Question

error "Files does not begin with '%PDF-'. when create a file from string base64.

Asked by: Marcelitro

Guys, i got error "Files does not begin with '%PDF-'. when create a file from string base64.

I have a asp source with a pdf coded in string base64, i used a function to decode to binary and when i try to show/create the file i have the error, i think is a charset problem, can you help me please?.

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Asked On
2008-06-26 at 07:24:49ID23518260
Tags

ASP

,

IE7

Topics

Web Development

,

Active Server Pages (ASP)

Participating Experts
2
Points
500
Comments
16

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Answers

 

by: DanRollinsPosted on 2008-06-28 at 19:16:40ID: 21892719

I can verify that the first eight bytes of the decoded base64 text in the source code file respnsePdf.txt is, indeed:
   %PDF-1.4

I used the base64 decoder here:
    http://makcoder.sourceforge.net/demo/base64.php

I cannot vouch for how well the decoder in your source code works.  I suggest that you test it fully.

 

by: MarcelitroPosted on 2008-06-29 at 06:45:42ID: 21893958

Yes, the base64 string and decode function are OK, my problem is when i try to create the pdf.

I have some type of problem in the following lines:


   gifdata = ConvertB64(strpdf)   
   
   Response.Buffer = True
   Response.Clear
   Response.ContentType = "application/pdf"
   Response.AddHeader "Content-Type", "application/pdf"
   Response.AddHeader "Content-Length", lenB(gifdata)
   
   Response.BinaryWrite gifdata
   Response.Flush
   Response.End()
   
   dim linea
   
   linea = "<a href=|mostrarpdf.asp| target=|_self|>PDF</a>"
   linea = replace(linea, "|", chr(34))
   Response.Write linea 

                                              
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by: MarcelitroPosted on 2008-06-29 at 06:50:13ID: 21893985

I try to save to disk the pdf file, and i can see is saved like that:

HEX:
25 00 50 00 44 00 46 00 2D 00 31 00 2E 00 34 00

DISPLAY
%  .  P  .  D  .  F  .  -  .  1  .  .  .  4  .  

 

by: RQuadlingPosted on 2008-06-29 at 11:36:04ID: 21895043

Using notepad to remove the non b64-encoded data, I saved the attached a.b64.txt file (yes - I hate notpad for always adding .txt to anything I save, but I was being lazy).

The using this php command line ...

\php5\php -r "file_put_contents('a.pdf', base64_decode(file_get_contents('a.b64.txt')));"

I ended up with a.pdf.

Opening a.pdf opens fine!

Both files attached.

  • a.b64.txt
    • 60 KB

    The base64 encoded data extracted by hand from the source.

  • a.pdf
    • 44 KB

    The php converted PDF.

 

by: RQuadlingPosted on 2008-06-29 at 11:40:24ID: 21895057

Can you supply an online link?

The extra nulls suggest that somewhere the encoding is UTF-16 rather than UTF-8.

Is this only going wrong on a 64bit machine? i.e. on your machine all OK but on the live server "computer says no"?

 

by: MarcelitroPosted on 2008-06-29 at 18:19:49ID: 21896155

Sorry, i cant supply a online link, but is easy copy both files to iis and test responsePDF.asp (responsePDF.txt).

Please your help.

 

by: RQuadlingPosted on 2008-06-30 at 13:47:25ID: 21902903

Can you save the PDF in ASP so you have a PDF saved by the server and one saved by your browser. Are they the same? This is to test if the issue is the browser or the server.

Can you try using Firefox with Firebug to monitor the headers being sent. Are there any additional headers being sent by the server which you didn't know about?

 

by: DanRollinsPosted on 2008-06-30 at 15:12:20ID: 21903460

It looks to me like there is an implicit conversion going on.  In your statement:

             nGroup = Hex(nGroup)
             nGroup = String(6 - Len(nGroup), "0") & nGroup
             pOut = Chr(CByte("&H" & Mid(nGroup, 1, 2))) & _
                    Chr(CByte("&H" & Mid(nGroup, 3, 2))) & _
                    Chr(CByte("&H" & Mid(nGroup, 5, 2)))
             sOut = sOut & Left(pOut, numDataBytes)
 
the sOut variable is being created as a string of 16-bit values, rather than the 8-bit characters you need.  I'm no guru in VBScript, but I think you need to use the
   ChrB
function in there somewhere.  Perhaps ...

             pOut = ChrB(CByte("&H" & Mid(nGroup, 1, 2))) & _
                    ChrB(CByte("&H" & Mid(nGroup, 3, 2))) & _
                    ChrB(CByte("&H" & Mid(nGroup, 5, 2)))


   Chr Function
   http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ws6aa3sf(VS.85).aspx
   (see also the AscB() function)

If that does not work, I suggest (for debugging purposes) breaking that long sequence into assignments of three variables and then concatenating them.  Breakpoint in your code to verify that the sOut is being increased in length by only one byte per variable (rather than the two bytes that is currently happening).

-- Dan

 

by: RQuadlingPosted on 2008-07-03 at 08:34:59ID: 21926484

Nice one Dan. As to why CByte() or Chr are returning anything other than 1 byte.

Maybe Chr() is returning a null terminated string and the nulls are being concatenated also.

Odd.

 

by: DanRollinsPosted on 2008-07-03 at 14:03:49ID: 21929042

My thought was the implicit conversion of the & operator -- it concatenates strings and in a system where "string" means "sequence of 16-bit UNICODE characters" then each one-byte character gets converted to a 2-byte character as the temporary string is constructed for the concatenation.

If that's the case, then even ChrB() might not work.

In this micrsoft blog,
   http://blogs.msdn.com/ericlippert/archive/2005/04/20/410127.aspx
one contributor points out that VBscript simpoly does not support the concept of a string compsed of 9-bit bytes.  They offer a number of work-arounds, but so far I haven't seen a simple solution.  I'll keep looking...

 

by: DanRollinsPosted on 2008-07-03 at 14:22:52ID: 21929219

There is a chance that avoiding the conversion and working only with a byte array might work:

  Dim abData as Byte()
...
    abData(n)= ChrB(...)
    n= n+1

...
Response.BinaryWrite abData

 

by: DanRollinsPosted on 2009-11-06 at 15:26:52ID: 25763982

I think I answered it with http:#a21903460

RQuadling's post http:#a21895043  deserves a split for verifying the data and working the problem.

 

by: RQuadlingPosted on 2009-11-08 at 00:26:22ID: 25769793

Thanks Dan.

20120131-EE-VQP-002

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