Serialize to byte[]

[Steve]

Hi-

I would like to make some of my classes serializable so that I can store
them in a database. I have found some examples showing serializing to a
file, that works fine. I need to serialize to a byte[].

I thought I could just use a MemoryStream and feed it a byte[], but then I
realized I don't know how big to make the byte[]? I'm a newbie and this is
the first time I have ever messed with serialization, but what is the
correct way to get the size of a variable? I looked at
System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.SizeOf() but it complained about not
being able to get any useful size information. The exact exception was:
Type NSTest.MyObject can not be marshaled as an unmanaged structure; no
meaningful size or offset can be computed.

So.... Where do I start. I must be approaching this all worng. Considering
MS has made SOOOO many other things fool proof and easy to do, there must
also be an easy way to serialize to a byte[].

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Steve

[Steve]

I found a way to accomplish what I want. I'm net getting the size, but
Instead getting the Length on a MemoryStream. Works great.
"Steve" <st***@nowhere.com> wrote in message
news:%2******************@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...

Hi-

I would like to make some of my classes serializable so that I can store
them in a database. I have found some examples showing serializing to a
file, that works fine. I need to serialize to a byte[].

I thought I could just use a MemoryStream and feed it a byte[], but then I
realized I don't know how big to make the byte[]? I'm a newbie and this is the first time I have ever messed with serialization, but what is the
correct way to get the size of a variable? I looked at
System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.SizeOf() but it complained about not being able to get any useful size information. The exact exception was:
Type NSTest.MyObject can not be marshaled as an unmanaged structure; no
meaningful size or offset can be computed.

So.... Where do I start. I must be approaching this all worng. Considering MS has made SOOOO many other things fool proof and easy to do, there must
also be an easy way to serialize to a byte[].

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Steve

[Jon Skeet [C# MVP]]

Steve <st***@nowhere.com> wrote:

I would like to make some of my classes serializable so that I can store
them in a database. I have found some examples showing serializing to a
file, that works fine. I need to serialize to a byte[].

I thought I could just use a MemoryStream and feed it a byte[], but then I
realized I don't know how big to make the byte[]?

You don't need to feed it a byte array to start with. Just construct a
MemoryStream with the parameterless constructor and call ToArray() when
you're finished writing to it.

--
Jon Skeet - <sk***@pobox.com>
http://www.pobox.com/~skeet
If replying to the group, please do not mail me too

[Steve]

Thanks Jon,

I have it all working now. I hit one weird snag, after calling Serialize()
I noticed that the stream's position was at the end, so a subsequent read
would result in 0
by setting position to 0, then calling Read() everything was fine. That
just seems strange to me, but I guess the idea is tha tyou can Serialize
many objects to the same stream in series.. so mayeb not so weird.

Hmmm..
Either way, thanks for the suggestion/tip.
"Jon Skeet [C# MVP]" <sk***@pobox.com> wrote in message
news:MP************************@msnews.microsoft.c om...

Steve <st***@nowhere.com> wrote:

I would like to make some of my classes serializable so that I can store
them in a database. I have found some examples showing serializing to a
file, that works fine. I need to serialize to a byte[].

I thought I could just use a MemoryStream and feed it a byte[], but then I realized I don't know how big to make the byte[]?

You don't need to feed it a byte array to start with. Just construct a
MemoryStream with the parameterless constructor and call ToArray() when
you're finished writing to it.

--
Jon Skeet - <sk***@pobox.com>
http://www.pobox.com/~skeet
If replying to the group, please do not mail me too

[Jon Skeet [C# MVP]]

Steve <st***@nowhere.com> wrote:

I have it all working now. I hit one weird snag, after calling Serialize()
I noticed that the stream's position was at the end, so a subsequent read
would result in 0
by setting position to 0, then calling Read() everything was fine. That
just seems strange to me, but I guess the idea is tha tyou can Serialize
many objects to the same stream in series.. so mayeb not so weird.

It's not weird at all, no - after calling Serialize() you've basically
just done a lot of writing to the stream. The MemoryStream has no idea
that you've done serialization particularly, and the serialization
mechanism has no particular reason to rewind the stream.

--
Jon Skeet - <sk***@pobox.com>
http://www.pobox.com/~skeet
If replying to the group, please do not mail me too