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Thread: Is it possible to serialize QVariant into a QString?

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    Default Is it possible to serialize QVariant into a QString?

    I'm writing a client-side class, and a server-side class, who are meant to communicate data with one another. In the middle I have to use a network client whose API's "Send" function takes a QString. That Send function encapsulates my data within a larger string, which is then sent over the network, decapsulated at the other end, and then the body is given to my other class.

    I have no control over the encapsulation: basically whatever I need to send, has to be stored within a QString. I'd rather avoid annoying manual serializing/deserializing stuff in XML or somesuch. My data is a collection of native Qt types that can fit in a QVariant (bool, ASCII-only QStrings, and qint32). With this in mind, is there a way I can serialize QVariant/QVariantList into a QString?

    QTextStream does not seem to serialize QVariant, only QDataStream does, and from what I saw there's no combination of QDataStream, QBuffer, and QByteArray which will allow me to use QString as a container. I'm asking here with the hopes that I am wrong. Please oh please tell me that I'm wrong

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    Default Re: Is it possible to serialize QVariant into a QString?

    Well, apart from fixing the broken assumption that everything fits into a string, you can serialise to binary any way that works and then base-64 or hex encode the binary blob to go through th string pathway.

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    Default Re: Is it possible to serialize QVariant into a QString?

    bools, strings and ints can be converted to text using QVariant::toString().
    Your biological and technological distinctiveness will be added to our own. Resistance is futile.

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    Default Re: Is it possible to serialize QVariant into a QString?

    Quote Originally Posted by ChrisW67 View Post
    Well, apart from fixing the broken assumption that everything fits into a string, you can serialise to binary any way that works and then base-64 or hex encode the binary blob to go through th string pathway.
    Thanks Chris, I should have been looking at QByteArray closer. I got it working.

    Full example in case anyone finds this by googling:

    Qt Code:
    1. QList<QVariant> CreateData();
    2. QString SerializeDataToB64String(const QList<QVariant>& listToSerialize);
    3. QList<QVariant> DeserializeB64String(const QString& serializedList);
    4.  
    5. int main(int argc, char *argv[])
    6. {
    7. QApplication a(argc, argv);
    8.  
    9. QList<QVariant> dataToWrite = CreateData();
    10. QString container = SerializeDataToB64String(dataToWrite);
    11. qDebug() << "b64 string container contents:" << container;
    12. QList<QVariant> dataRead = DeserializeB64String(container);
    13.  
    14. Q_ASSERT(dataToWrite.size() == dataRead.size());
    15. for (int i = 0; i < dataToWrite.size(); i++)
    16. {
    17. Q_ASSERT(dataToWrite[i] == dataRead[i]);
    18. qDebug() << dataToWrite[i];
    19. }
    20.  
    21. return 0;
    22. }
    23.  
    24.  
    25. QList<QVariant> CreateData()
    26. {
    27. QList<QVariant> vars;
    28.  
    29. vars.append("a string");
    30. vars.append((qint32) 123);
    31. vars.append(false);
    32.  
    33. return vars;
    34. }
    35.  
    36. QString SerializeDataToB64String(const QList<QVariant>& listToSerialize)
    37. {
    38. QByteArray byteArray;
    39. QBuffer writeBuffer(&byteArray);
    40. writeBuffer.open(QIODevice::WriteOnly);
    41. QDataStream out(&writeBuffer);
    42.  
    43. out << listToSerialize;
    44.  
    45. writeBuffer.close();
    46.  
    47. QString s = QString(byteArray.toBase64());
    48.  
    49. qDebug() << "array size when written:" << byteArray.size();
    50.  
    51. return s;
    52. }
    53.  
    54. QList<QVariant> DeserializeB64String(const QString& serializedList)
    55. {
    56. QByteArray readArr = QByteArray::fromBase64(serializedList.toAscii());
    57. QBuffer readBuffer(&readArr);
    58. readBuffer.open(QIODevice::ReadOnly);
    59. QDataStream in(&readBuffer);
    60.  
    61. QList<QVariant> readVars;
    62.  
    63. in >> readVars;
    64.  
    65. qDebug() << "array size when read:" << readArr.size();
    66.  
    67. return readVars;
    68. }
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