How to Efficiently Convert a C/C Byte Array to a C# Structure?
Jan 19, 2025 am 06:12 AM
Read C/C data structure from byte array to C#
Question
This task involves converting a byte array containing data from a C/C structure into the corresponding C# structure. The C/C structure looks like this:
typedef struct OldStuff {
CHAR Name[8];
UInt32 User;
CHAR Location[8];
UInt32 TimeStamp;
UInt32 Sequence;
CHAR Tracking[16];
CHAR Filler[12];
} OldStuff;
The C# structure, named NewStuff, is defined as follows:
[StructLayout(LayoutKind.Explicit, Size = 56, Pack = 1)]
public struct NewStuff
{
[MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.ByValTStr, SizeConst = 8)]
[FieldOffset(0)]
public string Name;
[MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.U4)]
[FieldOffset(8)]
public uint User;
[MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.ByValTStr, SizeConst = 8)]
[FieldOffset(12)]
public string Location;
[MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.U4)]
[FieldOffset(20)]
public uint TimeStamp;
[MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.U4)]
[FieldOffset(24)]
public uint Sequence;
[MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.ByValTStr, SizeConst = 16)]
[FieldOffset(28)]
public string Tracking;
}
Proposed solution
Initially, a more cumbersome approach was considered, involving pinned memory and using Marshal.PtrToStructure:
int BufferSize = Marshal.SizeOf(typeof(NewStuff)); byte[] buff = new byte[BufferSize]; Array.Copy(SomeByteArray, 0, buff, 0, BufferSize); handle = GCHandle.Alloc(buff, GCHandleType.Pinned); MyStuff = (NewStuff)Marshal.PtrToStructure(handle.AddrOfPinnedObject(), typeof(NewStuff)); handle.Free();
Improvements
After further analysis, it was determined that the buffer copy in the original method was unnecessary. Instead, direct handle pinning is sufficient:
GCHandle handle;
NewStuff MyStuff;
handle = GCHandle.Alloc(SomeByteArray, GCHandleType.Pinned);
try
{
MyStuff = (NewStuff)Marshal.PtrToStructure(handle.AddrOfPinnedObject(), typeof(NewStuff));
}
finally
{
handle.Free();
}
Also, an even simpler version can be used using generics (requires unsafe switching):
- Generic:
T ByteArrayToStructure<T>(byte[] bytes) where T : struct
{
T stuff;
GCHandle handle = GCHandle.Alloc(bytes, GCHandleType.Pinned);
try
{
stuff = (T)Marshal.PtrToStructure(handle.AddrOfPinnedObject(), typeof(T));
}
finally
{
handle.Free();
}
return stuff;
}
- Easier (unsafe):
unsafe T ByteArrayToStructure<T>(byte[] bytes) where T : struct
{
fixed (byte* ptr = &bytes[0])
{
return (T)Marshal.PtrToStructure((IntPtr)ptr, typeof(T));
}
}
Use BinaryReader to improve performance
While the preferred solution involves fixation and Marshal.PtrToStructure, in certain cases parsing data using the BinaryReader class may provide performance benefits. However, specific implementations must be evaluated to determine whether such gains are significant.
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