Protobuf streaming (lazy serialization) API

Question

We have an Android app that uses Protocol Buffers to store application data. The data format (roughly) is a single protobuf (\"container\") that contains a list of protobufs (\"

Answer 1

In the normal java version of Protocol buffers there is Delimited files where you write Protocol-Buffers one at a time. I am not sure if it is in the Android version

 aLocation.writeDelimitedTo(out);

As Marc has indicated it easily implemented; just write a length followed the serialised bytes. In normal (non android) java version of prortocol-buffers you can also do (you have to serialise to a byte array or something similar)

private CodedOutputStream codedStream = null;


public void write(byte[] bytes) throws IOException {
    if (bytes != ConstClass.EMPTY_BYTE_ARRAY) {
        codedStream.writeRawVarint32(bytes.length);
        codedStream.writeRawBytes(bytes);
        codedStream.flush();
    }
}

and

    private CodedInputStream coded;

public byte[] read() throws IOException {
    if (coded == null) {
        throw new IOException("Reader has not been opened !!!");
    }
    if (coded.isAtEnd()) {
        return null;
    }
    return coded.readBytes().toByteArray();

Something may be possible in other Protocol-Buffers versions