GenericReader 3.0.0

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🚀 GenericReader

A generic, extensible binary reader for .NET
Effortlessly read from files, streams, buffers, or spans with a single unified API.

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📦 Installation

Install via NuGet:

Install-Package GenericReader

✨ Features

• Read from files, streams, buffers, and spans
• Generic Read<T>() API for simplicity and flexibility
• Lightweight and easy to integrate

🔧 Example Usage

using GenericReader;

// From file
using var fileReader = new GenericFileReader(@"C:\Test\Example.bin");
var numberFromFile = fileReader.Read<uint>();

// From stream
using var streamReader = new GenericStreamReader(GetStream());
var numberFromStream = streamReader.Read<uint>();

// From byte array
using var bufferReader = new GenericBufferReader(GetBuffer());
var numberFromBuffer = bufferReader.Read<uint>();

// From span
var spanReader = new GenericSpanReader(GetSpan());
var numberFromSpan = spanReader.Read<uint>();

🛡️ Corrupted Data

Every reader checks each read against the data before it reads or allocates anything, and all readers fail the same way:

A read that fails does not move Position, with two exceptions:

• A length prefix that was read before the failure stays read.
• Reads made of several steps keep the steps that succeeded. The overloads with an offset keep their seek, and an array of FStrings or of getter elements keeps the elements it read.

Positions past the end are allowed, as with streams; reading there fails. After Dispose, the buffer, file and stream readers throw ObjectDisposedException for every read and every access to the position; Length stays available. Readers over memory return ReadOnlySpan<byte> and ReadOnlyMemory<byte> views of it. If a file or stream turns out shorter than the Length it had when the reader was created, the read throws EndOfStreamException, and the destination may hold part of the data.

ReadArray with a getter allocates the array before it reads any element, and an element may take no bytes at all, so its length cannot be checked against the data. MaxArrayAllocationSize limits the array size in bytes instead. The default is IGenericReader.DefaultMaxArrayAllocationSize, 256 MiB:

reader.MaxArrayAllocationSize = 64 * 1024 * 1024;
var entries = reader.ReadArray(() => new Entry(reader));

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome and appreciated!

Whether it's fixing a typo, suggesting an improvement, or submitting a pull request — every bit helps.

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

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⭐️ Star the repo if you find it useful!
Feel free to open an issue if you have any questions or feedback.

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