How to set string to content of byte array (no encoding)

Question

Hi,
Im working on packet sniffer but I cannot find out how to set string to the exact content of byte array. When debugging, there are "E/// ... " and many ASCII characters, but set to string there is only "E".
I would need to show exactly the same as in byte array.
Thanks

Answer 1

 I am not sure this is what you want.

byte[] bytes = { 72, 101, 108, 108, 111 };

char[] chars = new char[bytes.Length];

for (int i = 0; i < bytes.Length; i++)

chars[i] = (char)bytes[i];

string str = new string(chars);

Answer 2

Unfortunately when I add node to treeView (str), it still shows only "E" :(

GOT IT. If byte is empty, it will mess up the string.

Answer 3

Take a look at this thread.  Might make you want to rethink your approach.

http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/csharpgeneral/thread/79fc4fbf-58fe-4e13-8b62-75f667a7f917

Rudedog  =8^D

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Mark the best replies as answers. "Fooling computers since 1971."

Answer 4

All of the Windows controls and the Visual Studio debugger are written using C/C++.  That's a language where a binary zero means something special inside a string: it indicates end-of-string.  There are other codes like that, you've probably seen \r and \n before.  Long story short, you can't just translate a byte[] to a string.  The standard way to display bytes is to use Hex notation.  You can get that from the BitConverter class:

using System;

namespace ConsoleApplication1 {
  class Program {
    static void Main(string[] args) {
      byte[] binary = new byte[] { 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 65 };
      string hex = BitConverter.ToString(binary);
      Console.WriteLine(hex);
      Console.ReadLine();
    }
  }
}

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Hans Passant.

Answer 5

Of course you should not translate a byte[] to a string unless you know that the byte[] represents a string of characters.

Like the method SerialPort.ReadLine(). You use it only when you know that the bytes you will receive on the serial port represent a string of characters.