Java FileReader: Purpose Explained

The FileReader class in Java is utilized for reading character files. It extends from the InputStreamReader class, offering a convenient method for retrieving the content of text files.

The main role of the FileReader class is to read the content of a character file and convert it into a character stream. It can read each character or line of characters in a character file and store them in a buffer for reading. With the FileReader class, we can access data from text files, such as strings and characters.

Some commonly used methods of the FileReader class include:

1. The read() method reads the next character of a character file and returns its Unicode value.
2. The method read(char[] cbuf) reads the contents of a character file into a character array.
3. The method read(char[] cbuf, int offset, int length) reads the content of a character file into the specified position of a character array.
4. The readLine() method reads the next line of a character file and returns a string.
5. close() method: closes the file reader.

It is important to note that the FileReader class is intended for character-based input and is suitable for reading text files, not binary files. For reading binary files, one should use the InputStream or FileInputStream class.