Re: Help with type definition

["Dmitry A. Kazakov" <mailbox@dmitry-kazakov.de>]

On Fri, 16 May 2014 00:37:25 -0700 (PDT), hanslad@gmail.com wrote:

> I need an advise on how to define a type in my project.
> I want to implement a network protocol with the following definition on the type "string":
> 
> "All String values are encoded as a sequence of UTF8 characters without a
> null terminator and preceded by the length in bytes.
> The length in bytes is encoded as Int32. A value of -1 is used to indicate
> a 'null' string."

That is not definition of a type. It is definition of encoding. Though it
does not define the way the string length is encoded. Why -1 should
indicate null string and not 0 is a mystery.

[Usually, unless the network transport has fixed-size blocks (real-time
protocols do), for a stream-oriented transport, it is better to encode
counts using chained codes. That reduces space required for lesser numbers.
E.g. UTF-8 uses chained codes to encode character code points.]

> The string is used in different datastructures send on network eg. like
> the one implemented in "Node" type below.
> Am I on the right track here? 

No. Internal representation and types have nothing to do with the protocol,
except for encoding and decoding stages (presentation layer). You said, it
is a string, let it be String, Wide_Wide_String, Unbounded_String.

-- 
Regards,
Dmitry A. Kazakov
http://www.dmitry-kazakov.de