AW: [PATCH] fread.3: Explain that file position is moved after calling fread()/fwrite()

[Walter Harms <wharms@bfs.de>]

Hi,
i do not think character is correct it would confuse fseek() it says:
"The new position, measured in bytes"

to make things more complicated fread has a "size" and returns the
number of "things" read (" This number equals the number of bytes 
transferred only  when size  is 1.").

therefor i would suggest to move the success case
> > +The file position indicator for the stream is advanced by the number
> > +of characters successfully read or written.
into the "description section"

And add a word about partial reads into the "return value" section. E.g.
to make clear what happens when you try to read size=10 while only 4 are left.

jm2c
 wh

________________________________________
Von: linux-man-owner@vger.kernel.org [linux-man-owner@vger.kernel.org] im Auftrag von Arkadiusz Drabczyk [arkadiusz@drabczyk.org]
Gesendet: Mittwoch, 17. Juni 2020 00:50
An: Jakub Wilk
Cc: Michael Kerrisk; linux-man@vger.kernel.org
Betreff: Re: [PATCH] fread.3: Explain that file position is moved after calling fread()/fwrite()

On Tue, Jun 16, 2020 at 09:00:17PM +0200, Jakub Wilk wrote:
> * Arkadiusz Drabczyk <arkadiusz@drabczyk.org>, 2020-06-16, 20:26:
> > +The file position indicator for the stream is advanced by the number
> > +of characters successfully read or written.
>
> s/characters/bytes/

It says `characters' in C11 and C17
https://web.archive.org/web/20181230041359if_/http://www.open-std.org/jtc1/sc22/wg14/www/abq/c17_updated_proposed_fdis.pdf
standards:

"Description

The fread function reads, into the array pointed to by ptr , up to
nmemb elements whose size is specified by size , from the stream
pointed to by stream . For each object, size calls are made to the
fgetc function and the results stored, in the order read, in an array
of unsigned char exactly overlaying the object. The file position
indicator for the stream (if defined) is advanced by the number of
characters successfully read. If an error occurs, the resulting value
of the file position indicator for the stream is indeterminate. If a
partial element is read, its value is indeterminate."

but indeed `bytes' sounds nicer especially if unsigned char is not
mentioned in the manpage. I sent v2.

--
Arkadiusz Drabczyk <arkadiusz@drabczyk.org>