Develop Reference

Google.Protobuf.InvalidProtocolBufferException: Protocol message contained an invalid tag (zero)

I have a problem with my school project, i use Protobuf library but i have the following error:
Google.Protobuf.InvalidProtocolBufferException" Protocol message contained an invalid tag (zero).
My protocol message wrapper is:
syntax = "proto3";
package CardGameGUI.Network.Protocol.Message;
message WrapperMessage {
enum MessageType {
HELLO_MESSAGE = 0;
JOIN_ROOM_MESSAGE = 1;
JOIN_ROOM_RESPONSE_MESSAGE = 2;
}
MessageType type = 1;
bytes payload = 2;
}
I use this to send a message:
public void SendObject<T>(Protocol.Message.WrapperMessage.Types.MessageType type, T messageObject)
{
byte[] message;
// Serialize message
using (var stream = new MemoryStream())
{
((IMessage)messageObject).WriteTo(stream);
message = stream.GetBuffer();
}
byte[] wrapper = new Protocol.Message.WrapperMessage{Type = type, Payload = Google.Protobuf.ByteString.CopyFrom(message)}.ToByteArray();
Connection.SendObject<byte[]>("ByteMessage", wrapper);
}
And my server handler:
private void IncommingMessageHandler(PacketHeader header, Connection connection, byte[] message)
{
Protocol.Message.WrapperMessage wrapper = Protocol.Message.WrapperMessage.Parser.ParseFrom(message);
switch (wrapper.Type)
{
case Protocol.Message.WrapperMessage.Types.MessageType.HelloMessage:
GetClient(connection.ConnectionInfo.NetworkIdentifier).MessageHandler(Protocol.Message.HelloMessage.Parser.ParseFrom(wrapper.Payload.ToByteArray()));
break;
}
}
The wrapper message is perfectly unserialized, and type is correctly matched, but at the treatment of my Payload, the exception pops.
Do i do something bad?
Edit: a small screen of the message Payload

The problem is probably that you used GetBuffer without making use of the known length. GetBuffer returns the oversized backing array. The data after the stream's .Length is garbage and should not be consumed - it will typically (but not always) be zeros, which is what you are seeing.
Either use ToArray() instead of GetBuffer(), or track the .Length of the stream and only consume that much of the oversized buffer.
Another possibility is "framing" - it looks like you're handling packets, but if this is TCP there is no guarantee that the chunks you receive are the same sizes as the chunks you send. If you are sending multiple messages over TCP you need to implement your own framing (typically via a length prefix, since you're talking binary data).
Incidentally, this isn't protobuf-net.
If neither of those is the problem: check the data you receive is exactly (byte for byte) the data you send (including lengths). It is easy for data to get corrupted or mis-chunked by IO code.

i encounter this problem in this case
because my serialize bytestream loss the varint lenth
such as if i serialize a "Person.proto" message which have 672 bytes
if i deserialize the 672 bytes will encounter the error
the solve strategy is that add the varint len in the 672bytes so youcan get a 674bytes stream
the extra amount data is the "varint" code for 672, which is 160,5
you can get the varint bytes by the function
public static byte[] VarInt(int value)
{
//data len
List<byte> varIntBuffer = new List<byte>();
int index = 0;
while (true)
{
if ((value & ~0x7f) == 0)
{
varIntBuffer.Add((byte)(value & 0x7f));
break;
}
else
{
varIntBuffer.Add((byte)((value & 0x7f) | 0x80));
value = value >> 7;
}
index++;
}
return varIntBuffer.ToArray();
}

I had this same issue when attempting to deserialize a byte array which had been initialized to a fixed size but there was a bug which meant I was not populating the array with proto bytes (so the byte array was populated with zeros when I was attempting to deserialize).
It turns out that I was reading bytes from a JMS BytesMessage twice in a test case but was not calling BytesMessage.reset() before the second read.
I'm guessing you could get a similar bug if attempting to read from an InputStream twice without calling reset()

