Class 12 Computer Science Important Questions (ASSEB / AHSEC)
Chapter 6 - Data File Handling
1. What is Data File Handling?
Answer : File handling is a process that allows a C++ program to store data permanently in a file and retrieve it later when needed. Unlike RAM where data is stored temporarily, data stored in files remain available even after a program terminates or the computer is switched off
2. Why do we need Data File Handling?
Answer :Data File Handling is needed because without files:
- Data is lost after program execution.
- Records cannot be reused.
3. What are the types of data files?
Answer :
- Text files
- Binary files
4. What are text files?
Answer : Data is stored in the form of characters
5. What are binary files?
Answer : Data is stored in the form of bytes (0 and 1).
6. Write the difference between text file and binary files?
| Text file | Binary file |
|---|---|
| Text file data is stored in the form of characters | Binary file data is stored in the form of bytes (0 and 1). |
| Human-readable | Not human readable |
7. What are the file stream classes?
Answer :
- ifstream
- ofstream
- fstream
8. Which header file is used for file handling?
Answer :
<fstream.h>
9. What are the 2 methods of opening a file?
Answer :
1.using constructor
2. using open function
10. What are the different file opening modes?
Answer :
- ios::in
- ios::out
- ios::ate
- ios::binary
- ios::trunc
11. How do we detect end of a file?
Answer : When the end of a file is reached , the stream returns a special value called EOF (End of File)
Methods to detect end of file
1.fin.eof( ) : Returns true if end of file is reached
2.fin.fail( ) : Returns true if any input operation fails (including EOF).
12. Name some common functions used for file handling.
Answer :
1.get(char & ) – reads one character from file
2.put(char) – writes one character into file
3.getline( ) – reads a line from file (upto newline)
4.read(char*,n) – reads n bytes from binary file
5.write(char*,n) – writes n bytes into binary file
13. What do you mean by random access in files?
Answer :
Random access means accessing any record directly without reading all previous records. We can move the read/write pointer to any position in a file using the following functions:
1.seekg(pos)
2.seekp(pos)
3.tellg()
4.tellp()
14. Define: seekg( ), seekp( ), tellg( ) and tellp( ).
Answer:
1.seekg(pos): moves the get pointer to pos position
2.seekp(pos):moves the put ponter to pos position
3.tellg():Returns current position of get pointer
4.tellp():Returns current position of put pointer
15. What are the functions used with binary files?
Answer :
- read( )
- write( )