Icod.Helpers 1.0.0

Icod.Helpers

Icod.Helpers is a helper utility containing extension methods encapsulating commonly used String, CodePage, and File operations into convenient functions.

Usage

The extension methods defined in the Icod.Helpers assembly are focused on three key areas:

• CodePage
• File
• String

CodePageHelper

The GetCodePage static method wraps the logic for converting a code page specifier. A common trouble is code page entries are often specfied in a configuration file as a string, but values might be a name or a string-representation of a number. This static method neatly handles both cases.

Examples:

var windows = Icod.Helpers.CodePageHelper.GetCodePage( "1252" );
var utf = Icod.Helpers.CodePageHelper.GetCodePage( "utf-8" );

FileHelper

This modile contains a static method for building file paths, as well as several extension methods for reading from and writing to files.

The static method BuildPath functions as per the intrinsic System.IO.Path.PathCombine, but with logic to avoid doubling path characters.

Example:

var extendedPath = Icod.Helpers.FileHelper.BuildPath( @"C:\foo\bar\", @'\', @"\baz" );
assert( extendedPath, "C:\\foo\\bar\\baz" );

The extension methods bind to System.String, System.IO.Stream, System.IO.StreamReader, System.IO.StringReader, System.IO.TextReader, and System.IO.TextWriter instances.
These come in modes for treating files in either line-based mode or record-based mode.

Line-based

The ReadLine extension methods optimize operations of treating the file like a source of strings, i.e. an IEnumerable<String>.

One can specify a line-ending via the recordSeparator parameter.

Examples:

System.Func<System.String?, System.Collections.Generic.IEnumerable<System.String>> reader;
if ( System.String.IsNullOrEmpty( inputPathName ) ) {
	// no file specified, read from StdIn instead
	reader = ( x ) => System.Console.In.ReadLine( System.Environment.NewLine );
} else {
	// read from specified file
	reader = ( x ) => x!.ReadLine();
}

foreach ( var line in reader( inputPathName ) ) {
	// perform work here
}

The WriteLine extension methods come in two varieties.
One variety which relies on the host system's idea of a line-ending, and one which permits the caller to specify a particular line-ending. This is extremely useful when writing files between different hosts, such as from Windows to traditional Macintosh. Either variety is optized for accepting a list of lines to write.

Example:

System.Func<System.String?, System.Collections.Generic.IEnumerable<System.String>> reader;
if ( System.String.IsNullOrEmpty( inputPathName ) ) {
	// no file specified, read from StdIn instead
	reader = ( x ) => System.Console.In.ReadLine( System.Environment.NewLine );
} else {
	// read from specified file
	reader = ( x ) => x!.ReadLine();
}

System.Action<System.String?, System.Collections.Generic.IEnumerable<System.String>> writer;
if ( System.String.IsNullOrEmpty( outputPathName ) ) {
	// no file specified, write to StdOut instead
	writer = ( x, y ) => System.Console.Out.WriteLine( y );
} else {
	// write to specified file
	writer = ( x, y ) => x!.WriteLine( y );
}

writer( outputPathName, reader( inputPathName ).Select(
  x => ModifyTheLineSomeHow( x )
) );

Record-based

Many data file formats are supported by structuring a text file such that it can be interpretted as containing records, with each record containing columns. The ubiquitous Comma-Separated-Value, CSV, format is the prime example. These extension methods permit one to work with a file as source of records, which in turn are a source of columnar values.

The several ReadRecord overrides support the specification of a record separator, enquoting character, and field separator.

Record-based logic returns an IEnumerable<IEnumerable<String>>, since each record contains one or more columns.

Example:

foreach ( var record in fileName.ReadRecord(
	"\n\r", '\"', ','
) ) {
	foreach ( var column in record ) {
		System.Console.Out.Write( column + "\t" );
	}
	System.Console.Out.Write( "\r\n" );
}

Lastly there is an extension method to parse a line of text into individual columns.

Example:

foreach ( var record in fileName.ReadLine( "\r\n" ) ) {
	foreach ( var column in record.ReadColumn( '\"', ',' ) ) {
		System.Console.Out.Write( column + "\t" );
	}
	System.Console.Out.Write( "\r\n" );
}

StringHelper

This module several contains System.String extension methods.

TrimToNull

There is an extension method which trims all whitespace from the beginning and end of a System.String, and if the result is empty will return null.

Example:

var ipn = inputPathName.TrimToNull();
System.Func<System.String?, System.Collections.Generic.IEnumerable<System.String>> reader;
if ( ipn is null ) {
	// no file specified, read from StdIn instead
	reader = ( x ) => System.Console.In.ReadLine( System.Environment.NewLine );
} else {
	// read from specified file
	reader = ( x ) => x!.ReadLine();
}

Compression

There are methods to Deflate and Gzip a string, returning a Byte[] representation. There are corresponding Inflate and Gunzip methods
associated with the Byte[]. There is also an extension method to properly decode a byte array by code page, GetString.

Example:

var input = "Mary had a little lamb";
var codePage = CodePageHelper.GetCodePage( "1252" );
var compressedd = input.Gzip( codePage );
var output = compressedd.Gunzip( codePage );

Web helper

There is also an extension method for working with web-based retrieval.
Quite often the content of a web response will be compressed. Based on the "Content-Encoding" header value, the Byte[], the content, will be decoded as a String, or decompressed first and then returned.

If the contentEncoding" parameter value is null, the function assumes "identity" encoding.

Example:

var json = webResponse.Body.GetWebString(
	webResponse.Encoding,
	webResponse.ResponseHeaders[ "Content-Encoding" ]
);

Copyright and Licensing

Icod.Helpers is a helper utility containing extension methods encapsulating commonly used String, CodePage, and File operations into convenient functions. Copyright (C) 2023 Timothy J. Bruce

This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2.1 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.

This library is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU Lesser General Public License for more details.

You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public License along with this library; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA