C++ writing to file producing garbage data [closed] - c++

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I am trying to add data into a text file. However, i see for some reason it produces garbage data. I also notice, it will input the correct data once, but then it follow with garbage data.
void TextFileLogger::log(std::string msg){
using namespace std;
//ofstream output_file("students.data", ios::binary);
std::ofstream logFile;
// creating, opening and writing/appending data to a file
char filename[] = "log.txt";
logFile.open(filename, ios::binary | ios::app |ios::out);
if (logFile.fail())
{
std::cout << "The " << filename << " file could not be created/opened!" << std::endl;
// 0-normal, non zero - some errors
}
else
{
if (!logFile.write((char*)&msg, sizeof(msg)))
{
cout << "Could not write file" << endl;
}
else
{
streamsize bytesWritten = logFile.tellp();
if (bytesWritten != sizeof(msg))
{
cout << "Could not write expected number of bytes" << endl;
}
else
{
logFile << msg << std::endl;
cout << "file written OK" << endl;
}
}
}
}

Answer 1

That one is fun!
(char*)&msg does not do what you expect: std::string is mainly a pointer to a dynamically-allocated buffer which contains the actual data. When you take the std::string's address and try to read what's inside, you get a view of its innards, not its data. Using a C++ static_cast here would have spared you the trouble by telling you that the conversion makes no sense. sizeof(msg) similarly returns the size of the std::string, not the length of its data.
So, your solution is: use msg.data() and msg.size(), it's exactly what they're designed for.
But... why would it (sometimes) output your string, and a bunch of garbage? Well, std::strings typically use SSO (Small String Optimization). The std::string actually contains a small buffer, to store short enough strings without dynamic allocation. When you inspect the whole std::string object, you see this buffer pass by.

Answer 2

You are writing the contents of the whole std::string object, with all the member variables that it contains internally.
You either want:
logFile << msg;
or if you really want to use write():
logFile.write( msg.c_str(), msg.length());
And, I wonder: Why do create/open the file in binary mode, when you write strings afterwards?
And finally, you write the data twice, the second time in your last else clause.

Answer 3

The problem is with this line:
if (!logFile.write((char*)&msg, sizeof(msg)))
It should be this:
if (!logFile.write(msg.c_str(), msg.length()))
Since you are passing a std::string into the function, you should take advantage of the functions it provides (c_str() and length()) instead of trying to cast it to a char* (this always gets messy, plus you are casting away the const, which is also typically bad).

Answer 4

This:
if (!logFile.write((char*)&msg, sizeof(msg)))
is wrong in so many ways. msg is not an array of char, it's a std::string - lying to the compiler by using a cast is always a bad thing to do. And the size of a string is not the size of the characters it contains. Why the heck are you not using the obvios:
logfile << msg << std::endl;

Answer 5

Replace sizeof(msg) with msg.size(), sizeof() is not doing what you think!
Also (char*)&msg does not do whatever you think, use msg.data() instead.
logFile.write((char*)&msg, sizeof(msg));
should be rewritten to:
logFile.write(msg.data(), msg.size());
or, even better, because ofstream overrides operator<< for std::string:
logfile << msg;