Fluent frame builder

This helper class is used with the low-level protocol for interacting with medical instruments. It will make writing frames data more readable and easy to build/edit. Using the chaining methods you can construct your frame in many different standards and specifications.

There's almost no unified standard even from the same manufacturer, so this fluent frame builder should make it easier among different machines following different standards.

Examples

var build = new FrameBuilder();
var utils = new Utils();

// Complete frame similar to LIS1-A standard
var head = build
    .STX()
    .FrameNumber() // or FrameNumber(number) to set manually: from 0-7
    .MessageContent("H") // the data content of the message 
    .Pipe(1) // number of vertical pipe character |
    .Text("MACH1") // any string is also chainable at any position 
    .Pipe(1)
    .ETX() // or ETB() for intermediate frames
    .Checksum() // calculate and append the 8-bit checksum hex
    .CR()
    .LF()
    .ToArray(); // important
 
// the chain must end with ToArray() method to avoid returning the class instance.
// adding ToArray() will return a set of bytes ready to be written into the buffer.

// you can also use ToPrintable(byte[]) utility to print a readable form of the frame
Console.WriteLine(utils.ToPrintable(head));
// <STX>0H|MACH1|0<ETX>EF<CR><LF>

Or add your own bytes:

    var build = new FrameBuilder();
    var utils = new Utils();

    var custom = 
      build
      .Byte(0x17)
      .Bytes(new byte[] {0x00, 0x01})
      .ToArray();

    Console.WriteLine(utils.ToPrintable(custom));
    // <ETB><NUL><SOH>

Auto frame number

To have an auto increment frame number you must start the chain with Start() and end it with End() before calling ToArray() that also will clear the current frame so you can build a new one with the same instance of FrameBuilder().

    var build = new FrameBuilder();
    var utils = new Utils();

    var H = 
      build
      .Start()
      .STX()
      .FrameNumber()
      .MessageContent("H")
      .ETX()
      .End()
      .ToArray();

    Console.WriteLine(utils.ToPrintable(H));
    // <STX>0H<ETX>

    var P = 
      build
      .Start()
      .STX()
      .FrameNumber()
      .MessageContent("P")
      .ETX()
      .End()
      .ToArray();

    Console.WriteLine(utils.ToPrintable(P));
    // <STX>1P<ETX>

    var Q = 
      build
      .Start()
      .STX()
      .FrameNumber()
      .MessageContent("Q")
      .Pipe(1)
      .X("N", 5) // This method is to repeat any text for set amount
      .ETX()
      .End()
      .ToArray();

    Console.WriteLine(utils.ToPrintable(Q));
    // <STX>2Q|NNNNNN<ETX>

Online demo

https://replit.com/@moalamri/Fluent-Frame-Builder?v=1

Works with .Net (cross-platform)

Todo

• a chainable method to add custom (user defined) bytes.
• a utility method to clean ASCII characters from a set of bytes.
• a method to use a fixed bytes length to support machines like Beckman AU480