C++

27.8    Stream Buffers

Although you will rarely need to access them directly, the stream buffer classes should be briefly described here to conclude the stream classes. If you look at the class hierarchy in Figure 27.1, you will find them somewhat pushed to the edge with streambuf, filebuf, and stringbuf. In reality, however, these stream buffer classes are more like the core of the I/O stream library. If you have always wondered where the individual bytes of the stream classes are processed, you will find the answer in the stream buffer classes.

The stream buffer classes provide basic methods for buffering streams without extensive formatting options. Every stream (string stream, file stream, and standard I/O stream) works with stream buffers. ...