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C# - Downloading file adding extra data (unintentionally)

The problem I have is that I am downloading data via WCF but it is adding to the text file.

THE DATA SHOULD LOOKE LIKE BELOW

Record Count 14866
"Field"      "Type"      "Length"
"oldparent"      "Text"      "8"
"NEWPARENT"      "Text"      "8"
"PID"      "Text"      "8"
"STATUS_BLD"      "Text"      "1"
"DATE"      "Text"      "8"
"CREASON"      "Text"      "1"
"MPID"      "Text"      "8"
"NAME"      "Text"      "30"
"STREET"      "Text"      "24"
"CITY"      "Text"      "16"
"STATE"      "Text"      "2"
"ZIPCODE"      "Text"      "7"

BUT I AM GETTING

Record Count 14866
"Field"      "Type"      "Length"
"oldparent"      "Text"      "8"
"NEWPARENT"      "Text"      "8"
"PID"      "Text"      "8"
"STATUS_BLD"      "Text"      "1"
"DATE"      "Text"      "8"
"CREASON"      "Text"      "1"
"MPID"      "Text"      "8"
"NAME"      "Text"      "30"
"STREET"      "Text"      "24"
"CITY"      "Text"      "16"
"STATE"      "Text"      "2"
"ZIPCODE"      "Text"      "7"

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd">
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en">

<head><title>
      Download
</title><link rel="icon" href="images/favicon.ico" type="image/ico" /><link href="Styles/Site.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />
<style type="text/css">
.style7
{
width: 42%;
}
</style>

ETC.....

Below is the code I am using.

Response.BufferOutput = false;
byte[] buffer = new byte[65000];
int bytesRead = 0;

HttpContext.Current.Response.Clear();
HttpContext.Current.Response.ClearHeaders();
HttpContext.Current.Response.ContentType = "application/octet-stream";
HttpContext.Current.Response.AddHeader("Content-Disposition",
"attachment; filename=" + requestData.FileName);

bytesRead = fileInfo.FileByteStream.Read(buffer, 0, buffer.Length);

while (bytesRead > 0)
{
// Verify that the client is connected.
if (Response.IsClientConnected)
{
Response.OutputStream.Write(buffer, 0, bytesRead);
// Flush the data to the HTML output.
Response.Flush();

buffer = new byte[65000];
bytesRead = fileInfo.FileByteStream.Read(buffer, 0, buffer.Length);
}
else
{
bytesRead = -1;
}
}
Response.Flush();

How do I fix?

Bob Learned

I don't quite understand what you are intending to return in the web service call...

CipherIS

ASKER

I am returning a text file. This is the data in the text file.

Record Count 14866
"Field" "Type" "Length"
"oldparent" "Text" "8"
"NEWPARENT" "Text" "8"
"PID" "Text" "8"
"STATUS_BLD" "Text" "1"
"DATE" "Text" "8"
"CREASON" "Text" "1"
"MPID" "Text" "8"
"NAME" "Text" "30"
"STREET" "Text" "24"
"CITY" "Text" "16"
"STATE" "Text" "2"
"ZIPCODE" "Text" "7"

This is what is being returned in the text file

Record Count 14866
"Field" "Type" "Length"
"oldparent" "Text" "8"
"NEWPARENT" "Text" "8"
"PID" "Text" "8"
"STATUS_BLD" "Text" "1"
"DATE" "Text" "8"
"CREASON" "Text" "1"
"MPID" "Text" "8"
"NAME" "Text" "30"
"STREET" "Text" "24"
"CITY" "Text" "16"
"STATE" "Text" "2"
"ZIPCODE" "Text" "7"

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd">
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en">

<head><title>
Download
</title><link rel="icon" href="images/favicon.ico" type="image/ico" /><link href="Styles/Site.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />
<style type="text/css">
.style7
{
width: 42%;
}
</style>

ETC.....

Some how this is being appended to the text file and it shouldn't be.

