How to create a .dat file

[poda]

Does any one know how to create a .dat file. Not just saving a text file by changing the extension. The file should only be opened using specified program and not by other editors. For example,Yahoo messenger archieves are stored in .dat file format. I want to save the data of my application in a safer way. Help please. Thanks

[Christian Graus]

poda123 wrote:

Does any one know how to create a .dat file. Not just saving a text file by changing the extension.

A .dat file will have it's own file format, which won't be text. You can similarly define any file format that you like. Typically, these will contain metadata to define the values that are coming up, or will be fixed and, for example, store numbers as numbers, instead of as ASCII or Unicode values. Another option is to use compression or encryption to hide your data in your format.

Christian Graus - Microsoft MVP - C++ Metal Musings - Rex and my new metal blog

[poda]

That's what really I want. How to define my own file format.

[Daniel Kanev]

There are many different ways. For instance if you want to store point coordinates you can create a structure like this struct Point { double x; double y; }; and store all points you have consequentially in the file. There are different ways of doing that too. The simplest is using FILE* f = fopen("test.dat","bw"); fclose(f);

[Joan M]

At first you should think on how do you want to store that data, then serialize that data into a file using a function that encapsulates the way you want to do it. In fact, you could generate a "document" class with a load and save functions. You can make it as complicated as you want by applying encryption methods and others, but you must decide how to do it. In fact if you want to generate some kind of file that only your application must be able to open and understand, you should decide how do you want to store that data without thinking on making it standard in any way. If you want to open that file automatically with your application then register the file extension. Hope this helps.

[David Crow]

poda123 wrote:

Does any one know how to create a .dat file.

In exactly the same way as you would any other file. A file's extension has no bearing on how it is created.

poda123 wrote:

The file should only be opened using specified program and not by other editors.

This is rather difficult, if at all, to achieve.

poda123 wrote:

For example,Yahoo messenger archieves are stored in .dat file format.

But that does not imply that YM could open any .dat file, only those that it created.

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[poda]

Thanks for suggestions! Thank you.