLogicalDrives();
int numDrives = drives->get_Length();
for (int i=0; i<numDrives; i++)
{
    listBox1->Items->Add(drives[i]);
}

In the Form1 Design view, double-click the List Subfolders button, and then paste the following code:

// This code obtains a list of folders. This example uses the Windows folder.
listBox1->Items->Clear();
String* dirs[] = Directory::GetDirectories(windir);
int numDirs = dirs->get_Length();
for (int i=0; i<numDirs; i++)
{
    listBox1->Items->Add(dirs[i]);
}

In the Form1 Design view, double-click the List Files button, and then paste the following code:

// This code obtains a list of files. This example uses the Windows folder.
listBox1->Items->Clear();
String* files[]= Directory::GetFiles(this->windir);
int numFiles = files->get_Length();
for (int i=0; i<numFiles; i++)
{
    listBox1->Items->Add(files[i]);
}

To build and then run the program, press CTRL+F5.

Complete code sample

//Form1.h
#pragma once

namespace KB307398
{
    using namespace System;
    using namespace System::IO;
    using namespace System::ComponentModel;
    using namespace System::Collections;
    using namespace System::Windows::Forms;
    using namespace System::Data;
    using namespace System::Drawing;

    /// <summary>
    /// Summary for Form1
    /// WARNING: If you change the name of this class, you will need to change the
    ///          'Resource File Name' property for the managed resource compiler tool
    ///          associated with all .resx files this class depends on.  Otherwise,
    ///          the designers will not be able to interact properly with localized
    ///          resources associated with this form.
    /// </summary>
    public __gc class Form1 : public System::Windows::Forms::Form
    {
        private:
        String *windir;
        public:
        Form1(void)
        {
            windir = System::Environment::GetEnvironmentVariable("windir");
            InitializeComponent();
        }

        protected:
        void Dispose(Boolean disposing)
        {
            if (disposing && components)
            {
            components->Dispose();
            }
            __super::Dispose(disposing);
        }
        private: System::Windows::Forms::Button *  button1;
        private: System::Windows::Forms::Button *  button2;
        private: System::Windows::Forms::Button *  button3;
        private: System::Windows::Forms::Button *  button4;
        private: System::Windows::Forms::Button *  button5;
        private: System::Windows::Forms::Button *  button6;
        private: System::Windows::Forms::ListBox *  listBox1;

        private:
        /// <summary>
        /// Required designer variable.
        /// </summary>
        System::ComponentModel::Container * components;

        /// <summary>
        /// Required method for Designer support - do not modify
        /// the contents of this method with the code editor.
        /// </summary>
        void InitializeComponent(void)
        {
            this->button1 = new System::Windows::Forms::Button();
            this->button2 = new System::Windows::Forms::Button();
            this->button3 = new System::Windows::Forms::Button();
            this->button4 = new System::Windows::Forms::Button();
            this->button5 = new System::Windows::Forms::Button();
            this->button6 = new System::Windows::Forms::Button();
            this->listBox1 = new System::Windows::Forms::ListBox();
            this->SuspendLayout();
            // button1
            this->button1->Location = System::Drawing::Point(500, 32);
            this->button1->Name = S"button1";
            this->button1->Size = System::Drawing::Size(112, 23);
            this->button1->TabIndex = 1;
            this->button1->Text = S"Read Text File";
            this->button1->Click += new System::EventHandler(this, button1_Click);
            // button2
            this->button2->Location = System::Drawing::Point(500, 64);
            this->button2->Name = S"button2";
            this->button2->Size = System::Drawing::Size(112, 23);
            this->button2->TabIndex = 2;
            this->button2->Text = S"Write Text File";
            this->button2->Click += new System::EventHandler(this, button2_Click);
            // button3
            this->button3->Location = System::Drawing::Point(500, 96);
            this->button3->Name = S"button3";
            this->button3->Size = System::Drawing::Size(112, 23);
            this->button3->TabIndex = 3;
            this->button3->Text = S"View File Information";
            this->button3->Click += new System::EventHandler(this, button3_Click);
            // button4
            this->button4->Location = System::Drawing::Point(500, 128);
            this->button4->Name = S"button4";
            this->button4->Size = System::Drawing::Size(112, 23);
            this->button4->TabIndex = 4;
            this->button4->Text = S"List Drives";
            this->button4->Click += new System::EventHandler(this, button4_Click);
            // button5
            this->button5->Location = System::Drawing::Point(500, 160);
            this->button5->Name = S"button5";
            this->button5->Size = System::Drawing::Size(112, 23);
            this->button5->TabIndex = 5;
            this->button5->Text = S"List Subfolders";
            this->button5->Click += new System::EventHandler(this, button5_Click);
            // button6
            this->button6->Location = System::Drawing::Point(500, 188);
            this->button6->Name = S"button6";
            this->button6->Size = System::Drawing::Size(112, 23);
            this->button6->TabIndex = 6;
            this->button6->Text = S"List Files";
            this->button6->Click += new System::EventHandler(this, button6_Click);
            // listBox1
            this->listBox1->Location = System::Drawing::Point(24, 24);
            this->listBox1->Name = S"listBox1";
            this->listBox1->Size = System::Drawing::Size(450, 199);
            this->listBox1->TabIndex = 0;
            // Form1
            this->AutoScaleBaseSize = System::Drawing::Size(5, 13);
            this->ClientSize = System::Drawing::Size(692, 293);
            this->Controls->Add(this->listBox1);
            this->Controls->Add(this->button6);
            this->Controls->Add(this->button5);
            this->Controls->Add(this->button4);
            this->Controls->Add(this->button3);
            this->Controls->Add(this->button2);
            this->Controls->Add(this->button1);
            this->Name = S"Form1";
            this->Text = S"Form1";
            this->ResumeLayout(false);
        }
        private: System::Void button1_Click(System::Object *  sender, System::EventArgs *  e)
        {
            // This code shows how to read a text file.
            // The try...catch code is to deal with a 0 byte file or a non-existant file.
            listBox1->Items->Clear();

