When overridden in a derived class, calculates the number of bytes produced by encoding all the characters in the specified character array.
Syntax
Parameters
- chars
Returns
The number of bytes produced by encoding all the characters in the specified character array.
Exceptions
Type Reason ArgumentNullException chars is null.
Remarks
To calculate the exact array size required by Encoding.GetBytes(Char[]) to store the resulting bytes, the application should use Encoding.GetByteCount(Char[]). To calculate the maximum array size, the application should use Encoding.GetMaxByteCount(int). The Encoding.GetByteCount(Char[]) method generally allows allocation of less memory, while the Encoding.GetMaxByteCount(int) method generally executes faster.
The Encoding.GetByteCount(Char[]) method determines how many bytes result in encoding a set of Unicode characters, and the Encoding.GetBytes(Char[]) method performs the actual encoding. The Encoding.GetBytes(Char[]) method expects discrete conversions, in contrast to the Encoder.GetBytes(Char[], int, int, Byte[], int, bool) method, which handles multiple conversions on a single input stream.
Several versions of Encoding.GetByteCount(Char[]) and Encoding.GetBytes(Char[]) are supported. The following are some programming considerations for use of these methods:
The application might need to encode many input characters to a code page and process the characters using multiple calls. In this case, your application probably needs to maintain state between calls, taking into account the state that is persisted by the System.Text.Encoder object being used.
If the application handles string inputs, it is recommended to use the string version of Encoding.GetBytes(string).
The Unicode character buffer version of Encoding.GetBytes(Char*, int, Byte*, int) allows some fast techniques, particularly with multiple calls using the System.Text.Encoder object or inserting into existing buffers. Bear in mind, however, that this method version is sometimes unsafe, since pointers are required.
If your application must convert a large amount of data, it should reuse the output buffer. In this case, the Encoding.GetBytes(Char[], int, int, Byte[], int) version that supports byte arrays is the best choice.
Consider using the erload:System.Text.Encoder.Convert method instead of Encoding.GetByteCount(Char[]). The conversion method converts as much data as possible, and does throw an exception if the output buffer is too small. For continuous encoding of a stream, this method is often the best choice.
Requirements
Assembly: mscorlib (in mscorlib.dll)
Assembly Versions: 1.0.5000.0, 2.0.0.0, 4.0.0.0