On this page:
open-input-file
open-output-file
open-input-output-file
call-with-input-file
call-with-output-file
call-with-input-file*
call-with-output-file*
with-input-from-file
with-output-to-file
port-try-file-lock?
port-file-unlock
port-file-identity
13.1.5 File Ports

A port created by open-input-file, open-output-file, subprocess, and related functions is a file-stream port. The initial input, output, and error ports in racket are also file-stream ports. The file-stream-port? predicate recognizes file-stream ports.

When an input or output file-stream port is created, it is placed into the management of the current custodian (see Custodians). In the case of an output port, a flush callback is registered with the current plumber to flush the port.

procedure

(open-input-file path    
  [#:mode mode-flag    
  #:for-module? for-module?])  input-port?
  path : path-string?
  mode-flag : (or/c 'binary 'text) = 'binary
  for-module? : any/c = #f
Opens the file specified by path for input. The mode-flag argument specifies how the file’s bytes are translated on input:

On Windows, 'text mode works only with regular files; attempting to use 'text with other kinds of files triggers an exn:fail:filesystem exception.

Otherwise, the file specified by path need not be a regular file. It might be a device that is connected through the filesystem, such as "aux" on Windows or "/dev/null" on Unix. In all cases, the port is buffered by default.

The port produced by open-input-file should be explicitly closed, either though close-input-port or indirectly via custodian-shutdown-all, to release the OS-level file handle. The input port will not be closed automatically if it is otherwise available for garbage collection (see Garbage Collection); a will could be associated with an input port to close it more automatically (see Wills and Executors).

A path value that is the cleansed version of path is used as the name of the opened port.

If opening the file fails due to an error in the filesystem, then exn:fail:filesystem:errno exception is raised—as long as for-module? is #f, current-module-path-for-load has a non-#f value, or the filesystem error is not recognized as a file-not-found error. Otherwise, when for-module? is true, current-module-path-for-load has a non-#f value, and the filesystem error is recognized as a file-not-found error, then the raised exception is either exn:fail:syntax:missing-module (if the value of current-module-path-for-load is a syntax object) or exn:fail:filesystem:missing-module (otherwise).

Changed in version 6.0.1.6 of package base: Added #:for-module?.

Examples:
> (with-output-to-file some-file
    (lambda () (printf "hello world")))
> (define in (open-input-file some-file))
> (read-string 11 in)

"hello world"

> (close-input-port in)

procedure

(open-output-file path    
  [#:mode mode-flag    
  #:exists exists-flag])  output-port?
  path : path-string?
  mode-flag : (or/c 'binary 'text) = 'binary
  exists-flag : 
(or/c 'error 'append 'update 'can-update
      'replace 'truncate
      'must-truncate 'truncate/replace)
   = 'error
Opens the file specified by path for output. The mode-flag argument specifies how bytes written to the port are translated when written to the file:

On Windows, 'text mode works only with regular files; attempting to use 'text with other kinds of files triggers an exn:fail:filesystem exception.

The exists-flag argument specifies how to handle/require files that already exist:

The file specified by path need not be a regular file. It might be a device that is connected through the filesystem, such as "aux" on Windows or "/dev/null" on Unix. The output port is block-buffered by default, unless the file corresponds to a terminal, in which case it is line-buffered by default. On Unix and Mac OS, if the file is a fifo, then the port will block for writing until a reader for the fifo is available; see also port-waiting-peer?.

The port produced by open-output-file should be explicitly closed, either though close-output-port or indirectly via custodian-shutdown-all, to release the OS-level file handle. The output port will not be closed automatically if it is otherwise available for garbage collection (see Garbage Collection); a will could be associated with an output port to close it more automatically (see Wills and Executors).

A path value that is the cleansed version of path is used as the name of the opened port.

If opening the file fails due to an error in the underlying filesystem then exn:fail:filesystem:errno exception is raised.

Examples:
> (define out (open-output-file some-file))
> (write "hello world" out)
> (close-output-port out)

Changed in version 6.9.0.6 of package base: On Unix and Mac OS, make 'truncate/replace replace on a permission error. On Windows, make 'replace always replace instead truncating like 'truncate/replace.
Changed in version 7.4.0.5: Changed handling of a fifo on Unix and Mac OS to make the port block for output until the fifo has a reader.

procedure

(open-input-output-file path 
  [#:mode mode-flag 
  #:exists exists-flag]) 
  
input-port? output-port?
  path : path-string?
  mode-flag : (or/c 'binary 'text) = 'binary
  exists-flag : 
(or/c 'error 'append 'update 'can-update
      'replace 'truncate 'truncate/replace)
   = 'error
Like open-output-file, but producing two values: an input port and an output port. The two ports are connected in that they share the underlying file descriptor. This procedure is intended for use with special devices that can be opened by only one process, such as "COM1" in Windows. For regular files, sharing the file descriptor can be confusing. For example, using one port does not automatically flush the other port’s buffer, and reading or writing in one port moves the file position (if any) for the other port. For regular files, use separate open-input-file and open-output-file calls to avoid confusion.

procedure

(call-with-input-file path    
  proc    
  [#:mode mode-flag])  any
  path : path-string?
  proc : (input-port? . -> . any)
  mode-flag : (or/c 'binary 'text) = 'binary
Calls open-input-file with the path and mode-flag arguments, and passes the resulting port to proc. The result of proc is the result of the call-with-input-file call, but the newly opened port is closed when proc returns.

