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                  Opening & Saving Files In QBasic            
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                        By: Michael Cooney 
                       stalfos45@hotmail.com
                      http://blif.tripod.com/
                       last update: 10/6/99


     Contents
     ---------

	What are files?
		Different types of files

	Sequential Files
		Saving to sequential files
		Reading from sequential files

	Random Access Files
		Saving to random access files
    		Readimg from random access files



=====================================================================
 What are files?
=====================================================================

	Files are the way in which we store data recorded, or 
generated from a program. They are how the computer remembers things.
If you made a program to ask the person thier name, you could save 
their name in a file to remember it the next time the program is run.

	Different types of files inclue random access files and 
sequential files. Let's discuss the differences between the two.

	A sequential file is a file in which each record in the file 
can be a different length. While this saves space it can also cause 
problems. In a sequential file, if you wanted to access record # 398 
you would have to go throught records # 1 - 397 first. You could 
compare a sequential file to an audio tape. To hear the third song on 
a tape you have to play through (or fast forward) the first two 
songs.

	Random Access files, on the other hand, could be compared to 
a CD. You can skip right to the record you want. Though in random 
access files all the records have to be of a set length.. even if 
what you are storing is shorter than that length it wil take up the 
same amount of space as a record twice as long. 

	So, sequential files save space, but you can't access specific 
records. Random access files require more space, but you can access
specific records. 



=====================================================================
 Sequential Files
=====================================================================

	So, are you ready for your first example? I hope so. First 
we'll write a short program to create a file. It will ask the user 
for their name and then save it to the file test1.txt.

CLS 
OPEN "test1.txt" FOR OUTPUT AS #1
INPUT "What is your name"; name$
PRINT #1, name$
CLOSE #1
PRINT "Thank-you " name$ "."
END

	Simple enough, right? The second line asks for a file named
test1.txt and opens it and tell it to get ready for some output. The 
file recieves the name #1, so we can use #1 to refer to this file 
later in the program. The fourth line prints to file #1 the variable
name$. The fifth line closes the file.	

	Now we need a program to read this file:

CLS
OPEN "test1.txt" FOR INPUT AS #1
LINE INPUT #1, name$
PRINT "Hello " name$ ". How are ya?"
END

	This will print out whatever you entered as your name in the 
last program.

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I'm still working on this.. it will probobly be done by tomorrow 
sometime.