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understanding file system
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So I started doing c programing and now I want to understand how file systems like fat 32 and NTFS works. So I want to know how to create a file transfering program. So here's a few questions....
1 How do I do it the portable way?
-find file size
-what data type to use in C to do the transfer
-explain the following:
2 How to do it through windows
-how to call windows copy and cut functions, so that you get a popup dialog box that shows the trasfer in progress
-does it return anything to indicate a success or failure?
3 How to get file names from a given directory so that it is in the form of a 2d array
- how and where are those file names stored?
1 How do I do it the portable way?
-find file size
-what data type to use in C to do the transfer
-explain the following:
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from what I understand txt files are treated differently from other files [I think this only applies for windows systems]
-how to call windows copy and cut functions, so that you get a popup dialog box that shows the trasfer in progress
-does it return anything to indicate a success or failure?
3 How to get file names from a given directory so that it is in the form of a 2d array
- how and where are those file names stored?
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Originally Posted by Mr.UNOwen 
1 How do I do it the portable way?
-find file size
You will have to use platform specific codes like
stat of unix and some equivalent function in windows with chain of #ifdef's. You can also use fstat, or fseek to the end of the file and then use ftell. But both of will give you exact result only in case of binary files because of differing representation of end-of-line. •
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Originally Posted by Mr.UNOwen
-what data type to use in C to do the transfer
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Originally Posted by Mr.UNOwen
3 How to get file names from a given directory so that it is in the form of a 2d array
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Join Date: Aug 2005
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Getting the list of files from a directory is not too difficult but is os-dependent. In C there is no portable way to do it. In C++ boost libraries have portable functions.
these code snippets show how to do it in both linux and ms-windows.
these code snippets show how to do it in both linux and ms-windows.
Don't PM me with questions -- you might get a nasty PM in response. If you have a question then post it in one of the forums.
Well I'm not looking for a single function to do all this really. I mean alot of HDs are formated in NTFS or FAT32, so if I'm correct HDs have something called FAT which says where everything is located. So how is that data expressed. Is it a list of pointers followed by its file name? Can C even get to it?
Isn't C portable to the point you can creat an OS with it???
Isn't C portable to the point you can creat an OS with it???
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Join Date: Apr 2006
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Well I'm not looking for a single function to do all this really. I mean alot of HDs are formated in NTFS or FAT32, so if I'm correct HDs have something called FAT which says where everything is located. So how is that data expressed. Is it a list of pointers followed by its file name? Can C even get to it?
Each sector the contains a file has a pointer which can point to the next sector if the file occupies more than one. In this way, a file is basically a linked list of sectors.
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Originally Posted by Mr.UNOwen
Isn't C portable to the point you can creat an OS with it???
"Technological progress is like an axe in the hands of a pathological criminal."
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Originally Posted by Mr.UNOwen
Isn't C portable to the point you can creat an OS with it???
Yes, C can be used to create an OS with it (and it has already been achieved), but for interfacing external devices like the hard drive or floppy drive, you need to write a program (ie a driver) which will act as an interpreter between the OS and the device.
I don't accept change; I don't deserve to live.
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Originally Posted by Mr.UNOwen
Well I'm not looking for a single function to do all this really. I mean alot of HDs are formated in NTFS or FAT32, so if I'm correct HDs have something called FAT which says where everything is located. So how is that data expressed. Is it a list of pointers followed by its file name? Can C even get to it?
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Originally Posted by Mr.UNOwen
Isn't C portable to the point you can creat an OS with it???
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Originally Posted by Mr.UNOwen
So I started doing c programing and now I want to understand how file systems like fat 32 and NTFS works. So I want to know how to create a file transfering program. So here's a few questions....
1 How do I do it the portable way?
-find file size
•
•
•
•
Originally Posted by Mr.UNOwen
-what data type to use in C to do the transfer
•
•
•
•
Originally Posted by Mr.UNOwen
-explain the following:
2 How to do it through windows
-how to call windows copy and cut functions, so that you get a popup dialog box that shows the trasfer in progress
-does it return anything to indicate a success or failure?
•
•
•
•
Originally Posted by Mr.UNOwen
3 How to get file names from a given directory so that it is in the form of a 2d array
- how and where are those file names stored?
C itself knows nothing about hard drives, monitors, or keyboards. The I/O functions defined by C are just skeleton definitions to be defined via the standards by the compiler designers to work within the confines of the O/S.
The 3 Laws of the Procrastination Society:
1) Never do today that which can be put off until tomorrow
2) Tomorrow never comes
1) Never do today that which can be put off until tomorrow
2) Tomorrow never comes
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