Delphi | Code4bin

type TBinaryReaderHelper = class helper for TStream private function ReadByte: Byte; inline; function ReadWord: Word; inline; function ReadDWord: Cardinal; inline; public function ReadInt8: ShortInt; function ReadUInt8: Byte; function ReadInt32: Integer; function ReadStringRaw(Length: Integer): string; end;

procedure WriteSimpleBinary; var Data: TBytes; Stream: TMemoryStream; Value: Integer; begin SetLength(Data, 4); Value := 12345; Move(Value, Data[0], 4); // direct memory copy Stream := TMemoryStream.Create; try Stream.Write(Data[0], Length(Data)); Stream.SaveToFile('output.bin'); finally Stream.Free; end; end; In the style, you would encapsulate this into a reusable TBinaryWriter class. 2. Record Casting (The Delphi Superpower) Delphi records can be read/written directly to streams if they are packed and contain only value types. code4bin delphi

Instead, it is a design pattern popularized by developers who needed to bridge the gap between high-level Delphi objects and low-level byte streams. Think of it as "Delphi’s answer to Python’s struct or C’s bitfields." Why Use Binary Code in Delphi? (The Code4Bin Advantage) Before the advent of REST APIs and massive databases, Delphi developers thrived on structured binary files ( .dat , .dbf , custom game saves). Here is why the Code4Bin pattern is resurging: 1. Performance Parsing a 10MB XML file requires heavy string manipulation. Parsing a 10MB binary stream using TMemoryStream and pointer casting is near-instantaneous. For real-time systems (finance, telecom), Code4Bin is non-negotiable. 2. Data Integrity Binary formats don’t suffer from encoding issues (UTF-8 vs. ANSI) or floating-point rounding in text representations. What you write is exactly what you read. 3. Reverse Engineering & Legacy Support Many industrial machines report data via custom binary protocols. Using Code4Bin techniques, you can decode obscure payloads without external dependencies. 4. Low Memory Footprint Embedded Delphi applications (e.g., on Windows IoT) benefit from Code4Bin’s ability to process data in-place without duplication. Core Techniques in Code4Bin Delphi Programming Mastering Code4Bin requires moving beyond AssignFile and ReadLn . Let’s explore the canonical patterns. 1. Working with TMemoryStream and TBytes The backbone of modern binary handling in Delphi is the humble byte array. type TBinaryReaderHelper = class helper for TStream private

TBinaryWriterHelper

implementation

function TBinaryReaderHelper.ReadByte: Byte; begin Self.Read(Result, 1); end; Instead, it is a design pattern popularized by

procedure TBinaryWriterHelper.WriteInt32(Value: Integer); begin Self.Write(Value, 4); end;