Understanding Encoding methods?

BrokenArrows

Ive read the documentation but cant figure out why the Encoding method is not working as i expected it to.
Im receiving a byte array which can contain the UTF-8 character set.

If i decode this string using the below all unicode characters are replaced by a black diamond with a question mark inside it if i open it with notepad:

Encoding.UTF8.GetString(byteArray)

However if i decode it using the below it works fine:

Encoding.Default.GetString(byteArray)

Can anyone explain this to me because im just not getting why the first one does not work?

srsly78

Coz unicode chars are 16 bits in size. UTF8 is therefore mangling them.

BrokenArrows

srsly78 wrote: »

Coz unicode chars are 16 bits in size. UTF8 is therefore mangling them.

Close.

I ended up just encoding the original byte array to every possible encoding to see which one worked.

Turns out i was being sent the byte array in UTF-7 not 8.

Muppets!!

So im now just doing a convert and all is good in the world.:
Encoding.Convert(Encoding.UTF7, Encoding.UTF8, byteArray);

TrueDub

An excellent article on character-encoding:

http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/Unicode.html

srsly78

BrokenArrows wrote: »

Close.

I ended up just encoding the original byte array to every possible encoding to see which one worked.

Turns out i was being sent the byte array in UTF-7 not 8.

Muppets!!

So im now just doing a convert and all is good in the world.:
Encoding.Convert(Encoding.UTF7, Encoding.UTF8, byteArray);

This isn't unicode then. edit: derp ok it is encoded unicode >.<