14.3.1.4 Binary Output

To obtain output in the raw binary form of a value, use the member function write as shown in the following example. This example shows the output in the raw binary form of x.

cout.write((char*)&x, sizeof(x));

The previous example violates type discipline by converting &x to char*. Doing so is normally harmless, but if the type of x is a class with pointers, virtual member functions, or one that requires nontrivial constructor actions, the value written by the above example cannot be read back in properly.