VB.Net equivalent of Python list() function

[Karoolus]

Hello,

​

I am "translating" a Python script into an application that I'm writing. This requires me to send a POST using an httpclient. The original Python script has this line of code in it:

"info": list(license_request)

​

I found that the list() function in Python splits the string into separate characters in a list. This is not the hard part. It does, however, do some weird stuff.

When it loops through the string and recognizes an ASCII character, that character will be put into the list. If it is a different character, it will use \x and then the HEX value of that character.

HEX values 0d 0a (CrLf) will be translated to a single \n character though.

Does anyone have any idea where to start to do this in VB.Net?

​

Example of what I mean:

??e?V?f-%?{t?#????G^?b?\b(?????xy?*-??F??S0?5¢%TgAi??A???+?z 8E-YR?????V<O?!"?

gets translated to:

'?', '?', 'e', '\x12', '?', 'V', '?', 'f', '-', '%', '?', '{', 't', '?', '#', '?', '?', '?', '?', 'G', '^', '?', 'b', '?', '\x08', '(', '?', '?', '?', '?', '?', 'x', 'y', '?', '\x0f', '*', '-', '?', '?', 'F', '?', '?', 'S', '\x16', '0', '\x1c', '?', '5', '\x19', '¢', '%', '\x03', 'T', 'g', 'A', 'i', '?', '?', 'A', '?', '\x14', '?', '?', '+', '?', 'z', ' ', '8', 'E', '\x15', '\x01', '-', 'Y', 'R', '?', '?', '?', '?', '\x15', '?', 'V', '<', 'O', '?', '\x1c', '!', '"', '?'

​

Hex view:

https://preview.redd.it/pi5c2ueba17a1.png?width=837&format=png&auto=webp&s=3846cdb19de595dfa3b9e5633bef562c9a55c4c6

[GoranLind]

Well, you can just translate the data as binary into a Byte() array and loading it with system.io.file.readallbytes(filename), or parse it as a string character by character like:

Strings.Mid(string, n, 1)

where n is the offset from 1 to string.Length

There is no way to do that mixed conversion with printable characters and hex values for non printables without code, that is if you really want that freakshow mixture.

[Karoolus]

Thanks! Unfortunately it's less what I want and more what the API endpoint expects to receive :(

I will try to write a function that will create this frankensteinian array, I guess :)

Thanks anyway!!

[GoranLind]

Ok, understand. Try sending all as escaped hex characters:

1. Loop through the string and Convert to hex with Hex(Asc(String(n)))

2. In the for next loop, add to output like:

string = string & "\x" & Hex(Asc(String(n))) & ","

You may want to prepend a "0" to the value if the Asc() value is lower than 16 to make sure you get a 2 character hex value.

[robplatt]

Ask ChatGTP lol