C# Code Snippet - Object to byte array

C# Code Snippet - Object to byte array

This .Net C# code snippet convert object to byte array. This method useful to store binary data in files. Most common method to store binary data in database is as a byte array format. This function can be use to convert any object to byte array and store them in database. This function uses System.IO and System.Runtime.Serialization.Formatters.Binary name spaces to convert object to byte array. Modify the exception handling section as to your project requirements.

Data that is serialized is easy to represent, transport, and store. Serialized data is naturally represented by byte arrays. Byte arrays, accordingly, are very easy to manipulate programmatically. Transmitting a Byte array over network is straightforward; indeed, a send() call on a standard socket requires a Byte array as a parameter. Additionally, serialized data can then be stored. It is intuitive that storing a Byte array onto some type of disk storage is straightforward, since fundamentally these devices deal with sequences of bytes.

/// <summary>
/// Function to get byte array from a object
/// </summary>
/// <param name="_Object">object to get byte array</param>
/// <returns>Byte Array</returns>
public byte[] ObjectToByteArray(object _Object)
{
    try
    {
        // create new memory stream
        System.IO.MemoryStream _MemoryStream = new System.IO.MemoryStream();

        // create new BinaryFormatter
        System.Runtime.Serialization.Formatters.Binary.BinaryFormatter _BinaryFormatter 
                    = new System.Runtime.Serialization.Formatters.Binary.BinaryFormatter();

        // Serializes an object, or graph of connected objects, to the given stream.
        _BinaryFormatter.Serialize(_MemoryStream, _Object);
        
        // convert stream to byte array and return
        return _MemoryStream.ToArray();
    }
    catch (Exception _Exception)
    {
        // Error
        Console.WriteLine("Exception caught in process: {0}", _Exception.ToString());
    }

    // Error occured, return null
    return null;
}

Here is a simple example showing how to use above function (ObjectToByteArray). In this example we convert picturebox image object to byte array.

byte[] _ByteArray = ObjectToByteArray(pictureBox1.Image);

C# Keywords Used:

• MemoryStream
• BinaryFormatter
• Serialize
• byte
• Exception

Code Snippet Information:

• Applies To: Visual Studio, .Net, C#, CLI, Byte Array, Object to byte array, Binary Data, Serialization, BinaryFormatter, Store binary data in database
• Programming Language : C# (C-Sharp)

External Resources:

• MemoryStream
• BinaryFormatter
• BinaryFormatter.Serialize Method
• Exception Class

mangesh gabhane :: September 03-2010 :: 09:28 AM

Good.................

Randall Jordan :: February 04-2011 :: 03:44 PM

This is a great utility.  Thank you.

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