How to read unknown data length in a TCP Client

I am relativity new to C#. In my TCP client have the following function which sends data to the server and returns the response:
private static TcpClient tcpint = new TcpClient(); //Already initiated and set up
private static NetworkStream stm; //Already initiated and set up
private static String send(String data)
{
//Send data to the server
ASCIIEncoding asen = new ASCIIEncoding();
byte[] ba = asen.GetBytes(data);
stm.Write(ba, 0, ba.Length);
//Read data from the server
byte[] bb = new byte[100];
int k = stm.Read(bb, 0, 100);
//Construct the response from byte array to string
StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
for (int i = 0; i < k; i++)
{
sb.Append(bb[i].ToString());
}
//Return server response
return sb.ToString();
}
As you can see here, when I am reading the response from the server, I am reading it into a fix byte[] array of length 100 bytes.
byte[] bb = new byte[100];
int k = stm.Read(bb, 0, 100);
What do i do if the response from the server is more than 100 bytes? How can I read the data without me knowing what the max length of data form the server will be?

Typically, where there is not some specific intrinsic size of something, tcp protocols explicitly send the length of objects they are sending. One possible method for illustration:
size_t data_len = strlen(some_data_blob);
char lenstr[32];
sprintf(lenstr, "%zd\n", data_len);
send(socket, lenstr, strlen(lenstr));
send(socket, some_data_blob, data_len);
then when the receiver reads the length string, it knows exactly how mush data should follow (good programming practice is to trust but verify though -- if there is more or less data really sent -- say by an 'evil actor' -- you need to be prepared to handle that).

Not with respect to C# but a general answer on writing TCP application:
TCP is steam based protocol. It does not maintain message boundaries. So, the applications using TCP should take care of choosing the right method of data exchange between server and client. Its becomes more paramount if multiple messages gets sent and received on one connection.
One widely used method is to prepend the data message with the length bytes.
Ex:
[2 byte -length field][Actual Data].
The receiver of such data (be it server or client needs to decode length field, wait for until such event where as many bytes are received or raise an alarm on timeout and give up.
Another protocol that can be used is to have applications maintain message boundaries.
Ex:
`[START-of-MSG][Actual Data][END-of-MSG]
The reciever has to parse the data for Start-byte and End-byte (predefined by application protocol) and treat anything in between as data of interest.

hello i solved it with a list, i don't know the size of the complete package but i can read it in parts
List<byte> bigbuffer = new List<byte>();
byte[] tempbuffer = new byte[254];
//can be in another size like 1024 etc..
//depend of the data as you sending from de client
//i recommend small size for the correct read of the package
NetworkStream stream = client.GetStream();
while (stream.Read(tempbuffer, 0, tempbuffer.Length) > 0) {
bigbuffer.AddRange(tempbuffer);
}
// now you can convert to a native byte array
byte[] completedbuffer = new byte[bigbuffer.Count];
bigbuffer.CopyTo(completedbuffer);
//Do something with the data
string decodedmsg = Encoding.ASCII.GetString(completedbuffer);
I do this whith images and looks good, i thik than you dont know the size of the data if the porpouse is read a complete source with a unknow size

I was looking around for an answer to this, and noticed the Available property was added to TcpClient. It returns the amount of bytes available to read.
I'm assuming it was added after most of the replies, so I wanted to share it for others that may stumble onto this question.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/api/system.net.sockets.tcpclient.available?view=netframework-4.8

StreamReader.Read text out of order

I'm trying to send the Base64 string of a screenshot to the server via NetworkStream and it appears I'm receiving the full string, problem is it's scrambled...
I assume this has something to do with it being fragmented and put back together? What would be the appropriate way to go about this...
Client Code
byte[] ImageBytes = Generics.Imaging.ImageToByte(Generics.Imaging.Get_ScreenShot_In_Bitmap());
string StreamData = "REMOTEDATA|***|" + Convert.ToBase64String(ImageBytes);
SW.WriteLine(StreamData);
SW.Flush();
Server Code
char[] ByteData = new char[350208];
SR.Read(ByteData, 0, 350208);
string Data = new string(ByteData);
File.WriteAllText("C:\\RecievedText", Data);
Also the size of the sent message and the char array are exactly the same.\
EDIT:
After messing around with it some more I realized the text isnt scrambled but the proper text is trailing the previous stream.. How can I ensure the stream is clear or gets the entire text

It's likely that you're not reading all of the previous response. You have to read in a loop until you get no data, like this:
char[] ByteData = new char[350208];
int totalChars = 0;
int charsRead;
while ((charsRead = SR.Read(ByteData, totalChars, ByteData.Length - totalChars) != 0)
{
totalChars += charsRead;
}
string Data = new string(ByteData, 0, totalChars);
File.WriteAllText("C:\\RecievedText", Data);
The key here is that StreamReader.Read reads up to the maximum number of characters you told it to. If there aren't that many characters immediately available, it will read what's available and return those. The return value tells you how many it read. You have to keep reading until you get the number of characters you want, or until Read returns 0.

