Question

I’m reading from a byte stream that contains a series of variable length descriptors which I’m representing as various structs/classes in my code. Each descriptor has a fixed length header in common with all the other descriptors, which are used to identify its type.

Is there an appropriate model or pattern I can use to best parse and represent each descriptor, and then perform an appropriate action depending on it’s type?

Answer 1

I’ve written lots of these types of parser.

I recommend that you read the fixed length header, and then dispatch to the correct constructor to your structures using a simple switch-case, passing the fixed header and stream to that constructor so that it can consume the variable part of the stream.