--- On Mon, 3/26/12, Michael Kerrisk (man-pages) <mtk.manpa...@gmail.com> wrote:
> This patch makes no sense to me.
Why not? Won't
char c[10];
fwrite(c, sizeof(char), sizeof(c), stream);
be writing 10 bytes, and returns 10? I think the intention of the composer
of the page was to emphasize that the number of items returned is not
necessarily the number of bytes.
> How could this information be useful?
1. It is an accurate description.
2. The current phrasing is more confusing for beginners.
I also slightly rephrased it:
--- a/fread.3 2012-03-26 13:03:11.542825729 +0200
+++ b/fread.3 2012-03-26 12:58:04.000000000 +0200
@@ -47,8 +47,8 @@ fread, fwrite \- binary stream input/out
.nf
.B #include <stdio.h>
.sp
-.BI "size_t fread(void *" ptr ", size_t " size ", size_t " nmemb \
-", FILE *" stream );
+.BI "size_t fread(void *" ptr ", size_t " size ", size_t " nmemb ",
+.BI " FILE *" stream );
.sp
.BI "size_t fwrite(const void *" ptr ", size_t " size ", size_t " nmem
b ,
.BI " FILE *" stream );
@@ -82,10 +82,12 @@ For nonlocking counterparts, see
.BR fread ()
and
.BR fwrite ()
-return the number of items successfully read or written (i.e., not the
-number of characters).
-If an error occurs, or the end-of-file is
-reached, the return value is a short item count (or zero).
+return the number of items successfully read or written. This number
+equal the number of 8 bit characters only when
+.I size
+is 1. It can be less then
+.I nmemb
+(or zero) if an error occurs, or the end-of-file is reached.
.PP
.BR fread ()
does not distinguish between end-of-file and error, and callers must u
se
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