In C language, what are text files and binary files?

A file is a collection of records (or) a place on a hard disk where data is permanently stored.

File types

There are two types of file languages ​​in C as follows-

• Text files
• Binary files

Text file

# It contains letters and numbers that are easily understandable by humans.

Errors in text files can be eliminated in the following situations:

In text files, text and characters are stored one character per byte .

For example the integer value 4567 will occupy 2 bytes in memory, but will occupy 5 bytes in the text file.

Data formats are usually row-oriented. Here, each line is a separate command.

Binary file

• It contains 1s and 0s and is easily understood by computers.

• Errors in binary files can corrupt the file and are difficult to detect.

• In a binary file, the integer value 1245 will occupy 2 bytes in memory and file.

• Binary files always require supporting software to read or write it.

• For example, MP3 files can be generated by a recorder or audio editor and can be played in a music player.

• MP3 files cannot be played in image viewers or database software.

Files are classified into the following categories

• Sequential Files - Here, the data is stored and retained in a sequential manner.
• Random Access File - Here, the data is stored in a sequential manner and retrieved in a random manner.

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