Microsoft Visual C++/CLI: Files Operations

	Files Operations

Files Information

Introduction

In its high level of support for file processing, the .NET Framework provides the FileInfo class. This class is equipped to handle all types of file-related operations including creating, copying, moving, renaming, or deleting a file. FileInfo is based on the FileSystemInfo class that provides information on characteristics of a file.

Practical Learning: Introducing File Information

To start a new application, on the main menu, click File -> New -> Project...
In the middle list, click Windows Forms Application
Set the name to WattsALoan1
In the Properties window, change the form's Text to Watts A Loan
In the Common Controls section of the Toolbox, click ToolTip and click the form

Design the form as follows:

Control	Name	Text	ToolTip on toolTip1
Label		Acnt #:
Label		Customer Name:
Label		Customer:
TextBox	txtAccountNumber		Account number of the customer requesting the loan
TextBox	txtCustomerName		Name of the customer requesting the loan
Label		Empl #:
Label		Employee Name:
Label		Prepared By:
TextBox	txtEmployeeNumber		Employee number of the clerk preparing the loan
TextBox	txtEmployeeName		Name of the clerk preparing the loan
Button	btnNewEmployee		Used to add a new employee to the company
Label		Loan Amount:
TextBox	txtLoanAmount		Amount of loan the customer is requesting
Label		Interest Rate:
TextBox	txtInterestRate		Annual percentage rate of the loan
Label		%
Label		Periods
TextBox		txtPeriods	The number of months the loan is supposed to last
Button	btnCalculate	Calculate	Used to calculate the monthly payment
Label		Monthly Payment:
TextBox	txtMonthlyPayment		The minimum amount the customer should pay every month
Button	btnClose	Close	Used to close the form

Double-click the Calculate button and implement its event as follows:

System::Void btnCalculate_Click(System::Object^  sender, System::EventArgs^  e)
{
    double Principal    = 0.00,
           InterestRate = 0.00,
           InterestEarned,
	   FutureValue,
	   MonthlyPayment;
    double Periods = 0.00;

    try {
        Principal = double::Parse(txtLoanAmount->Text);
    }
    catch(FormatException ^)
    {
        MessageBox::Show(L"The value you entered for the "
                         L"principal is not valid");
    }

    try {
        InterestRate = double::Parse(txtInterestRate->Text);
    }
    catch(FormatException ^)
    {
        MessageBox::Show(L"Wrong Value: The interest rate must "
                         L"be a value between 0 and 100");
    }

    try {
        Periods = double::Parse(txtPeriods->Text);
    }
    catch(FormatException ^)
    {
        MessageBox::Show(L"You entered an invalid value for the periods");
    }

    double I = InterestRate / 100;
    double p = Periods / 12;
    
	InterestEarned = Principal * I  * p;
    FutureValue    = Principal + InterestEarned;
	MonthlyPayment = FutureValue / Periods;

    txtMonthlyPayment->Text = MonthlyPayment.ToString(L"F");
}

Return to the form and double-click the Close button to implement its event as follows:

System::Void btnClose_Click(System::Object^  sender, System::EventArgs^  e)
{
    Close();
}

File Initialization

The FileInfo class is equipped with one constructor whose syntax is:

public:
    FileInfo(String ^ fileName);

This constructor takes as argument the name of a file or its complete path. If you provide only the name of the file, the compiler would consider the same directory of its project. Here is an example:

FileInfo ^ fleMembers = gcnew FileInfo(L"First.txt");

Alternatively, if you want, you can provide any valid directory you have access to. In this case, you should provide the complete path.

Practical Learning: Initializing a File

In the top section of the Form1.h file, under the other using namespace lines, type using namespace System::IO
Return to the form
Double-click an unoccupied area on the body form

Implement the Load event as follows:

System::Void Form1_Load(System::Object^  sender, System::EventArgs^  e)
{
	 String ^ strFilename = L"Employees.wal";
	 FileInfo ^ fiEmployees = gcnew FileInfo(strFilename);
}

Writing Text to a File

After creating a file, you can write one or more values to it. An example of a value is text. If you want to create a file that contains text, the FileInfo class provides a member function named CreateText . Its syntax is:

public:
    StreamWriter ^CreateText();

This member function returns a StreamWriter object. You can use this returned object to write text to the file.

