Why is My Fortran Program Only Showing Output Data After Completion?

[xxh418]

Hi all,
I encounted a write file problem for Fortran 90. I appreciate it a lot if you can help me.

I open a file at the beginning of the program. Then everytime I rewind the unit number and write one new line to the first line of the file (the previous data on the first line is replaced).
So the total size of the file is very small ~1kb. However, I found the written file does not show the data I wrote during the simulation and only show the data when the program is finished. I do not know what is the problem. The following is the stream of the program.

program test

open(unit=10, file ='output.dat' ...)

loop i = 1, 100
rewind(10)
write(10,*)data
end loop

end program test

So during loop, the size of output.dat is always zero and no output until the end of the program. However, I want to check the output during the loop. Does anyone have any idea about this?

Thanks in advance.

 

[DrGreg]

Hi all,
I encounted a write file problem for Fortran 90. I appreciate it a lot if you can help me.

I open a file at the beginning of the program. Then everytime I rewind the unit number and write one new line to the first line of the file (the previous data on the first line is replaced).
So the total size of the file is very small ~1kb. However, I found the written file does not show the data I wrote during the simulation and only show the data when the program is finished. I do not know what is the problem. The following is the stream of the program.

program test

open(unit=10, file ='output.dat' ...)

loop i = 1, 100
rewind(10)
write(10,*)data
end loop

end program test

So during loop, the size of output.dat is always zero and no output until the end of the program. However, I want to check the output during the loop. Does anyone have any idea about this?

Thanks in advance.

When you write to a file from a program, the data gets stored in a buffer in memory and doesn't get copied to disk until some time later, usually when the buffer is full or the program closes the file.

Look up the FLUSH command. That should solve your problem. (If you have an old version of Fortran with no flush, you can close and reopen the file instead.)

 

[gsal]

Alternatively and given that a program runs way too fast for you to monitor the open file with overwriting write statements, it is best to write without overwriting or simply write to standard output or to standard error.

 

[xxh418]

When you write to a file from a program, the data gets stored in a buffer in memory and doesn't get copied to disk until some time later, usually when the buffer is full or the program closes the file.

Look up the FLUSH command. That should solve your problem. (If you have an old version of Fortran with no flush, you can close and reopen the file instead.)

Hi Drgreg,
Thank you very much for your answer. I setup the opinion buffer="no" in "write", then the problem is solved. Thanks again.

Xu

 

[LudusRex]

There could be a few reasons why you are experiencing this issue. One possibility is that you are not properly closing the file after each write operation, causing the data to not be written to the file until the program is finished. Another possibility is that you are not using the correct file unit number when writing to the file, which could result in the data being written to a different file or not being written at all.

To write file delay in Fortran, you can try using the FLUSH statement after each write operation to ensure that the data is immediately written to the file. Additionally, you can also try using the INQUIRE statement to check the status of the file before and after each write operation to make sure that the data is being written correctly.

Overall, it is important to make sure that you are properly managing the file and using the correct file unit number when writing to it. I hope this helps and good luck with your program!