File.ReadLines returns null char after each other char

Question

I am trying to read all lines from the file, however I am getting some unexpected results, code:

var readLines = File.ReadLines(file);

foreach (var line in readLines)
{
    //line = "T\0e\0s\0t\0"
}

File contents:

Test

If I will do line.Replace("\0", "") then it works fine however I would like to understand why this is happening and how I can get correct value from the file using ReadLines?

Looks like file encoding to me, what encoding is the file using? — DavidG, May 02 '18 at 17:53

adjan · Accepted Answer · 2018-05-02T18:00:16.290

4

Your file seems to be encoded in UTF-16. Specify the encoding in the second parameter to ReadLines()

var readLines = File.ReadLines(file, Encoding.Unicode);

File.ReadLines() without the second parameter assumes UTF-8 as the encoding of the file. UTF-16 files use two bytes to encode a character (latin characters use the first one in UTF-16, and only one byte in UTF-8). So to UTF-8, in your text every other character is \0.

edited May 02 '18 at 18:00

answered May 02 '18 at 17:54

adjan

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That is it. Thanks! – Vladimirs May 02 '18 at 17:56
Do you know why it results into this odd behaviour? – Vladimirs May 02 '18 at 17:57
It's not "odd behaviour"; whoever/whatever wrote that file made it save the characters like that. – Nyerguds May 02 '18 at 20:21

File.ReadLines returns null char after each other char

1 Answers1