Practical Learning: Creating a Text File

Change the Load event of the form as follows:

System::Void Form1_Load(Object ^ sender, EventArgs ^ e)
{
    String  ^ strFilename = "Employees.wal";
    FileInfo ^ fiEmployees = gcnew FileInfo(strFilename);

    StreamWriter stwEmployees = fiEmployees->CreateText();
}

Writing a Value to a File

To write normal text to a file, you can first call the FileInfo::CreateText() member function. Its syntax is:

public:
    StreamWriter CreateText();

This member function returns a StreamWriter object. The StreamWriter class is based on the TextWriter class that is equipped with the Write() and the WriteLine() member functions used to write values to a file. The Write() member function writes text on a line and keeps the caret on the same line. The WriteLine() member function writes a line of text and moves the caret to the next line.

After writing to a file, you should close the StreamWriter object to free the resources it was using during its operation(s). Here is an example:

System::Void btnSave_Click(System::Object^  sender, System::EventArgs^  e)
{
    FileInfo ^ flePeople = gcnew FileInfo("People.txt");
    StreamWriter ^ stwPeople = flePeople->CreateText();

    try
    {
        stwPeople->WriteLine(txtPerson1->Text);
        stwPeople->WriteLine(txtPerson2->Text);
        stwPeople->WriteLine(txtPerson3->Text);
        stwPeople->WriteLine(txtPerson4->Text);
    }
    finally
    {
        stwPeople->Close();

        txtPerson1->Text = "";
        txtPerson2->Text = "";
        txtPerson3->Text = "";
        txtPerson4->Text = "";
    }
}

Practical Learning: Writing to a Text File

Change the Load event of the form as follows:

System::Void Form1_Load(Object ^ sender, EventArgs ^ e)
{
    String  ^ strFilename = "Employees.wal";
    FileInfo ^ fiEmployees = gcnew FileInfo(strFilename);

    StreamWriter ^ stwEmployees = fiEmployees->CreateText();

    // And create a John Doe employee
    try {
	    stwEmployees->WriteLine("00-000");
	    stwEmployees->WriteLine("John Doe");
    }
    finally
    {
	stwEmployees.Close();
    }
}

Appending Text to a File

You may have created a text-based file and written to it. If you open such a file and find out that a piece of information is missing, you can add that information to the end of the file. To do this, you can call the FileInfo::AppenText() member function. Its syntax is:

public:
    StreamWriter ^ AppendText();

When calling this member function, you can retrieve the StreamWriter object that it returns, then use that object to add new information to the file.

Practical Learning: Writing to a Text File

To create a new form, on the main menu, click Project -> Add New Item...
In the middle list, click Windows Form. Set the Name to NewEmployee
Click Add
In the Components section of the Toolbox, click HelpProvider and click the form

Design the form as follows:

Control	Text	Name	HelpString On HelpProvider1
Label	Employee #:
TextBox		txtEmployeeNumber	Enter an employee number as 00-000
Label	Employee Name:
TextBox		txtEmployeeName	Enter employee's full name
Button	Create	btnCreate	Used to create an employee name
Button	Close	btnClose	Used to close the form

Right-click the form and click View Code

In the top section of the file, under the using namespace lines, type:

#pragma once

namespace WattsALoan1 {

	using namespace System;
	using namespace System::ComponentModel;
	using namespace System::Collections;
	using namespace System::Windows::Forms;
	using namespace System::Data;
	using namespace System::Drawing;
	using namespace System::IO;

Return to the New Employee form
Double-click the Create button

Implement its event as follows:

System::Void Form1_Load(System::Object^  sender, System::EventArgs^  e)
{
    String ^ strFilename = L"Employees.wal";
    FileInfo ^ fiEmployees = gcnew FileInfo(strFilename);

    StreamWriter ^ stwEmployees = fiEmployees->CreateText();

    // And create a John Doe employee
    try {
	    stwEmployees->WriteLine("00-000");
	    stwEmployees->WriteLine("John Doe");
    }
    finally
    {
	stwEmployees->Close();
    }
}

Return to the New Employee form and double-click the Close button

Implement its event as follows:

System::Void btnClose_Click(System::Object^  sender, System::EventArgs^  e)
{
	Close();
}

Access the Form1.h header file

In the top section of the file, include the NewEmployee.h file

#pragma once

#include "NewEmployee.h"

namespace WattsALoan1 {

	using namespace System;
	using namespace System::ComponentModel;
	using namespace System::Collections;
	using namespace System::Windows::Forms;
	using namespace System::Data;
	using namespace System::Drawing;
	using namespace System::IO;

Access the Form1.h [Design] tab

Double-click the top New button and implement the event as follows:

System::Void btnNewEmployee_Click(System::Object^  sender, System::EventArgs^  e)
{
    NewEmployee ^ frmNewEmployee = gcnew NewEmployee;

    frmNewEmployee->ShowDialog();
}

Return to the Form1 form
In the combo box on top of the Properties window, select txtEmployeeNumber
On the Properties window, click the Events button and double-click Leave

Implement the event as follows:

System::Void txtEmployeeNumber_Leave(Object ^ sender, EventArgs ^ e)
{
    String ^ strFilename = "Employees.wal";
    FileInfo ^ fiEmployees = gcnew FileInfo(strFilename);

    if( txtEmployeeNumber->Text == "" )
    {
        txtEmployeeName->Text = "";
        return;
    }
    else
    {
        StreamReader ^ strEmployees = fiEmployees->OpenText();
        String ^ strEmployeeNumber, ^ strEmployeeName;
        bool found = false;

        try
        {
            strEmployees = gcnew StreamReader(strFilename);

            while(strEmployees->Peek() >= 0)
            {
                strEmployeeNumber = strEmployees->ReadLine();

                if( strEmployeeNumber == txtEmployeeNumber->Text )
                {
                    strEmployeeName = strEmployees->ReadLine();
                    txtEmployeeName->Text = strEmployeeName;
                    found = true;
                }
            }

            strEmployees->Close();

            // When the application has finished checking the file
            // if there was no employee with that number, let the user know
            if( found == false )
            {
    MessageBox::Show("No employee with that number was found", "Watts A Loan");
                txtEmployeeName->Text = "";
                txtEmployeeNumber->Focus();
            }
        }
        finally
        {
            strEmployees->Close();
        }
    }
}

Execute the application to test it

First create a few employees as follows:

Employee #	Employee Name
42-806	Ann Sullivan
75-148	Hélène Mukoko
36-222	Frank Leandro
42-808	John Harland

Process a loan
Close the application

Reading from a File

As opposed to writing to a file, you can read from it. To support this, the FileInfo class is equipped with a member function named OpenText. Its syntax is:

public:
    StreamReader ^ OpenText();

This member function returns a StreamReader object. You can then use this object to read the lines of a text file. Here is an example:

System::Void btnOpen_Click(System::Object^  sender, System::EventArgs^  e)
{
    String ^ Filename = "People.txt";
    FileInfo ^ flePeople = gcnew FileInfo(Filename);
    StreamReader ^ strPeople = flePeople->OpenText();

    try
    {
        txtPerson1->Text = strPeople->ReadLine();
        txtPerson2->Text = strPeople->ReadLine();
        txtPerson3->Text = strPeople->ReadLine();
        txtPerson4->Text = strPeople->ReadLine();
    }
    finally
    {
        strPeople->Close();
    }
}

Routine Operations on Files

Creating a File

The FileInfo constructor is mostly meant only to indicate that you want to use a file, whether it exists already or it would be created. Based on this, if you execute an application that has only a FileInfo object created using the constructor as done above, nothing would happen.

To create a file, you have various alternatives. If you want to create one without writing anything in it, which implies creating an empty file, you can call the FileInfo::Create() member function. Its syntax is:

public:
    FileStream ^ Create();

This member function simply creates an empty file. Here is an example of calling it:

System::Void btnSave_Click(System::Object^  sender, System::EventArgs^  e)
{
    FileInfo ^ fleMembers = gcnew FileInfo(L"First.txt");
    fleMembers->Create();
}

Opening a File

As opposed to creating a file, probably the second most regular operation performed on a file consists of opening it to read or explore its contents. To support opening a file, the FileInfo class is equipped with the Open() member function that is overloaded with three versions. Their syntaxes are:

public:
    FileStream^ Open(FileMode mode);
    FileStream^ Open(FileMode mode, FileAccess access);
    FileStream^ Open(FileMode mode, FileAccess access, FileShare share);

You can select one of these member functions, depending on how you want to open the file, using the options for file mode, file access, and file sharing. Each version of this member function returns a FileStream object that you can then use to process the file. After opening the file, you can then read or use its content.

If you have a text-based file and want to directly read from it, you can use the StreamReader class that is equipped with the Read() and the ReadLine() member functions. As done for the StreamWriter class, after using a StreamReader object, make sure you close it.

Checking File Existence

When you call the FileInfo::Create() or the FileInfo::CreateText() member function, if the file passed as argument, or as the file in the path of the argument, exists already, it would be deleted and a new one would be created with the same name. This can cause the right file to be deleted. Therefore, before creating a file, you may need to check whether it exists already. To do this, you can check the value of the Boolean FileInfo::Exists property. This property holds a true value if the file exists already and it holds a false value if the file doesn't exist or it doesn't exist in the path.