Invalid paramether in Image.FromStream(MemoryStream)

im trying to send an image via network stream, i have a sendData and Getdata functions
and i always get an invalid parameter when using the Image.FromStream function
this is my code :
I am Getting the pic from the screen, then converting it to a byte[]
Inserting it to a Memory stream that i send via a networkStream.
private void SendData()
{
StreamWriter swWriter = new StreamWriter(this._nsClient);
// BinaryFormatter bfFormater = new BinaryFormatter();
// this method
lock (this._secLocker)
{
while (this._bShareScreen)
{
// Check if you need to send the screen
if (this._bShareScreen)
{
MemoryStream msStream = new MemoryStream();
this._imgScreenSend = new Bitmap(this._imgScreenSend.Width, this._imgScreenSend.Height);
// Send an image code
swWriter.WriteLine(General.IMAGE);
swWriter.Flush();
// Copy image from screen
this._grGraphics.CopyFromScreen(0, 0, 0, 0, this._sizScreenSize);
this._imgScreenSend.Save(msStream, System.Drawing.Imaging.ImageFormat.Jpeg);
msStream.Seek(0, SeekOrigin.Begin);
// Create the pakage
byte[] btPackage = msStream.ToArray();
// Send its langth
swWriter.WriteLine(btPackage.Length.ToString());
swWriter.Flush();
// Send the package
_nsClient.Write(btPackage, 0, btPackage.Length);
_nsClient.Flush();
}
}
}
}
private void ReciveData()
{
StreamReader srReader = new StreamReader(this._nsClient);
string strMsgCode = String.Empty;
bool bContinue = true;
//BinaryFormatter bfFormater = new BinaryFormatter();
DataContractSerializer x = new DataContractSerializer(typeof(Image));
// Lock this method
lock (this._objLocker)
{
while (bContinue)
{
// Get the next msg
strMsgCode = srReader.ReadLine();
// Check code
switch (strMsgCode)
{
case (General.IMAGE):
{
// Read bytearray
int nSize = int.Parse(srReader.ReadLine().ToString());
byte[] btImageStream = new byte[nSize];
this._nsClient.Read(btImageStream, 0, nSize);
// Get the Stream
MemoryStream msImageStream = new MemoryStream(btImageStream, 0, btImageStream.Length);
// Set seek, so we read the image from the begining of the stream
msImageStream.Position = 0;
// Build the image from the stream
this._imgScreenImg = Image.FromStream(msImageStream); // Error Here

Part of the problem is that you're using WriteLine() which adds Environment.NewLine at the end of the write. When you just call Read() on the other end, you're not dealing with that newline properly.
What you want to do is just Write() to the stream and then read it back on the other end.
The conversion to a string is strange.
What you're doing, when transferring an image, is sending an array of bytes. All you need to do is send the length of the expected stream and then the image itself, and then read the length and the byte array on the other side.
The most basic and naive way of transferring a byte array over the wire is to first send an integer that represents the length of the array, and read that length on the receiving end.
Once you now know how much data to send/receive, you then send the array as a raw array of bytes on the wire and read the length that you previously determined on the other side.
Now that you have the raw bytes and a size, you can reconstruct the array from your buffer into a valid image object (or whatever other binary format you've just sent).
Also, I'm not sure why that DataContractSerializer is there. It's raw binary data, and you're already manually serializing it to bytes anyway, so that thing isn't useful.
One of the fundamental problems of network programming using sockets and streams is defining your protocol, because the receiving end can't otherwise know what to expect or when the stream will end. That's why every common protocol out there either has a very strictly defined packet size and layout or else does something like sending length/data pairs, so that the receiving end knows what to do.
If you implement a very simple protocol such as sending an integer which represents array length and reading an integer on the receiving end, you've accomplished half the goal. Then, both sender and receiver are in agreement as to what happens next. Then, the sender sends exactly that number of bytes on the wire and the receiver reads exactly that number of bytes on the wire and considers the read to be finished. What you now have is an exact copy of the original byte array on the receiving side and you can then do with it as you please, since you know what that data was in the first place.
If you need a code example, I can provide a simple one or else there are numerous examples available on the net.

