How to convert a structure to a byte array in C#?

Question

How do I convert a structure to a byte array in C#?

I have defined a structure like this:

public struct CIFSPacket
{
    public uint protocolIdentifi         


        

Answer 1

Have a look at these methods:

byte [] StructureToByteArray(object obj)
{
    int len = Marshal.SizeOf(obj);

    byte [] arr = new byte[len];

    IntPtr ptr = Marshal.AllocHGlobal(len);

    Marshal.StructureToPtr(obj, ptr, true);

    Marshal.Copy(ptr, arr, 0, len);

    Marshal.FreeHGlobal(ptr);

    return arr;
}

void ByteArrayToStructure(byte [] bytearray, ref object obj)
{
    int len = Marshal.SizeOf(obj);

    IntPtr i = Marshal.AllocHGlobal(len);

    Marshal.Copy(bytearray,0, i,len);

    obj = Marshal.PtrToStructure(i, obj.GetType());

    Marshal.FreeHGlobal(i);
}

This is a shameless copy of another thread which I found upon Googling!

Update : For more details, check the source