BinaryTools
C++ classes for reading/writing binary data and some helper functions/classes. Based on C#'s BinaryReader
and BinaryWriter
.
BinaryReader & BinaryWriter
Classes which can read/write binary data to/from a file or memory buffer. Both have functions for the most common primitive types. Ex: uint32_t
, int32_t
, uint64_t
, int64_t
, float
, double
, etc. See BinaryReader.h
and BinaryWriter.h
for a full list. The constructor used determines whether the class reads from a file (the constructor provides a file path), or a memory region (it provides a memory address and size). They can also read and write entire structs to or from memory using ReadToMemory
and WriteFromMemory
, respectively.
Other helpers and included classes
Span<T>
: A very simple wrapper around a fixed sized memory region used by ReadAllBytes. You must free the memory the span points to if it's heap allocated.MemoryBuffer
: A simple class which inherits std::streambuf. Used by BinaryReader/Writer when interacting with a memory buffer.ReadAllBytes(const std::string& filePath)
: Function that reads all bytes from a file and returns them in a Span. Since it's using a span you must free the memory it returns once you're done with it.
Example
This example shows how to read/write files and in memory buffers using BinaryReader
and BinaryWriter
.
#include <BinaryReader.h>
#include <BinaryWriter.h>
#include <string>
#include <iostream>
#include <assert.h>
//You can specify data layouts with a struct and read/write them in one go
struct ExampleHeader
{
uint32_t Signature = 0xF00F;
uint32_t Version = 10;
uint32_t Value0 = 1024;
float Value1 = 45.2f;
float Value2 = 800.9f;
};
int main()
{
//Write test file to your project directory
std::string testFilePath = "TestFile0.bin";
//File writing
{
BinaryWriter writer(testFilePath);
writer.WriteUint32(100);
writer.WriteFloat(512.0f);
writer.WriteNullTerminatedString("Hello binary!");
//Write padding bytes to align to value. E.g. position = 13. After align(4), position = 16, the next multiple of 4.
writer.Align(4);
//Can also write whole structs/classes to files
ExampleHeader header;
writer.WriteFromMemory(&header, sizeof(ExampleHeader));
}
//File reading
{
BinaryReader reader(testFilePath); //Assumes that the file already exists
assert(reader.ReadUint32() == 100);
assert(reader.ReadFloat() == 512.0f);
assert(reader.ReadNullTerminatedString() == "Hello binary!");
reader.Align(4);
//Can also read whole structs/classes from files
ExampleHeader header;
reader.ReadToMemory(&header, sizeof(ExampleHeader));
assert(header.Signature == 0xF00F);
assert(header.Version == 10);
assert(header.Value0 == 1024);
assert(header.Value1 == 45.2f);
assert(header.Value2 == 800.9f);
}
//Reading from memory
{
uint32_t someBuffer[5] = { 256, 700, 12, 895, 5784 };
BinaryReader reader2((char*)&someBuffer, 5 * sizeof(uint32_t));
assert(reader2.ReadUint32() == 256);
assert(reader2.ReadUint32() == 700);
assert(reader2.ReadUint32() == 12);
assert(reader2.ReadUint32() == 895);
assert(reader2.ReadUint32() == 5784);
}
}