Windows File I/O vs. C Run-time File I/O

SUMMARY

The following functions are provided by the Microsoft C Run-time Library (CRT) and the Windows API to create a file:

   Return Type    API or Function   Category
   --------------------------------------------
   HFILE          OpenFile          Windows API
   HFILE          _lopen/_lcreat    Windows API
   int            _open/_creat      CRT
   FILE *         fopen             CRT
				

These return types (HFILE, int, and FILE *) are not compatible, so they can not be used in a function which is expecting the other type. The HFILEs are handles to operating system files (MS-DOS file handles), the ints are CRT file handles, and the FILE *s are pointers to structures which represent a CRT stream.

For files opened with OpenFile(), _lopen, and _lcreat, the common file manipuluation routines that you should use are: For files opened with _open() and _creat(), the common file manipulation routines that you should use are: For files opened with fopen, the common file manipulation routines that you should use are: For other input and output functions, please check the documentation for information on whether they are intended for use with MS-DOS handles (HFILE), streams (FILE *), or low-level I/O (int).