Corresponding READ method for writeChars()

[Nidhi Sar]

I want to write a String "Hello World!" in a file using ObjectOutputStream and then read it back using ObjectInputStream and print it to screen.

I am using the writeChars() method of ObjectOutputStream. Here is a snippet of the code:

try{
	o = new ObjectOutputStream(new FileOutputStream("ser.txt"));
	o.writeChars("Hello World!");
	o.flush();
	o.close();

	i = new ObjectInputStream(new FileInputStream("ser.txt"));

	System.out.println(i.readChars());  //error. No such method as readChars()

	i.close();
} catch(IOException e){e.printStackTrace();}

Two questions:
1. What corresponding method in FileInputStream can be used to read what was written using writeChars() ?
2. Is there a better way to code what I am trying to do?

Thanks,
Nidhi

[Paul Clapham]

Nidhi Sar wrote:2. Is there a better way to code what I am trying to do?

Yes. Just use the writeObject() method to write an object and the readObject() method to read it back.

[Nidhi Sar]

Paul Clapham wrote:Just use the writeObject() method to write an object and the readObject() method to read it back.

Thanks Paul, that did work!

Do you also happen to know the answer to the first part of my question: if writeChars() is available as a method, there must be some way we should be able to read what is written. Is there?

Thanks,
Nidhi

[Neha Daga]

Yes. Just use the writeObject() method to write an object and the readObject() meth

Paul, I think that will be serialization.

there is a readchar() method I think you can use that.

[Minhaj Mehmood]

There is a method to read chars from Input stream=>

java.io.ObjectInputStream.readChar()

[Minhaj Mehmood]

but it will read 1 char each time.

[Nidhi Sar]

Minhaj kaimkhani wrote:but it will read 1 char each time.

Right, readChar() would read just one char at a time. I was looking for a readChars(). But there is no such method. I was just wondering that without such a method, how would you read something(a String) written with writeChars() ?

[Minhaj Mehmood]

Writes every character in the string s, to the output stream, in order, two bytes per character. If s is null, a NullPointerException is thrown. If s.length is zero, then no characters are written. Otherwise, the character s[0] is written first, then s[1], and so on; the last character written is s[s.length-1]. For each character, two bytes are actually written, high-order byte first, in exactly the manner of the writeChar method.

http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.2/docs/api/java/io/DataOutput.html#writeChars%28java.lang.String%29

see, when you call writeChars(str) it will also write one by one! neither you can read all chars at once nor read!

hope its clear to you?

[Paul Clapham]

Neha Daga wrote:

Yes. Just use the writeObject() method to write an object and the readObject() meth

Paul, I think that will be serialization.

Of course it will be serialization. There is no reason to use an ObjectOutputStream if you don't plan to use serialization. If you just want to write primitives and Strings, then a DataOutputStream is a better choice.