Chapter 38. Input and Output
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## Chapter 38. Input and Output

Extensions allowing `filebuf`s to be constructed from "C" types like FILE*s and file descriptors.

## Derived filebufs

The v2 library included non-standard extensions to construct `std::filebuf`s from C stdio types such as `FILE*`s and POSIX file descriptors. Today the recommended way to use stdio types with libstdc++ IOStreams is via the `stdio_filebuf` class (see below), but earlier releases provided slightly different mechanisms.

- 3.0.x `filebuf`s have another ctor with this signature: `basic_filebuf(__c_file_type*, ios_base::openmode, int_type);` This comes in very handy in a number of places, such as attaching Unix sockets, pipes, and anything else which uses file descriptors, into the IOStream buffering classes. The three arguments are as follows:

  - `__c_file_type* F` // the __c_file_type typedef usually boils down to stdio's FILE

  - `ios_base::openmode M` // same as all the other uses of openmode

  - `int_type B` // buffer size, defaults to BUFSIZ if not specified

  For those wanting to use file descriptors instead of FILE*'s, I invite you to contemplate the mysteries of C's `fdopen()`.

- In library snapshot 3.0.95 and later, `filebuf`s bring back an old extension: the `fd()` member function. The integer returned from this function can be used for whatever file descriptors can be used for on your platform. Naturally, the library cannot track what you do on your own with a file descriptor, so if you perform any I/O directly, don't expect the library to be aware of it.

- Beginning with 3.1, the extra `filebuf` constructor and the `fd()` function were removed from the standard filebuf. Instead, `<ext/stdio_filebuf.h>` contains a derived class called `__gnu_cxx::stdio_filebuf`. This class can be constructed from a C `FILE*` or a file descriptor, and provides the `fd()` function.

If you want to access a `filebuf`'s file descriptor to implement file locking (e.g. using the `fcntl()` system call) then you might be interested in Henry Suter's RWLock class.

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