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd">
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en">

<head><title>
Download
</title><link rel="icon" href="images/favicon.ico" type="image/ico" /><link href="Styles/Site.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />
<style type="text/css">
.style7
{
width: 42%;
}
</style>

ETC.....

Bob Learned

What type of WCF service is this?

Instead of application/octet-stream, did you try text/plain?

CipherIS

ASKER

I replaced with text/plain and still getting below added to it. Didn't work.

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd">
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en">

<head><title>
Download
</title><link rel="icon" href="images/favicon.ico" type="image/ico" /><link href="Styles/Site.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />
<style type="text/css">
.style7
{
width: 42%;
}
</style>

ETC.....

CipherIS

ASKER

Another thing I need to mention is that the download downloads other file types such as:

PDF and XLS

Bob Learned

What type of WCF web service are you working with?

CipherIS

ASKER

basicHTTPBinding.

The webservice works fine. It returns all the files. The only issue is when the text file is being downloaded it adds the HTML code to the text file.

Here is the code in the WCF Service that returns the file

public RemoteFileInfo APIDownloadFile(DownloadRequest request)
{
      string UNCPath = string.Empty;

      RemoteFileInfo result = new RemoteFileInfo();

      try
      {

            string WriteError = Path.Combine(@"C:\Logs\APIFulfillment", "APIDownloadFile.txt");
            using (StreamWriter outfile2 = new StreamWriter(WriteError))
            {
                  //Get Path and FileName
                  UNCPath = APIGetUNCPath(request.AccessKey, request.FileName);
                  outfile2.WriteLine(UNCPath + " | " + DateTime.Now, Environment.NewLine);

                  FileInfo fileInfo = new FileInfo(UNCPath);
                  outfile2.WriteLine("fileInfo" + " | " + DateTime.Now);

                  //Check if exists
                  if (!fileInfo.Exists)
                  {
                        throw new System.IO.FileNotFoundException("File not found", request.FileName);
                  }
                  request.FileSize = fileInfo.Length;
                  outfile2.WriteLine("File Exists" + " | " + DateTime.Now, Environment.NewLine);

                  //Open stream
                  FileStream stream = new FileStream(UNCPath, FileMode.Open, FileAccess.Read);
                  outfile2.WriteLine("FileStream" + " | " + DateTime.Now, Environment.NewLine);

                  //Return result
                  result.FileName = request.FileName;
                  result.Length = fileInfo.Length;
                  result.FileByteStream = stream;
                  outfile2.WriteLine("Result" + " | " + DateTime.Now, Environment.NewLine);

                  //Close the stream to prevent file access denied issue
                  OperationContext.Current.OperationCompleted += (sender, args) =>
                  {
                        if (result.FileByteStream != null)
                        {
                              result.FileByteStream.Dispose();
                        }
                  };
                  outfile2.WriteLine("Close" + " | " + DateTime.Now, Environment.NewLine);
                  outfile2.Close();
            }
      }
      catch (Exception ex)
      {
            //Need to write Error someplace
            string s = ex.Message;

            string WriteError2 = Path.Combine(@"C:\Logs\APIFulfillment", "APIDownloadFile_Error.txt");
            using (StreamWriter outfile = new StreamWriter(WriteError2))
            {
                  outfile.WriteLine(s + " | " + DateTime.Now, Environment.NewLine);
                  outfile.Close();
            }
      }

      return result;
}

Bob Learned

Have you thought about Streaming?

How to: Enable Streaming
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms789010.aspx

ambience

The problem does not look like with the service return but the way you are returning the file to the client. It looks like the Master Page/Layout gets rendered after you output the file.

I'm not sure about the best way to inhibit page rendering from a particular callback. Try calling Response.End right after you flush

Response.Flush();
Response.End();

CipherIS

ASKER

@ambience - Response.End() causes an error.

CipherIS

ASKER

Does anyone have an answer?

ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION

CipherIS

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CipherIS

ASKER

I figured it out.