This is the sample code from 17 Chapter (17.5.3) of the C++ primer 5th edition book.
int main(void) {
fstream inOut("test.txt", fstream::ate | fstream::in | fstream::out);
if (!inOut)
{
cerr << "Unable to open file!" << endl;
return EXIT_FAILURE;
}
auto end_mark = inOut.tellg();
inOut.seekg(0, fstream::beg);
size_t cnt = 0;
string line;
while (inOut && inOut.tellg() != end_mark && getline(inOut, line))
{
cnt += line.size() + 1;
auto mark = inOut.tellg();
inOut.seekg(0, fstream::end);
inOut << cnt;
if (mark != end_mark)
{
inOut << " ";
}
inOut.seekg(mark);
}
inOut.seekg(0, fstream::end);
inOut << "\n";
return 0;
}
The content of the file test.txt
is:
abcd
efg
hi
j
<This is a blank new line>
The point is, if this file ends with a blank line, this code works as it's expected. In another word, it will change the file into this:
abcd
efg
hi
j
5 9 12 14
<This is a blank new line>
But, if the file doesn't end with a blank new line, it will output like this:
abcd
efg
hi
j5 9 12
Note that this file doesn't end with a new line. My question is that where is the blank new line? Afterall, there is the code
inOut << "\n";
It should put a new blank line in any case. Where is wrong?
The problem is that by reaching the end of file the stream's bad bit is set. If you add
inOut.clear();
before the final inOut << "\n" the newline is written as expected, though the length of the line without a newline continues to not be added.