Sample code for 30+ languages & platforms
Unicode C

Receive a 4-byte Length Prefix from a Socket

See more Socket/SSL/TLS Examples

Demonstrates Socket.ReceiveCount, which reads a four-byte length prefix as a signed 32-bit integer. A return value of -1 indicates failure.

Background. Reading the length prefix first tells the application exactly how many bytes to read for the message body, which is a reliable way to know when a full message has arrived.

Chilkat Unicode C Downloads

Unicode C
#include <C_CkSocketW.h>

void ChilkatSample(void)
    {
    BOOL success;
    HCkSocketW socket;
    BOOL bTls;
    int maxWaitMs;
    int messageLength;

    success = FALSE;

    socket = CkSocketW_Create();

    //  Connect to the server using TLS.
    bTls = TRUE;
    maxWaitMs = 5000;
    success = CkSocketW_Connect(socket,L"example.com",5000,bTls,maxWaitMs);
    if (success == FALSE) {
        wprintf(L"%s\n",CkSocketW_lastErrorText(socket));
        CkSocketW_Dispose(socket);
        return;
    }

    //  Read a four-byte length prefix as a signed 32-bit integer (network byte order by default).  A
    //  return value of -1 indicates failure.
    messageLength = CkSocketW_ReceiveCount(socket);
    if (messageLength < 0) {
        wprintf(L"%s\n",CkSocketW_lastErrorText(socket));
        CkSocketW_Dispose(socket);
        return;
    }

    wprintf(L"The peer will send %d bytes.\n",messageLength);


    CkSocketW_Dispose(socket);

    }