Combining multiple Types into a byte array

Question

What is the most efficient way to combine multiple variables of different Types into a single byte-array?

Take the following example data:

short a = 500;
byte b = 10;
byte[] c = new byte[4];

How could I combine these three variables into one byte array without wasting to much time and memory?

Think of it like this (Pseudocode):

var combinedArray = new byte[] { a, b, c };

I thought of different ways, including unsafe code, converting them to byte[] using BitConverter and using Linq's Concat.

I need an array in the end, not just an IEnumerable, because I need to send this data via udp.

Are there any methods I did not think of?

The BitVector32 .net helper in System.Collections.Specialized can sometimes be useful in these situations. — Sql Surfer
– Sql Surfer, Commented Jun 16, 2018 at 21:19
Use serializers like Json.Net, XmlSerializer, BinaryFormatter etc.... That way you can handle more complex cases you may need in the future.. — Eser
– Eser, Commented Jun 16, 2018 at 21:38
@Eser Json.Net or XmlSerializer are no options to me, because they generate a lot of bloat and are essentially text, but BinaryFormatter looks promising! — Max Play
– Max Play, Commented Jun 17, 2018 at 8:58

Henk Holterman · Accepted Answer · 2018-06-16 20:39:53Z

4

Use the BinaryWriter combined with a MemoryStream.

var buffer = new MemoryStream();   
var writer = new BinaryWriter(buffer);

writer.Write(a);
writer.Write(b);
writer.Write(c);

writer.Close();    
byte[] bytes = buffer.ToArray();

But do note that there is no padding or alignment. The array c will start at an odd offset.

You will also have to verify the Big Endian / Little Endian contract with your client.

edited Jun 16, 2018 at 20:39

answered Jun 16, 2018 at 20:34

Henk Holterman

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6 Comments

TheGeneral Over a year ago

If this is sending over udp, i would consider specifying a length of the array at the start and a check sum, however i'm probably being overly pedantic

Henk Holterman Over a year ago

@TheGeneral - that doesn't depend on the medium, it would entirely depend on the format(s) agreed by sender & receiver. Not specified here. When the array size is fixed and known, you wouldn't add a Length.

TheGeneral Over a year ago

Agreed in full, Just putting it out there as although udp is fairly reliable on a local network, there is no guarantee of every packet arriving and ordering. anyway i upvoted

Max Play Over a year ago

This seems to be a nice solution to me. Will the padding and alignment be an issue, when I am the one sending and recieving the packages? The data sent via udp is in a format that is known to the other side of the connection. If it is an issue, how could I fix it?

Henk Holterman Over a year ago

When you read with a BinaryReader then there is no issue. But when you control both sides, JSon and XML are alternatives to consider.

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