Trying to keep it short:
the Stream.Read function (which you use) returns an int that states how many bytes were read, this is return to you so you could verify that all the bytes you need are received.
something like:
int byteCount=0;
while(byteCount < nSize)
{
int read = this._nsClient.Read(btImageStream, byteCount, nSize-byteCount);
byteCount += read;
}
this is not the best code for the job

Problem with code converted from C++ to C#

I converted some code from a C++ application I wrote a long time ago to C#. In C++ I had a library I used that was a bit buffer, but my lack of C# knowledge has somewhat complicated the conversion.
When I query my application, and I simply use a ByteWriter without casting any values properly (just like bf.Write(-1) and bf.Write("stringhere") the query programs atleast query it, just get the wrong information. When I cast the values properly (to long, byte, short, etc) it completely breaks, and the query application doesn't even see it anymore.
C++ Code Snippet
void PlayerManager::BuildReplyInfo()
{
// Delete the old packet
g_ReplyInfo.Reset();
g_ReplyInfo.WriteLong(-1);
g_ReplyInfo.WriteByte(73);
g_ReplyInfo.WriteByte(g_ProtocolVersion.GetInt());
g_ReplyInfo.WriteString(iserver->GetName());
g_ReplyInfo.WriteString(iserver->GetMapName());
g_ReplyInfo.WriteString(gGameType);
}
C# Code
public static byte[] ConvertStringToByteArray(string str)
{
System.Text.UTF8Encoding encoding = new System.Text.UTF8Encoding();
return encoding.GetBytes(str);
}
//-----------------------------------
while (true)
{
data = new byte[1024];
recv = socket.ReceiveFrom(data, ref Remote);
Console.WriteLine("Message length is " + recv);
// If the length is 25 and the 5th byte is 'T' it is a A2S_INFO QUERY
if (recv == 25 && data[4] == 84)
{
Console.WriteLine("Source Engine Query!");
data = BuildReplyInformation();
socket.SendTo(data, 0, data.Length, SocketFlags.None, Remote);
}
}
}
public static byte[] BuildReplyInformation()
{
MemoryStream stream = new MemoryStream();
BinaryWriter writer = new BinaryWriter(stream);
writer.Write((long)(-1));
writer.Write((byte)(73)); // Steam Version
writer.Write((byte)(15)); // Protocol
writer.Write(ConvertStringToByteArray("Minecraft Server\0")); // Hostname
writer.Write(ConvertStringToByteArray("Map Name\0")); // Map Name
writer.Write(ConvertStringToByteArray("tf\0")); // Game Directory
writer.Write(ConvertStringToByteArray("Minecraft Server\0")); // Game Description
writer.Write((short)(440));
writer.Write((byte)(15)); // Players
writer.Write((byte)(32)); // Max Players
writer.Write((byte)(0)); // Bots
writer.Write((byte)(100));
writer.Write((byte)(119)); // 108 Linux, 119 Windows
writer.Write((byte)(0)); // Password Boolean
writer.Write((byte)(01)); // Vac Secured
writer.Write(ConvertStringToByteArray("1.1.3.7\0"));
return stream.ToArray();
}

A couple of ideas that might get you on track:
Are you sure you need UTF8 as string encoding?
When you look at the array and compare it to the intended structure, are you able to find out at what point the array does not comply to the standard?

Just a few things to keep in mind:
UTF-8 strings sometimes start with a BOM (byte order mark), sometimes not.
Strings sometimes are serialized length prefixed, sometimes null-terminated.
My suggestion is to double-check the original C++ method WriteString(...) to find out how it behaves with respect to #1 and #2, and then to double-check the C# method GetBytes(...) for the same. If I recall, the .NET binary serializer writes length-prefixed strings for each string written, but the UTF8 encoder does not (and does not output a null character either). The UTF8 encoder may also (depending on how you use it?) output a BOM.
Also, I'm suspicious of how \0 might be written out when passing through the UTF8 encoder. You might (for kicks) try outputting the null marker separately from the string content, as just a 0-valued byte.

Long size in C# was different from C++, resolved the issue.