c++ - Wrapping FILE* with custom std::ostream

Question

I have a function which works with a std::ostream. I need to support using a C file handle (FILE*). Should I be creating my own subclass of std::ostream which delegates to a FILE*?

Answer 1

No, ostream is not meant to be derived from. The way the iostreams library allows customization is by supplying a streambuf pointer when creating an ostream. streambuf has a lot of virtual functions so you can change its behavior.

You need to derive either directly from streambuf or from the existing filebuf subclass. You probably only need to provide the overflow function, the defaults for all the others should work ok.