I've recently been working with Sql Server Service Broker to collect events from Automate with a vbascript when the set variable on error is fired or when the script is called manually.

All messages sent to the broker are Xml messages (AMEventNotification).

Sometimes I'm in need of attaching logfiles, compressed files and so on to these events. The content of those files made my xml events mallformed. I needed to encode the contents. My solution was to create a tag <BinaryData>...</BinaryData> and encode the contents as either Base64 or Base16. Base16 is hex and is not supported by Automate.

I've attached the code for Base16 encoding and decoding. In addition there are a couple of more effecient byte conversion functions attached.

There are some topics on this at google, but I had to think for myself this time as there were no soutable or at least effecient enough solutions for vbscript.

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Task Steps: (Right click, Select All, Copy to copy to the clipboard. Steps can then be pasted into the AutoMate Task Builder)
'Convert a byte array to a Base16 string Function ENCODE16B (ByRef bytes() As Byte) As String Dim strm As ADODB.Stream Dim b As Byte Set strm = New ADODB.Stream strm.Type = adTypeText strm.Charset = "iso-8859-1" strm.Open For Each b In bytes strm.WriteText IIf(b < &H10, "0", "") & Hex$(b),adWriteChar Next strm.Position = 0 's = strm.ReadText() ENCODE16B = strm.ReadText() strm.Close Set strm = Nothing End Function 'Convert a string to a Base16 string Function ENCODE16 (ByRef s As String) As String Dim bytes() As Byte 'Convert string to bytes bytes = STRINGTOBYTES(s) ENCODE16 = ENCODE16B(bytes) End Function 'Convert a Base16 string to byte array Function DECODE16B(ByRef s As String) As Byte() Dim bytes() As Byte 'Convert string to bytes bytes = STRINGTOBYTES(DECODE16(s)) DECODE16B = bytes End Function 'Convert a Base16 string to string Function DECODE16(ByRef s As String) As String Dim strm As ADODB.Stream Dim i As Long Dim b As Byte Dim bytes() As Byte 'Convert string to bytes bytes = STRINGTOBYTES(s) Set strm = New ADODB.Stream strm.Type = adTypeText strm.Charset = "iso-8859-1" strm.Open For i = 0 To UBound(bytes)-1 Step 2 strm.WriteText Chr$(Val("&H0" & Chr$(bytes(i)) & Chr$(bytes(i+1)))),adWriteChar Next strm.Position = 0 DECODE16 = strm.ReadText() strm.Close Set strm = Nothing End Function 'Convert from byte array to string Function STRINGFROMBYTES(bytes() As Byte) As String Dim strm As ADODB.Stream Set strm = New ADODB.Stream strm.Type = adTypeBinary strm.Open strm.Write bytes strm.Position = 0 strm.Type = adTypeText strm.Charset = "iso-8859-1" STRINGFROMBYTES = strm.ReadText() strm.Close Set strm = Nothing End Function 'Convert from string to byte array Function STRINGTOBYTES(ByRef s As String) As Byte() Dim strm As ADODB.Stream Set strm = New ADODB.Stream strm.Type = adTypeText strm.Charset = "iso-8859-1" strm.Open strm.WriteText s strm.Position = 0 strm.Type = adTypeBinary STRINGTOBYTES = strm.Read() strm.Close Set strm = Nothing End Function

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Erik Hedlund
Senior systemarchitect
A-team member
+4793028609

Have to post an update on this one, because I found that the performance was a bit to slow on large files.

The attached code uses msxml for encoding and decoding base64. There also a couple of functions using the adodb stream object to do effecient string to byte array and byte array to string conversion.

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Task Steps: (Right click, Select All, Copy to copy to the clipboard. Steps can then be pasted into the AutoMate Task Builder)
'Convert a byte array to a Base16 string Function ENCODE16B (ByRef bytes() As Byte) As String Dim doc As MSXML2.FreeThreadedDOMDocument Dim e As MSXML2.IXMLDOMNode Set doc = New MSXML2.FreeThreadedDOMDocument Set e = doc.createElement("bin") e.dataType = "bin.hex" e.nodeTypedValue = bytes ENCODE16B = e.text Set e = Nothing Set doc = Nothing End Function 'Convert a string to a Base16 string Function ENCODE16 (ByRef s As String) As String Dim bytes() As Byte 'Convert string to bytes bytes = STRINGTOBYTES(s) ENCODE16 = ENCODE16B(bytes) End Function 'Convert a Base16 string to byte array Function DECODE16B(ByRef s As String) As Byte() Dim doc As MSXML2.FreeThreadedDOMDocument Dim e As MSXML2.IXMLDOMNode Set doc = New MSXML2.FreeThreadedDOMDocument Set e = doc.createElement("hex") e.dataType = "bin.hex" e.text = s DECODE16B = e.nodeTypedValue Set e = Nothing Set doc = Nothing End Function 'Convert a Base16 string to string Function DECODE16(ByRef s As String) As String Dim bytes() As Byte bytes = DECODE16B(s) DECODE16 = STRINGFROMBYTES(bytes) End Function 'Convert from byte array to string Function STRINGFROMBYTES(ByRef bytes() As Byte) As String Dim strm As ADODB.Stream Set strm = New ADODB.Stream strm.Type = adTypeBinary strm.Open strm.Write bytes strm.Position = 0 strm.Type = adTypeText strm.Charset = "iso-8859-1" STRINGFROMBYTES = strm.ReadText() strm.Close Set strm = Nothing End Function 'Convert from string to byte array Function STRINGTOBYTES(ByRef s As String) As Byte() Dim strm As ADODB.Stream Set strm = New ADODB.Stream strm.Type = adTypeText strm.Charset = "iso-8859-1" strm.Open strm.WriteText s strm.Position = 0 strm.Type = adTypeBinary STRINGTOBYTES = strm.Read() strm.Close Set strm = Nothing End Function

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Erik Hedlund
Senior systemarchitect
A-team member
+4793028609