Read file into byte array is different to string

Question

I have a file in visual studio with the following contents:"{"Name":"Pete"}" If I read the file with the following code it appears to create a string with the original value:

byte[] byteArray = System.IO.File.ReadAllBytes(filePath);
string jsonResponse = System.Text.Encoding.UTF8.GetString(byteArray);

However, the string is actually different to the version that exists if I use the following code:

string jsonResponse = "{\"Name\":\"Pete\"}";

Why? (The reason I think it is different is because when I pass each version to a json deserializer it behaves differently)

Thanks.

what exactly are the file contents? can you post that as a code-block without any surrounding quotes (but with any quotes that are actually in the file), so we can be exactly sure of the contents? Also - I assume it was saved with UTF8? — Marc Gravell
– Marc Gravell, Commented Apr 19, 2011 at 11:56
This is what is in the file:{"Contact":"Pete"} Basically it starts with a bracket, and ends with a bracket and was created with VS2008. — Journeyman
– Journeyman, Commented Apr 19, 2011 at 11:58
Then the solution is easy: Your file contains "Contact", whereas your string contains "Name". ;-) — Heinzi
– Heinzi, Commented Apr 19, 2011 at 11:59
@Heinzi - well, sort of, but the point is that the json deserializer I'm using is complaining about the version that is read from the file. When I view it in the debug window the string looks like this: {\"Contact\":\"Pete\"} (There is a small dot just before the opening bracket which is not showing up in this comment — Journeyman
– Journeyman, Commented Apr 19, 2011 at 12:00

Jon Skeet · Accepted Answer · 2011-04-19 12:03:33Z

8

Given your final comment in the question, I suspect the problem is that you've got a byte-order mark at the start of the file. Try loading the file like this instead:

string jsonResponse = File.ReadAllText(filePath);

I believe that will strip the BOM for you. Alternatively, you could try explicitly trimming it yourself:

jsonResponse = jsonResponse.TrimStart('\feff');

answered Apr 19, 2011 at 12:03

Jon Skeet

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Comments

Heinzi · Accepted Answer · 2011-04-19 11:57:20Z

My guess would be that you have a terminating newline in your file.

You can easily verify if two strings have the same content in C# by just comparing them with a == b.

Here's a short code sample that might help you identify the problem. The strings are output surrounded by < >, which should help you identify surrounding whitespace (which, by the way, can be removed using String.Trim).

byte[] byteArray = System.IO.File.ReadAllBytes(filePath);
string fromFile = System.Text.Encoding.UTF8.GetString(byteArray);
string fromString = "{\"Name\":\"Pete\"}";

if (fromFile == fromString) {
    Console.WriteLine("Strings are the same.");
} else {
    Console.WriteLine("Strings are different!");
    Console.WriteLine("fromFile:   <" + fromFile + ">");
    Console.WriteLine("fromString: <" + fromString + ">");
}

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