Convert integers to strings to create output filenames at run time

I have a program in Fortran that saves the results to a file. At the moment I open the file using

OPEN (1, FILE = 'Output.TXT')

However, I now want to run a loop, and save the results of each iteration to the files 'Output1.TXT', 'Output2.TXT', 'Output3.TXT', and so on.

Is there an easy way in Fortran to constuct filenames from the loop counter i?

you can write to a unit, but you can also write to a string

program foo
    character(len=1024) :: filename

    write (filename, "(A5,I2)") "hello", 10

    print *, trim(filename)
end program

Please note (this is the second trick I was talking about) that you can also build a format string programmatically.

program foo

    character(len=1024) :: filename
    character(len=1024) :: format_string
    integer :: i

    do i=1, 10
        if (i < 10) then
            format_string = "(A5,I1)"
        else
            format_string = "(A5,I2)"
        endif

        write (filename,format_string) "hello", i
        print *, trim(filename)
    enddo

end program

A much easier solution IMHO ...................

character(len=8) :: fmt ! format descriptor

fmt = '(I5.5)' ! an integer of width 5 with zeros at the left

i1= 59

write (x1,fmt) i1 ! converting integer to string using a 'internal file'

filename='output'//trim(x1)//'.dat'

! ====> filename: output00059.dat

Well here is a simple function which will return the left justified string version of an integer:

character(len=20) function str(k)
!   "Convert an integer to string."
    integer, intent(in) :: k
    write (str, *) k
    str = adjustl(str)
end function str

And here is a test code:

program x
integer :: i
do i=1, 100
    open(11, file='Output'//trim(str(i))//'.txt')
    write (11, *) i
    close (11)
end do
end program x

I already showed this elsewhere on SO (https://stackoverflow.com/q/27189975/721644 , not an exact duplicate IMHO), but I think it is worthwhile to place it here. It is possible to use the techniques from other answers for this question to make a simple function

function itoa(i) result(res)
  character(:),allocatable :: res
  integer,intent(in) :: i
  character(range(i)+2) :: tmp
  write(tmp,'(i0)') i
  res = trim(tmp)
end function

which you can use after without worrying about trimming and left-adjusting and without writing to a temporary variable:

OPEN(1, FILE = 'Output'//itoa(i)//'.TXT')

It requires Fortran 2003 because of the allocatable string.

For a shorten version. If all the indices are smaller than 10, then use the following:

do i=0,9
   fid=100+i
   fname='OUTPUT'//NCHAR(i+48) //'.txt'
   open(fid, file=fname)
   !....
end do

For a general version:

character(len=5) :: charI
do i = 0,100
   fid = 100 + i
   write(charI,"(A)"), i
   fname ='OUTPUT' // trim(charI) // '.txt'
   open(fid, file=fname)
end do

That's all.

I've tried @Alejandro and @user2361779 already but it gives me an unsatisfied result such as file 1.txt or file1 .txt instead of file1.txt. However i find the better solution:

...
integer :: i
character(len=5) :: char_i     ! use your maximum expected len
character(len=32) :: filename

write(char_i, '(I5)') i        ! convert integer to char
write(filename, '("path/to/file/", A, ".dat")') trim(adjustl(char_i))
...

Explanation:

e.g. set i = 10 and write(char_i, '(I5)') i

char_i                gives  "   10" ! this is original value of char_i

adjustl(char_i)       gives  "10   " ! adjust char_i to the left

trim(adjustl(char_i)) gives  "10"    ! adjust char_i to the left then remove blank space on the right

I think this is a simplest solution that give you a dynamical length filename without any legacy blank spaces from integer to string conversion process.

Try the following:

    ....
    character(len=30) :: filename  ! length depends on expected names
    integer           :: inuit
    ....
    do i=1,n
        write(filename,'("output",i0,".txt")') i
        open(newunit=iunit,file=filename,...)
        ....
        close(iunit)
    enddo
    ....

Where "..." means other appropriate code for your purpose.

To convert an integer to a string:

integer :: i    
character* :: s    
if (i.LE.9) then
     s=char(48+i)    
else if (i.GE.10) then
     s=char(48+(i/10))// char(48-10*(i/10)+i)    
endif

Here is my subroutine approach to this problem. it transforms an integer in the range 0 : 9999 as a character. For example, the INTEGER 123 is transformed into the character 0123. hope it helps.

P.S. - sorry for the comments; they make sense in Romanian :P

 subroutine nume_fisier (i,filename_tot)

   implicit none
   integer :: i

   integer :: integer_zeci,rest_zeci,integer_sute,rest_sute,integer_mii,rest_mii
   character(1) :: filename1,filename2,filename3,filename4
   character(4) :: filename_tot

! Subrutina ce transforma un INTEGER de la 0 la 9999 in o serie de CARACTERE cu acelasi numar

! pentru a fi folosite in numerotarea si denumirea fisierelor de rezultate.

 if(i<=9) then

  filename1=char(48+0)
  filename2=char(48+0)
  filename3=char(48+0)
  filename4=char(48+i)  

 elseif(i>=10.and.i<=99) then

  integer_zeci=int(i/10)
  rest_zeci=mod(i,10)
  filename1=char(48+0)
  filename2=char(48+0)
  filename3=char(48+integer_zeci)
  filename4=char(48+rest_zeci)

 elseif(i>=100.and.i<=999) then

  integer_sute=int(i/100)
  rest_sute=mod(i,100)
  integer_zeci=int(rest_sute/10)
  rest_zeci=mod(rest_sute,10)
  filename1=char(48+0)
  filename2=char(48+integer_sute)
  filename3=char(48+integer_zeci)
  filename4=char(48+rest_zeci)

 elseif(i>=1000.and.i<=9999) then

  integer_mii=int(i/1000)
  rest_mii=mod(i,1000)
  integer_sute=int(rest_mii/100)
  rest_sute=mod(rest_mii,100)
  integer_zeci=int(rest_sute/10)
  rest_zeci=mod(rest_sute,10)
  filename1=char(48+integer_mii)
  filename2=char(48+integer_sute)
  filename3=char(48+integer_zeci) 
  filename4=char(48+rest_zeci)

 endif

 filename_tot=''//filename1//''//filename2//''//filename3//''//filename4//''
 return
 end subroutine nume_fisier