[Popeye]

Hi,
EDIT: I have runned into more issues and have updated the post.

I try to use the new xbmcvfs.File api for reading and writing to files.

PHP Code:

fd_a = xbmcvfs.File(file_a)
  buffer = fd_a.read(1024)
  fd_a.close()
  fd_b = xbmcvfs.File(file_b, 'w')
  result = fd_b.write(buffer)
  fd_b.close() 


However I end up getting the error for buffer "TypeError: argument 1 must be string without null bytes, not str"
The problem is that the file I try to read us full of null bytes...

PHP Code:

for line in buffer:
  print repr(line)
.....
22:25:28 T:7212  NOTICE: 'h'
22:25:28 T:7212  NOTICE: '\xf8'
22:25:28 T:7212  NOTICE: '\x00'
22:25:28 T:7212  NOTICE: '\x00'
22:25:28 T:7212  NOTICE: '\x00'
22:25:28 T:7212  NOTICE: '\x12'
22:25:28 T:7212  NOTICE: 'g'
22:25:28 T:7212  NOTICE: '\x01'
22:25:28 T:7212  NOTICE: '\x00'
22:25:28 T:7212  NOTICE: '\x00' 


So what should I do?

[Popeye]

No one have any clue? Who was the developer adding the API?

[jmarshall]

There's a ticket on trac that may be associated with this:

http://trac.xbmc.org/ticket/13545

Cheers,
Jonathan

[Popeye]

Thanks for your answer!

The ticket is about the the xbmcvfs.write() appends \x00 to the buffer being written. In my case the buffer cannot contain \x00.

If I do:

PHP Code:

fd_a = xbmcvfs.File(file_a)
  buffer = fd_a.read(1024)
  fd_a.close()
  fd_b =open(local_file_b, 'wb')
  fd_b.write(buffer)
  fd_b.close() 


The local_file_b gets written without any issues..

[jfcarroll]

We're thinking through ways to resolve this. It will probably result in a change to the current API. It will probably use a bytebuffer in python on both the read and write sides. Plus, MAYBE a string and length on both the read and write sides. How does that work?

[Nuka1195]

Not sure I understand by byte buffer.

For string and length. Are you saying.

Text="this is some text"
f.write(text, len(text))

This would work I guess, but can't you strip the \x00 character? Isn't that the terminator for char?

[Popeye]

I'm not sure I understand either. Do you have a mock up code example?
All I want is to read and write in a similar fashion as when working with local files (e.g. open(file, 'w')). On top of this I lack the tell() method .

[jfcarroll]

Sorry, given that I primarily deal in java, I said 'bytebuffer' but meant 'bytearray.' The length written would be the exact length of the byte array provided.

[Popeye]

Ok, will you post here once you have merged your code? I have a early addon release not working once your change is done...

[Nuka1195]

the read seems to work fine for me as is, meaning there does not have to be a \x00 at the end of the file.

PHP Code:

text = unicode(xbmcvfs.File(lyrics_path, "r").read().strip(BOM_UTF8), "UTF-8") 


as for the write.

PHP Code:

return file->Write( (void*) pBuffer, strlen( pBuffer ) + 1 ) > 0; 


i'm testing removing the +1, is that needed for binary writes?

[Nuka1195]

I can't see where:

PHP Code:

return file->Write( (void*) pBuffer, strlen( pBuffer ) ) > 0; 


wouldn't work. it seems to work fine. I did not test binary too well, i just wrote the same text as "wb", so not sure if that is a good test.

I do notice open for append doesn't seem supported. Is that something that can be added?

PHP Code:

if (mode && strncmp(mode, "w", 1) == 0)
          file->OpenForWrite(filepath,true);
        else if (mode && strncmp(mode, "a", 1) == 0)
          file->OpenForWrite(filepath,false);
        else
          file->Open(filepath, READ_NO_CACHE); 


by the above i guess binary writes aren't supported anyways.

[Popeye]

I see I was a bit unclear. For writing the buffer cannot contain \x00 and it also appends \x00 at the end of a written file.

[Nuka1195]

the change above corrects the appending of \x00, but if it's a terminating character, then yes your text to write can not include it.

[Popeye]

I don't fully follow you , all I want is to read and write binary data and not text (e.g. read and write the first 1000 bytes of a big file)

[Nuka1195]

binary reads and writes don't appear to be supported. my issue was \x00 being appended.

PHP Code:

else if (mode && strncmp(mode, "a", 1) == 0)
          file->OpenForWrite(filepath,false); 


bOverWrite appears to be ignored, so "a" append does not work"