Here is an example of checking the existence of a file:

System::Void btnSave_Click(System::Object^  sender, System::EventArgs^  e)
{
    FileInfo ^ fleMembers = gcnew FileInfo(L"First.txt");
    fleMembers->Create();

    if( fleMembers.Exists == true )
	return;
}

Practical Learning: Creating a Text File

Change the Load event of the form as follows:

System::Void Form1_Load(System::Object^  sender, System::EventArgs^  e)
{
    String ^ strFilename = L"Employees.wal";
    FileInfo ^ fiEmployees = gcnew FileInfo(strFilename);

    // If the employees file was not created already,
    // then create it
    if( !fiEmployees->Exists )
    {
	 StreamWriter ^ stwEmployees = fiEmployees->CreateText();
    }
}

Writing to a File

As mentioned earlier, the FileInfo::Create() member function returns a FileStream object. You can use this to specify the type of operation that would be allowed on the file.

To write normal text to a file, you can first call the FileInfo::CreateText() member function. This member function returns a StreamWriter object. The StreamWriter class is based on the TextWriter class that is equipped with the Write() and the WriteLine() member functions used to write values to a file. The Write() member function writes text on a line and keeps the caret on the same line. The WriteLine() member function writes a line of text and moves the caret to the next line.

After writing to a file, you should close the StreamWriter object to free the resources it was using during its operation(s).

Practical Learning: Writing to a Text File

Change the Load event of the form as follows:

System::Void Form1_Load(System::Object^  sender, System::EventArgs^  e)
{
	 String ^ strFilename = L"Employees.wal";
	 FileInfo ^ fiEmployees = gcnew FileInfo(strFilename);

	 // If the employees file was not created already,
	 // then create it
	 if( !fiEmployees->Exists )
	 {
	     StreamWriter ^ stwEmployees = fiEmployees->CreateText();

	     // And create a John Doe employee
	    try {
		 stwEmployees->WriteLine(L"00-000");
		 stwEmployees->WriteLine(L"John Doe");
	    }
	    finally
	    {
		 stwEmployees->Close();
	    }
	 }
}

Appending to a File

public:
    StreamWriter ^ AppendText();

When calling this member function, you can retrieve the StreamWriter object that it returns, then use that object to add new information to the file.

Practical Learning: Writing to a Text File

To create a new form, on the main menu, click Project -> Add New Item...
In the middle list, click Windows Form
Set the Name to NewEmployee and click Add

Design the form as follows:

Control	Text	Name
Label	Employee #:
TextBox		txtEmployeeNumber
Label	Employee Name:
TextBox		txtEmployeeName
Button	Create	btnCreate
Button	Close	btnClose

Right-click the form and click View Code
In the top section of the file, under the using using lines, type
using namespace System::IO;
Return to the New Employee form and double-click the Create button

Implement its event as follows:

System::Void btnCreate_Click(System::Object^  sender, System::EventArgs^  e)
{
	 String ^ strFilename = L"Employees.wal";
	 FileInfo ^ fiEmployees = gcnew FileInfo(strFilename);
	 StreamWriter ^ stwEmployees = nullptr;

	 // Normally, we should have the file already but just in case...
	 if( !fiEmployees->Exists )
		 stwEmployees = fiEmployees->CreateText();
	 else // If the file exists already, then we will only add to it
		 stwEmployees= fiEmployees->AppendText();
				 
	 try {
		 stwEmployees->WriteLine(txtEmployeeNumber->Text);
		 stwEmployees->WriteLine(txtEmployeeName->Text);
	 }
	 finally
	 {
		 stwEmployees->Close();
	 }

	 txtEmployeeNumber->Text = L"";
	 txtEmployeeName->Text = L"";
	 txtEmployeeNumber->Focus();
}

Return to the New Employee form and double-click the Close button

Implement its event as follows:

System::Void btnClose_Click(System::Object^  sender, System::EventArgs^  e)
{
	 Close();
}

Access the Form1 form
Double-click the top New button
In the top section of the file, under the #pragma once line, type

#include "NewEmployee.h"

Scroll down and implement its Click event as follows:

System::Void btnNewEmployee_Click(System::Object^  sender, System::EventArgs^  e)
{
    NewEmployee ^ frmNewEmployee = gcnew NewEmployee;

    frmNewEmployee->ShowDialog();
}

Return to the form
In the combo box on top of the Properties window, select txtEmployeeNumber
On the Properties window, click the Events button and double-click Leave