            try
            {
                String* textFile = String::Concat(windir, (S"\\mytest.txt"));
                StreamReader *reader=new  StreamReader(textFile);
                do
                {
                    listBox1->Items->Add(reader->ReadLine());
                }
                while(reader->Peek() != -1);
            }
            catch(FileNotFoundException *ex)
            {
                listBox1->Items->Add(ex);
            }

            catch (System::Exception *e)
            {
                listBox1->Items->Add(e);
            }
        }

        private: System::Void button2_Click(System::Object *  sender, System::EventArgs *  e)
        {
            // This code demonstrates how to create and to write to a text file.
            StreamWriter* pwriter = new StreamWriter(S"c:\\KBTest.txt");
            pwriter->WriteLine(S"The file was created by using the StreamWriter class.");
            pwriter->Close();
            listBox1->Items->Clear();
            String *filew = new String(S"The file was written to C:\\KBTest.txt");
            listBox1->Items->Add(filew);
        }

        private: System::Void button3_Click(System::Object *  sender, System::EventArgs *  e)
         {
            // This code retrieves file properties. This example uses Notepad.exe.
            listBox1->Items->Clear();
            String* testfile = String::Concat(windir, (S"\\notepad.exe"));
            FileInfo *pFileProps  =new FileInfo(testfile);

            listBox1->Items->Add(String::Concat(S"File Name = ", (pFileProps->get_FullName() )) );
            listBox1->Items->Add(String::Concat(S"Creation Time = ", (pFileProps->get_CreationTime() ).ToString()) );
            listBox1->Items->Add(String::Concat(S"Last Access Time = "  ,(pFileProps->get_LastAccessTime() ).ToString()) );
            listBox1->Items->Add(String::Concat(S"Last Write Time = ", (pFileProps->get_LastWriteTime() ).ToString()) );
            listBox1->Items->Add(String::Concat(S"Size = ", (pFileProps->get_Length() ).ToString()) );
        }

        private: System::Void button4_Click(System::Object *  sender, System::EventArgs *  e)
        {
            // The code demonstrates how to obtain a list of disk drives.
            listBox1->Items->Clear();
            String* drives[] = Directory::GetLogicalDrives();
            int numDrives = drives->get_Length();
            for (int i=0; i<numDrives; i++)
            {
                listBox1->Items->Add(drives[i]);
            }
        }

        private: System::Void button5_Click(System::Object *  sender, System::EventArgs *  e)
        {
            // This code obtains a list of folders. This example uses the Windows folder.
            listBox1->Items->Clear();
            String* dirs[] = Directory::GetDirectories(windir);
            int numDirs = dirs->get_Length();
            for (int i=0; i<numDirs; i++)
            {
                listBox1->Items->Add(dirs[i]);
            }
        }

        private: System::Void button6_Click(System::Object *  sender, System::EventArgs *  e)
        {
            // This code obtains a list of files. This example uses the Windows folder.
            listBox1->Items->Clear();
            String* files[]= Directory::GetFiles(this->windir);
            int numFiles = files->get_Length();
            for (int i=0; i<numFiles; i++)
            {
                listBox1->Items->Add(files[i]);
            }
        }
    };
}

//Form1.cpp
#include "stdafx.h"
#include "Form1.h"
#include <windows.h>

using namespace KB307398;

int APIENTRY _tWinMain(HINSTANCE hInstance,
                     HINSTANCE hPrevInstance,
                     LPTSTR    lpCmdLine,
                     int       nCmdShow)
{
    System::Threading::Thread::CurrentThread->ApartmentState = System::Threading::ApartmentState::STA;
    Application::Run(new Form1());
    return 0;
}

References

For more information, visit Microsoft Support. For more information about how to create Windows forms in managed extensions for C++, see the ManagedCWinFormWiz sample in Visual Studio .NET Help.