Using the <i class="emphasis">FileStream</i> Class

Using the FileStream Class

As discussed in the In Depth section of this chapter, you can use the FileStream class to open or create files, and then use other classes, like BinaryWriter and BinaryReader, to work with the data in the file. Here's the hierarchy of the FileStream class:

Object
   MarshalByRefObject
      Stream
         FileStream

You can find the more notable public properties of FileStream objects in Table 13.7 and the more notable public methods in Table 13.8.

Table 13.7: Noteworthy public properties of *FileStream* objects.
Property	Means
CanRead	Determines if the stream supports reading.
CanSeek	Determines if the stream supports seeking.
CanWrite	Determines if the stream supports writing.
Handle	Gets the operating system file handle for the stream's file.
IsAsync	Determines if the stream was opened asynchronously or synchronously.
Length	Gets the length of the stream in bytes.
Name	Gets the name of the file stream passed to the constructor.
Position	Gets/sets the position in this stream.

Table 13.8: Noteworthy public methods of *FileStream* objects.
Method	Means
BeginRead	Starts an asynchronous read operation.
BeginWrite	Starts an asynchronous write operation.
Close	Closes a file, making it available in Windows to any other program.
EndRead	Waits for an asynchronous read operation to finish.
EndWrite	Ends an asynchronous write operation, waiting until the operation has finished.
Flush	Flushes all buffers for this stream, writing any buffered data out to its target (such as a disk file).
Lock	Withholds any access to the file to other processes.
Read	Reads a block of bytes.
ReadByte	Reads a byte from the file.
Seek	Sets the current read/write position.
SetLength	Sets the length of the stream.
Unlock	Gives access to other processes to a file that had been locked.
Write	Writes a block of bytes to this stream.
WriteByte	Writes a byte to the current read/write position.