Parsing a Custom Binary File Format in C# - Issues with Bitwise Operations and Endianness
I'm working on a personal project and I'm working on a project where I need to parse a custom binary file format that includes a mix of integer and float values with specific endianness... The file is structured with a header followed by a variable number of records, each containing multiple fields. I'm using C# and trying to read these values using bitwise operations, but I'm encountering unexpected results, especially with the float values. When I read a float from the file, it often seems to be misinterpreted, returning results that are nowhere near what I expect. Here's a simplified version of my code that reads the header and records: ```csharp public class BinaryParser { private readonly BinaryReader _reader; public BinaryParser(Stream stream) { _reader = new BinaryReader(stream); } public void Parse() { // Read header int recordCount = _reader.ReadInt32(); for (int i = 0; i < recordCount; i++) { // Assuming each record has an 'int' and a 'float' int id = ReadInt32(); float value = ReadFloat(); Console.WriteLine($"Record {i}: ID={id}, Value={value}"); } } private int ReadInt32() { byte[] intBytes = _reader.ReadBytes(4); // Assume little-endian format return BitConverter.ToInt32(intBytes, 0); } private float ReadFloat() { byte[] floatBytes = _reader.ReadBytes(4); // Assuming the float is also little-endian return BitConverter.ToSingle(floatBytes, 0); } } ``` During testing, when I try to read a float value that I know should be `3.14`, I often get something like `0.0` or a very large number, which doesn't make sense. I've verified that the data is stored in little-endian format, so I thought I was handling the conversion correctly. I've also checked that my binary file is structured as expected, but the values still seem off. I've tried adding checks to ensure the byte arrays are correct lengths before conversion, but the issue persists. Are there any common pitfalls with parsing binary files like this? Could it be an issue with how I'm reading the bytes or perhaps an endianness mismatch Iām missing? Any insights would be greatly appreciated! I'm working on a web app that needs to handle this. What's the correct way to implement this?