On Fri, Apr 20, 2018 at 5:24 PM, Sven Van Caekenberghe <[email protected]> wrote:

> Hi,
>
> After the File and Stream changes in Pharo 7, a binary read, resp. write
> stream from/to a file is actually a ZnBuffered(Read|Write)Stream on a
> BinaryFileStream. You access these using #binary(Read|Write)Stream[Do:]
> sent to a FileReference.
>
> As minimal streams the API of ZnBuffered(Read|Write)Stream was different
> from what existed before.
>
> Specifically, a number of Integer decoding/encoding methods were missing.
> It is probably best to add those (an alternative would be a subclass).
>
> When I looked at what was available, I thought I could improve upon the
> current situation. In fact, I think all existing ones can be written in
> terms of just one key method, one for reading and one for writing. The
> existing methods than become simple aliases, all while offering more
> functionality.
>
> (Incidentally this would be an ideal use of a Trait, can we use them
> again/still ?)
>
> The key method is #nextIntegerOfSize: numberOfBytes signed: signed
> bigEndian: bigEndian [put: value] and can be found in the latest version of
> Zinc-CharacterEncoding-Core with a comprehensive set of unit tests.
>
> For example,
>
> int32
>   ^ self nextIntegerOfSize: 4 signed: true bigEndian: true
>
> nextWord
>   ^ self nextIntegerOfSize: 2 signed: false bigEndian: true


> or non-aliases ones like
>
>   binaryStream nextIntegerOfSize: 3 signed: true bigEndian: false
>
> I think I nailed it, but I would love a second pair of eyes to check what
> I did.
>

Sorry I arrive late.

I'm thinking that this is only valid for binary streams, putting it in
buffered stream overloads the API... We can leave with it but... Two
thoughts that come to my mind about this:

 - first, when we are decoding like that from a stream, we are probably
parsing a binary format, so we want in general to have utility methods to
read different sizes. Maybe we could include a Reader class with methods
such as
   * readSignedInt32
   * readUnsignedInt32
   * readSignedInt64
   * readUnsignedInt64
   * readFloat64

... and so on?

- Second, that Reader may be (or not) a new decorator alternative.
ZnBinaryDecoder? Wrapping a binary (buffered or not) stream. And this would
not overload the API ^^.

What do you think?


> The same functionality could be added to ByteArray in a slight variation
> (with offsets), where similar integer encoding/decoding methods exist.
>
> Sven
>



-- 



Guille Polito

Research Engineer

Centre de Recherche en Informatique, Signal et Automatique de Lille

CRIStAL - UMR 9189

French National Center for Scientific Research - *http://www.cnrs.fr
<http://www.cnrs.fr>*


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