.net - Serialize Entity Framework object, save to file, read and DeSerialize -

the title should make clear i'm trying - entity framework object, serialize string, save string in file, load text file , reserialize object. hey presto!

but of course doesn't work else wouldn't here. when try reserialise "the input stream not in valid binary format" error i'm missing somewhere.

this how serialise , save data:

 string filepath = system.configuration.configurationmanager.appsettings["customerslitesavepath"];  string filename = system.configuration.configurationmanager.appsettings["customerslitefilename"];          if(file.exists(filepath + filename))         {             file.delete(filepath + filename);         }          memorystream memorystream = new memorystream();         binaryformatter binaryformatter = new binaryformatter();         binaryformatter.serialize(memorystream, entityframeworkquery.first());         string str = system.convert.tobase64string(memorystream.toarray());          streamwriter file = new streamwriter(filepath + filename);         file.writeline(str);         file.close(); 

which gives me big nonsensical text file, you'd expect. try , rebuild object elsewhere:

            customerobject = file.readalltext(path);              memorystream ms = new memorystream();             filestream fs = new filestream(path, filemode.open);             int bytesread;             int blocksize = 4096;             byte[] buffer = new byte[blocksize];              while (!(fs.position == fs.length))             {                 bytesread = fs.read(buffer, 0, blocksize);                 ms.write(buffer, 0, bytesread);             }              binaryformatter formatter = new binaryformatter();             ms.position = 0;             customer cust = (customer)formatter.deserialize(ms); 

and binary format error.

i'm being stupid. in way?

cheers, matt

when you've saved it, have (for reasons best known you) applied base-64 - haven't applied base-64 when reading it. imo, drop base-64 - , write directly filestream. saves having buffer in memory.

for example:

    if(file.exists(path))     {         file.delete(path);     }     using(var file = file.create(path)) {          binaryformatter ser = new binaryformatter();          ser.serialize(file, entityframeworkquery.first());          file.close();     } 

and

     using(var file = file.openread(path)) {          binaryformatter ser = new binaryformatter();          customer cust = (customer)ser.deserialize(file);          ...     }      

as side note, may find datacontractserializer makes better serializer ef binaryformatter.