Examples:
> (with-output-to-file some-file
    (lambda () (printf "text in a file")))
> (call-with-input-file some-file
    (lambda (in) (read-string 14 in)))

"text in a file"

procedure

(call-with-output-file path    
  proc    
  [#:mode mode-flag    
  #:exists exists-flag])  any
  path : path-string?
  proc : (output-port? . -> . any)
  mode-flag : (or/c 'binary 'text) = 'binary
  exists-flag : 
(or/c 'error 'append 'update
      'replace 'truncate 'truncate/replace)
   = 'error
Analogous to call-with-input-file, but passing path, mode-flag and exists-flag to open-output-file.

Examples:
> (call-with-output-file some-file
    (lambda (out)
      (write 'hello out)))
> (call-with-input-file some-file
    (lambda (in)
      (read-string 5 in)))

"hello"

procedure

(call-with-input-file* path    
  proc    
  [#:mode mode-flag])  any
  path : path-string?
  proc : (input-port? . -> . any)
  mode-flag : (or/c 'binary 'text) = 'binary
Like call-with-input-file, but the newly opened port is closed whenever control escapes the dynamic extent of the call-with-input-file* call, whether through proc’s return, a continuation application, or a prompt-based abort.

procedure

(call-with-output-file* path    
  proc    
  [#:mode mode-flag    
  #:exists exists-flag])  any
  path : path-string?
  proc : (output-port? . -> . any)
  mode-flag : (or/c 'binary 'text) = 'binary
  exists-flag : 
(or/c 'error 'append 'update
      'replace 'truncate 'truncate/replace)
   = 'error
Like call-with-output-file, but the newly opened port is closed whenever control escapes the dynamic extent of the call-with-output-file* call, whether through proc’s return, a continuation application, or a prompt-based abort.

procedure

(with-input-from-file path    
  thunk    
  [#:mode mode-flag])  any
  path : path-string?
  thunk : (-> any)
  mode-flag : (or/c 'binary 'text) = 'binary
Like call-with-input-file*, but instead of passing the newly opened port to the given procedure argument, the port is installed as the current input port (see current-input-port) using parameterize around the call to thunk.

Examples:
> (with-output-to-file some-file
    (lambda () (printf "hello")))
> (with-input-from-file some-file
    (lambda () (read-string 5)))

"hello"

procedure

(with-output-to-file path    
  thunk    
  [#:mode mode-flag    
  #:exists exists-flag])  any
  path : path-string?
  thunk : (-> any)
  mode-flag : (or/c 'binary 'text) = 'binary
  exists-flag : 
(or/c 'error 'append 'update
      'replace 'truncate 'truncate/replace)
   = 'error
Like call-with-output-file*, but instead of passing the newly opened port to the given procedure argument, the port is installed as the current output port (see current-output-port) using parameterize around the call to thunk.

Examples:
> (with-output-to-file some-file
    (lambda () (printf "hello")))
> (with-input-from-file some-file
    (lambda () (read-string 5)))

"hello"

procedure

(port-try-file-lock? port mode)  boolean?

  port : file-stream-port?
  mode : (or/c 'shared 'exclusive)
Attempts to acquire a lock on the file using the current platform’s facilities for file locking. Multiple processes can acquire a 'shared lock on a file, but at most one process can hold an 'exclusive lock, and 'shared and 'exclusive locks are mutually exclusive. When mode is 'shared, then port must be an input port; when mode is 'exclusive, then port must be an output port.

The result is #t if the requested lock is acquired, #f otherwise. When a lock is acquired, it is held until either it is released with port-file-unlock or the port is closed (perhaps because the process terminates).

Depending on the platform, locks may be merely advisory (i.e., locks affect only the ability of processes to acquire locks) or they may correspond to mandatory locks that prevent reads and writes to the locked file. Specifically, locks are mandatory on Windows and advisory on other platforms. Multiple tries for a 'shared lock on a single port can succeed; on Unix and Mac OS, a single port-file-unlock release the lock, while on other Windows, a port-file-unlock is needed for each successful port-try-file-lock?. On Unix and Mac OS, multiple tries for a 'exclusive lock can succeed and a single port-file-unlock releases the lock, while on Windows, a try for an 'exclusive lock fails for a given port if the port already holds the lock.

A lock acquired for an input port from open-input-output-file can be released through port-file-unlock on the corresponding output port, and vice versa. If the output port from open-input-output-file holds an 'exclusive lock, the corresponding input port can still acquire a 'shared lock, even multiple times; on Windows, a port-file-unlock is needed for each successful lock try, while a single port-file-unlock balances the lock tries on Unix and Mac OS. A 'shared lock on an input port can be upgraded to an 'exclusive lock through the corresponding output port on Unix and Mac OS, in which case a single port-file-unlock (on either port) releases the lock, while such upgrades are not allowed on Windows.

Locking is normally supported only for file ports, and attempting to acquire a lock with other kinds of file-stream ports raises an exn:fail:filesystem exception.

procedure

(port-file-unlock port)  void?

  port : file-stream-port?
Releases a lock held by the current process on the file of port.

Returns a number that represents the identity of the device and file read or written by port. For two ports whose open times overlap, the result of port-file-identity is the same for both ports if and only if the ports access the same device and file. For ports whose open times do not overlap, no guarantee can be provided for the port identities (even if the ports actually access the same file)—except as can be inferred through relationships with other ports. If port is closed, the exn:fail exception is raised. On Windows 95, 98, and Me, if port is connected to a pipe instead of a file, the exn:fail:filesystem exception is raised.

Examples:
> (define file1 (open-output-file some-file))
> (define file2 (open-output-file some-other-file))
> (port-file-identity file1)

1194795613654167658168934

> (port-file-identity file2)

1194795613654167658168942

> (close-output-port file1)
> (close-output-port file2)