Ways fopen() Failes

I am trying to do a basic file check (see if the file exists) and I am using
the command fopen(argv[1], "r") to check. However I am afraid that it may
fail even if the file does exist if the file is on a networked drive
(similar to the way rename() dies. It isn't in any of the documentation,
does anyone know if it has any problems like this?
Thanks
Nathaniel

re: Ways fopen() Failes

Nathaniel Wingard <Parinioa@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:bk7kno$blk$1@msunews.cl.msu.edu...[color=blue]
> I am trying to do a basic file check (see if the file exists)[/color]

There's no way to do that with standard C.
[color=blue]
>and I am using
> the command fopen(argv[1], "r") to check.[/color]

The only thing you can learn from 'fopen()'s return value
is, was the file opened successfully or not. *Why* cannot
be determined.
[color=blue]
> However I am afraid that it may
> fail even if the file does exist if the file is on a networked drive[/color]

Yes, depending upon the environment, there are any number of
reasons that a file could not be opened.
[color=blue]
>
> (similar to the way rename() dies.[/color]

'rename()' will return zero if successful, nonzero if not.
If it fails, why cannot be determined.
[color=blue]
> It isn't in any of the documentation,[/color]

It's not part of the standard C language.
[color=blue]
> does anyone know if it has any problems like this?[/color]

I don't see any 'problem'.

What you're asking about is platform-specific behavior.
Consult your implementation and/or operating system
documentation. Most OS's feature API calls for more
intimate interaction with e.g. a file system.

-Mike

re: Ways fopen() Failes

Nathaniel Wingard wrote:[color=blue]
>
> I am trying to do a basic file check (see if the file exists) and I am using
> the command fopen(argv[1], "r") to check. However I am afraid that it may
> fail even if the file does exist if the file is on a networked drive
> (similar to the way rename() dies. It isn't in any of the documentation,
> does anyone know if it has any problems like this?[/color]

This is Question 19.11 in the comp.lang.c Frequently
Asked Questions (FAQ) list

http://www.eskimo.com/~scs/C-faq/top.html

--
Eric.Sosman@sun.com