Java IO Package and Streams
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The Java I/O package supports Java's basic input/output system for accessing external data from sources like files and networks. It defines streams as logical entities that produce or consume information, with byte streams for binary data and character streams for Unicode text. Streams are linked to physical devices and behave consistently across different types of devices. The package defines hierarchies of input and output stream classes, with abstract base classes like InputStream/OutputStream for bytes and Reader/Writer for characters.
Java IO Package and Streams
- 2. Introduction • Most programs cannot accomplish their goals without accessing external data • Data is retrieved from an input source and results of a program are sent to an output destination • These sources or destinations are defined very broadly in Java, e.g. a network connection, memory buffer, or disk file • The java.io package supports Java’s basic I/O (input/output) system • Java provides strong, flexible support for I/O as it relates to files and networks • physically different, these devices are all handled by the same abstraction: the stream
- 3. Streams • A stream is a logical entity that either produces or consumes information • A stream is linked to a physical device by the Java I/O system • All streams behave in the same manner, even if the actual physical devices they are linked to differ • an input stream can abstract many different kinds of input: from a disk file, a keyboard, or a network socket • Likewise, an output stream may refer to the console, a disk file, or a network connection
- 4. Types of Streams • Java 2 defines two types of streams: byte and character • Byte streams provide a convenient means for handling input and output of bytes • Byte streams are used when reading or writing binary data • Character streams provide a convenient means for handling input and output of characters • They use Unicode and, therefore, can be internationalized.
- 5. Byte Streams • Byte Streams are defined by using two class hierarchies • At the top are two abstract classes: InputStream and OutputStream • Each of these abstract classes has several concrete subclasses • These classes handle the differences between various devices, such as disk files, network connections, and even memory buffers
- 6. Byte Streams (contd) • The abstract classes InputStream and OutputStream define several key methods that the other stream classes implement • Two of the most important are read( ) and write( ) which read and write bytes of data • Both methods are declared as abstract and are overridden by derived stream classes
- 7. Character Streams • Character streams are defined by using two class hierarchies • At the top are two abstract classes, Reader and Writer • These abstract classes handle Unicode character streams • The abstract classes Reader and Writer define several key methods that the other stream classes implement • Two of the most important methods are read( ) and write( ), which read and write characters of data • These methods are overridden by derived stream classes.