Implement the event as follows:

System::Void txtEmployeeNumber_Leave(System::Object^  sender,
				     System::EventArgs^  e) 
{
    String ^ strFilename = L"Employees.wal";
    FileInfo ^ fiEmployees = gcnew FileInfo(strFilename);

    if(fiEmployees->Exists )
    {
	if( txtEmployeeNumber->Text == L"" )
	{
		 txtEmployeeName->Text = L"";
		 return;
	}
	else
	{
	   StreamReader ^ strEmployees = fiEmployees->OpenText();
	   String ^ strEmployeeNumber, ^ strEmployeeName;
	   bool found = false;

	   try {
		 while( strEmployeeNumber = strEmployees->ReadLine() )
		 {
		     if( strEmployeeNumber == txtEmployeeNumber->Text )
		     {
			 strEmployeeName   = strEmployees->ReadLine();
			 txtEmployeeName->Text = strEmployeeName;
			 found = true;
		     }
		 }

		 // When the application has finished checking the file
	 	 // if there was no employee with that number, let the user know
		 if( found == false )
		 {
		    MessageBox::Show(L"No employee with that number was found");
		 	 	     txtEmployeeName->Text = L"";
				     txtEmployeeNumber->Focus();
		 }
	    }
	    finally
	    {
		 strEmployees->Close();
	    }
	 }
    }
}

Execute the application to test it
First create a few employees as follows:

Employee # Employee Name

42-806 Patricia Katts

75-148 Helene Mukoko

36-222 Frank Leandro

42-808 Gertrude Monay
Process a loan
Close the application

Deleting a File

If you have an existing file you don't need anymore, you can delete it. This operation can be performed by calling the FileInfo::Delete() member function. Its syntax is:

public:
    virtual void Delete() override;

Here is an example:

FileInfo ^ fleMembers = gcnew FileInfo(L"First.txt");
fleMembers->Delete();

Copying a File

You can make a copy of a file from one directory to another. To do this, you can call the FileInfo::CopyTo() member function that is overloaded with two versions. The first version has the following syntax:

public:
    FileInfo ^ CopyTo(String ^ destFileName);

When calling this member function, specify the path or directory that will be the destination of the copied file. Here is an example:

FileInfo ^ fleMembers = gcnew FileInfo(L"Reality.txt");
String ^ strMyDocuments =
    Environment.GetFolderPath(Environment::SpecialFolder::Personal);
fleMembers->CopyTo(String.Concat(strMyDocuments, "\\Federal.txt"));

In this example, a file named Reality.txt in the directory of the project would be retrieved and its content would be applied to a new file named Federal.txt created in the My Documents folder of the current user.

When calling the first version of the FileInfo::CopyTo() member function, if the file exists already, the operation would not continue and you would simply receive a message box. If you insist, you can overwrite the target file. To do this, you can use the second version of this member function. Its syntax is:

public:
    FileInfo ^ CopyTo(String ^destFileName, bool overwrite);

The first argument is the same as that of the first version of the member function. The second argument specifies what action to take if the file exists already in the target directory. If you want to overwrite it, pass the argument as true; otherwise, pass it as false.

Moving a File

If you copy a file from one directory to another, you would have two copies of the same file or the same contents in two files. Instead of copying, if you want, you can simply move the file from one directory to another. This operation can be performed by calling the FileInfo::MoveTo() member function. Its syntax is:

public:
    void MoveTo(String ^destFileName);

The argument to this member function is the same as that of the CopyTo() member function. After executing this member function, the FileInfo object would be moved to the destFileName path.

Here is an example:

FileInfo ^ fleMembers = gcnew FileInfo(L"pop.txt");
String ^ strMyDocuments =
	Environment::GetFolderPath(Environment::SpecialFolder::Personal);
fleMembers->CopyTo(String::Concat(strMyDocuments, "\\pop.txt"));

Renaming a File

If you have an existing file whose name you don't want anymore, you can rename it. To support this operation, you can call the MoveTo() member function of the FileInfo class. Here is an example:

System::Void btnRename_Click(System::Object^  sender, System::EventArgs^  e)
{
    // Get a reference to the file
    FileInfo ^ fiRename = gcnew FileInfo("C:\\Exercise1\\chat1.txt");
                
    // Rename the file
    fiRename->MoveTo("C:\\Exercise1\\BlahBlahBlah.txt");
}

To perform the same operation, the File class provides a member function named Move. Its syntax is:

public static void Move(string sourceFileName, string destFileName);

Here is an example:

System::Void btnRename_Click(System::Object^  sender, System::EventArgs^  e)
{
    File::Move("C:\\Exercise\\Soho.txt", "C:\\Exercise\\Whatever.txt");
}

Characteristics of a File

The Date and Time a File Was Created

To keep track of it, after a file has been created, the operating system makes a note of the date and the time the file was created. This information can be valuable in other operations such as search routines. You too are allowed to change this date and time values to those you prefer.

