# 
## The `fread()` function
In C, the **`fread()` function** is used to read data as byte streams from a file and store it in a buffer.

size_t fread(void * buffer, size_t size, size_t count, FILE * stream)

## Parameters
The `fread()` takes in four parameters. Let's look at each of them in detail:

* `buffer`: This is the pointer to the buffer where data will be stored. A buffer is a region of memory used to store data temporarily.
* `size`: This is the size (in bytes) of each character to be read.
* `count`: This is the total number of characters (each with a size `size`) to be read from the file.
* `stream`: This is the pointer to the FILE object from where the data is to be read.

## Return value
Upon successful execution, this function returns an integer value, which denotes the number of elements that were actually read from the file. If an error occurred while the file was being read, or an `EOF` (end of file) was encountered, this value will be less than the parameter `count` that was passed to the `fread()` function.

## Examples 
Let's take a look at some examples to see how the `fread()` function works.

### Read a string from a file

#include<stdio.h>

int main() {
  char buffer[20]; // Buffer to store data
  FILE * stream;
  stream = fopen("file.txt", "r");
  int count = fread(&buffer, sizeof(char), 20, stream);
  fclose(stream);
  // Printing data to check validity
  printf("Data read from file: %s \n", buffer);
  printf("Total number of elements read: %d", count);
  return 0;
}

#include<stdio.h>

int main() {
  int buffer;

  // Reading value from file
  FILE * stream;
  stream = fopen("file.txt", "r");
  fread(&buffer, sizeof(int), 1, stream);
  printf("Reading int value from file: %d\n",buffer);
  fclose(stream);

  return(0);
}

## Read multiple values from a file

If we wish to read data from a file that contains multiple rows of data, we can proceed as follows:

#include<stdio.h>

int main() {
  char buffer[50]; // Buffer to store data
  FILE * stream;
  stream = fopen("file.txt", "r");
  int count = fread(&buffer, sizeof(char), 30, stream);
  fclose(stream);
  // Printing data to check validity
  printf("Data read from file: \n\%s \n", buffer);
  printf("Elements read: %d", count);
  return 0;
}

How to read data from a file using the fread() function in C

The fread() function reads byte streams from a file into a buffer, handling data size, count, and stream parameters. It operates effectively with binary formats.

How to read data from a file using the fread() function in C

The `fread()` function

Syntax

Parameters

Return value

Examples

Read a string from a file

Explanation

Read an integer value from a file

Explanation

Read multiple values from a file

Explanation