DataOutputStream encoding and truncation

Question

I am writing a socket programming application, and I'm wondering about DataOutputStream.

I have two questions:

1. What is the default encoding for bytes sent from DataOutputStream?

2. What is the max size of a String that OutputStream.writeBytes(String s) can send? Is it possible for the stream to truncate the String (and therefore be buggy)?

Answer 1

Before talking about encoding in DataOutputStream, you need to say which method you are talking about:

1. writeBytes
2. writeChars
3. writeUTF

In each case, the answer can be gleaned from looking at the javadoc:

1. Random, it only writes the lower eight bits of the char out.
2. Effectively UTF-16HE.
3. Using a modified UTF-8 encoding.

To answer your second question, the only maximums on the string size that can be stored will be memory, otherwise you can't store the string, and free disk space.