When you construct (or otherwise initialize) a BFile, the file is automatically opened. The file is closed when you re-initialize or destroy the object.

At each initialization, you're asked to supply an "open mode" value. this is a combination of flags that tells the object whether you want to read and/or write the file, create it if it doesn't exist, truncate it, and so on.

You can also initialize a BFile, and create a new file at the same time, through BDirectory's CreateFile() function. In this case, you don't have to supply an open mode—the BFile that's returned to you will automatically be open for reading and writing. (You are asked if you want the creation to fail if the named file already exists.)

Although BFiles are meant to be used to access regular files, you aren't prevented from opening and reading a directory (you won't be able to write the directory, however). This isn't exactly a feature—there's not much reason to access a directory this way—you should simply be aware that it's not an error.

Symbolic links, however, can't be opened by a BFile—not because it's illegal, but because if you ask to open a symbolic link, the link is automatically traversed. The node that the BFile ends up opening will be the file or directory that the link points to.

This is a feature; very few applications should ever need to look at a symbolic link. (If yours is one of the few that does want to, you should go visit the BSymLink class.)