How to Efficiently Convert C/C Data Structures from Byte Arrays to C# Structures?

Read C/C data structure from byte array to C#

In C#, when receiving byte array data from a C/C structure, you need to convert the array into a compatible C# structure. The following methods provide an efficient conversion path.

Use Marshal.PtrToStructure

This method involves fixing a byte array and using Marshal.PtrToStructure to convert the bytes directly into a C# structure.

<code class="language-csharp">NewStuff ByteArrayToNewStuff(byte[] bytes)
{
    GCHandle handle = GCHandle.Alloc(bytes, GCHandleType.Pinned);
    try
    {
        NewStuff stuff = (NewStuff)Marshal.PtrToStructure(handle.AddrOfPinnedObject(), typeof(NewStuff));
        return stuff;
    }
    finally
    {
        handle.Free();
    }
}</code>

Universal version

This generic version allows conversion of any struct type from a byte array:

<code class="language-csharp">T ByteArrayToStructure<T>(byte[] bytes) where T : struct 
{
    GCHandle handle = GCHandle.Alloc(bytes, GCHandleType.Pinned);
    try
    {
        return (T)Marshal.PtrToStructure(handle.AddrOfPinnedObject(), typeof(T));
    }
    finally
    {
        handle.Free();
    }
}</code>

Simplified version

For simple applications, use unsafe fixed arrays:

<code class="language-csharp">unsafe T ByteArrayToStructure<T>(byte[] bytes) where T : struct
{
    fixed (byte* ptr = &bytes[0])
    {
        return (T)Marshal.PtrToStructure((IntPtr)ptr, typeof(T));
    }
}</code>

Comparison of BinaryReader and Marshal.PtrToStructure

BinaryReader functions similarly to Marshal.PtrToStructure, allowing reading data from byte arrays. However, it incurs some additional overhead and is generally not recommended for performance-critical applications. Marshal.PtrToStructure operates directly on raw bytes without intermediate conversion, so performance is faster.

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