Open a file for input or output. Read or write to a file. Close a file correctly. Sequential access to files reads and writes data line by line. Storage is efficient but accessing data at different sections of the file is harder because of its sequential access mechanisms.
Random access reads and writes data record by record to any location within the file.
This type of access is convenient when the file contains homogeneous type data. However, storage is less efficient because padding is inserted to make up field lengths. Binary access to files reads and writes data byte by byte to any location within the file. This type of access if efficient in terms of storage, but is the hardest to program. Often in an application there are various features of the software which can be altered and set by the user.