As mentioned already, the OS makes sure to keep track of the date and time a file was created. To find out what those date and time values are, you can access the get accessor of the FileSystemInfo::CreationTime property. This would be done as follows:

System::Void btnDateCreated_Click(System::Object^  sender, System::EventArgs^  e)
{
    FileInfo ^ fExercise = gcnew FileInfo("C:\\Exercise1\\Exercise.txt");
    txtDateCreated->Text = fExercise->CreationTime.ToLongTimeString();
}

If you don't like the date, the time, or both, that the OS would have set when the file was created, you can change them. To change one or both of these values, you can assign a desired DateTime object to the set accessory of the FileSystemInfo::CreationTime property.

The Date and Time a File Was Last Accessed

Many applications allow a user to open an existing file and to modify it. When people work in a team or when a particular file is regularly opened, at one particular time, you may want to know the date and time that the file was last accessed. To get this information, you can access the FileSystemInfo::LastAccessTime property. Here is an example:

System::Void btnDateCreated_Click(System::Object^  sender, System::EventArgs^  e)
{
    FileInfo ^ fExercise = gcnew FileInfo("C:\\Exercise1\\Exercise.txt");
    txtDateCreated->Text = fExercise->LastWriteTime.ToLongTimeString();
}

If you are interested to know the last date and time a file was modified, you can get the value of its FileSystemInfo::LastWriteTime property.

The Name of a File

The operating system requires that each file have a name. In fact, the name must be specified when creating a file. This allows the OS to catalogue the computer files. This also allows you to locate or identify a particular file you need.

When reviewing or opening a file, to get its name, the FileInfo class is equipped with the Name property. Here is an example:

txtFileName->Text = "The name of this file is: \"" + fleLoan->Name + "\"";

This string simply identifies a file.

The Extension of a File

With the advent of Windows 95 and later, the user doesn't have to specify the extension of a file when creating it. Because of the type of confusion that this can lead to, most applications assist the user with this detail. Some applications allow the user to choose among various extensions. For example, using Notepad, a user can open a text, a PHP, a script, or an HTML file.

When you access a file or when the user opens one, to know the extension of the file, you can access the value of the FileSystemInfo::Extension property. Here is an example:

txtFileExtension->Text = "File Extension: " + fleLoan->Extension;

The Size of a File

One of the routine operations the operating system performs consists of calculating the size of files it holds. This information is provided in terms of bits, kilobits, or kilobytes. To get the size of a file, the FileInfo class is quipped with the Length property. Here is an example of accessing it:

Console::WriteLine(L"File Size: " + fleLoan::Length.ToString());

The Directory to a File

Besides the name of the file, it must be located somewhere. The location of a file is referred to as its path or directory. The FileInfo class represents this path as the DirectoryName property. Therefore, if a file has already been created, to get its path, you can access the value of the FileInfo::DirectoryName property.

The Full Name of a File

Besides the FileInfo::Directoryname, to know the full path to a file, you can access its FileSystemInfo::FullName property. Here is an example:

System::Void btnFileName_Click(System::Object^  sender, System::EventArgs^  e)
{
	FileInfo ^ fExercise = gcnew FileInfo("C:\\Exercise1\\Exercise.txt");
	txtFileName->Text = fExercise->FullName;
}

The Attributes of a File

Attributes are characteristics that apply to a file, defining what can be done or must be disallowed on it. The Attributes are primarily defined by, and in, the operating system, mostly when a file is created. When the user accesses or opens a file, to get its attributes, you can access the value of its FileSystemInfo::Attributes property. This property produces a FileAttributes object.

When you create or access a file, you can specify or change some of the attributes. To do this, you can a FileAttributes object and assign it to the FileSystemInfo.Attributes property.

FileAttributes is an enumerator with the following members: Archive, Compressed, Device, Directory, Encrypted, Hidden, Normal, NotContentIndexed, Offline, ReadOnly, ReparsePoint, SparseFile, System, and Temporary.