setting file attribute

[Dan12345]

Hi there. Im a new member here in the forum.

I've got a question to ask.

How do I set the file attribute of a file using C++ coding?
Is there any function when called that will return the state of the file, as in 'hidden', 'archive' and all the file attributes?

[Bruce Mac]

hi, not sure if this will help but it tried it and it worked for me.

cout<< system("attrib c:/test.txt") << endl;

assuming that you have a file called test.txt in the root of your c drive.
also to modify the attributes open a dos window and type 'attrib /?' with out quotes and it will give you the switches to modify the attributes.

Bruce

[Dan12345]

Hi there. What I meant was to set the attribute of a file using C++ coding. In other words, I would like to create a file using C++ coding and then set the file attribute to be 'hidden' (for example) so that when I go into the directory, i do not see hidden files.

[weaknessforcats]

This has nothing to do with C++.

This is an operating system setting. Research your system calls.

[Nierburt]

Yes, C++ can do the trick. If you were paying attention to what Bruce Mac said, typing “attrib /?” without the quotes on a dos window will give you the possible switches for modifying the file attributes. Thus, after creating an output file (e.g)
ofstream out_stream("tes t.txt");
Follow it with this line:
system("attrib +h test.txt"); //Set the hidden attribute for test.txt
Or if you want, you can also add the “system” attribute:
system("attrib +h +s test.txt");

Note: test.txt is on the same folder with the executable. You can replace it with the absolute path of the file you are concerned with.

I hope this works for you.