Base64Coder Object

Description

The base 64 coder can turn a binary blob into an encode string, and vice versa.

Sometimes it is impossible to transfer or transmit raw binary data, by encoding it into text the data can be transmitted without having to worry about embedded nulls or line lengths that could cause incompatabilities with some software.

For example base64 encoding is often used to transmit binary data across SMTP mail networks, another example is that the browser sends the username and password as a base64 encoded string in a header.

Note that base64 is preferred to uuencode/uudecode as it is an exact specification, whereas there are a number of incompatible implementations of uuencode.

Methods

Encode

Decode

Example

'first load a picture

Set fi = CreateObject("Toolsack.FileIO")

Set b = fi.LoadFileBinary("C:\temp\picture.jpeg")

'encode the blob

Set encoder = CreateObject("Toolsack.Base64Coder")

s = encoder.Encode(b)

'decode and save

Set b2 = encoder.Decode(s)

fi.SaveFileBinary "C:\temp\Copy of picture.jpeg", b2, True