Chapter 12: Problem 3

Assume that the file data.txt already exists, and the following statement executes. What happens to the file? fstream file("data.txt", ios::out);

Short Answer

Expert verified

Answer: When the statement is executed, if the file "data.txt" does not exist, it will be created. If the file already exists, the content of the file will be deleted and the file will be ready for new data to be written into it. The file is opened in output mode (ios::out), meaning that the program will write data into the file.

Step by step solution

Understand the statement

The given statement "fstream file("data.txt", ios::out);" creates an fstream object named 'file' that is associated with a file named "data.txt." The 'ios::out' flag indicates that the file is opened in "output mode," meaning that the program will write data into the file.

Identify the reason for opening the file

In this case, the file "data.txt" is opened in the output mode (ios::out), which means that any previous content in the file will be deleted and the program will overwrite the file with new data.

Analyze the impact on the file

When the statement executes, if the file "data.txt" does not exist, it will be created. If the file already exists, the content of the file will be deleted and the file will be ready for new data to be written into it.

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Assume that the file data.txt already exists, and the following statement executes. What happens to the file? fstream file("data.txt", ios::out);

Short Answer

Step by step solution

Understand the statement

Identify the reason for opening the file

Analyze the impact on the file

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