# jdataview > A unique way to work with a binary file in the browser and the server. Latest version **2.5.0** (published 2014-11-20) · 0 weekly downloads ## Install ```sh npm install jdataview pnpm add jdataview yarn add jdataview bun add jdataview ``` ## Health **Score 23/100 (F)** — status: abandoned. Positive: has types package; no vulnerabilities; high quality score. Warnings: low downloads; no esm support. Negative: abandoned; low maintenance score. ## Facts | | | |---|---| | Version | 2.5.0 | | Published | 2014-11-20 | | First published | 2013-07-24 | | Weekly downloads | 0 | | TypeScript types | separate (@types/jdataview) | | Module format | CommonJS | | Dependencies | 0 | | Known vulnerabilities | 0 | | Install scripts | no | | GitHub stars | 547 | | Author | Vjeux | | Maintainers | rreverser | | Keywords | buffer, binary, data, file, dataview, read, write, manipulation | ## Links - npm: https://www.npmjs.com/package/jdataview - Repository: https://github.com/jDataView/jDataView - Homepage: http://jDataView.github.io/ - Issues: https://github.com/jDataView/jDataView/issues - npm.io page: https://npm.io/package/jdataview ## Alternatives - [unionfs](https://npm.io/package/unionfs.md) — 2.2M weekly downloads - [path-starts-with](https://npm.io/package/path-starts-with.md) — 35.9K weekly downloads - [redzip](https://npm.io/package/redzip.md) — 1.2K weekly downloads - [vscode-anymatch](https://npm.io/package/vscode-anymatch.md) — 848 weekly downloads - [@ledgerhq/coin-filecoin](https://npm.io/package/@ledgerhq/coin-filecoin.md) — 793 weekly downloads ## Recent versions - 2.5.0 (latest) — 2014-11-20 - 2.4.6 — 2014-04-13 - 2.4.5 — 2013-11-22 - 2.4.4 — 2013-09-04 - 2.4.3 — 2013-09-02 - 2.4.2 — 2013-08-27 - 2.4.1 — 2013-08-27 - 2.4.0 — 2013-08-23 - 2.3.2 — 2013-08-22 - 2.3.1 — 2013-08-21 - 2.3.0 — 2013-07-27 - 2.2.10 — 2013-07-27 - 2.2.9 — 2013-07-27 - 2.2.8 — 2013-07-27 - 2.2.7 — 2013-07-26 - … 1 more at https://npm.io/package/jdataview/versions ## README [![Gitter](https://badges.gitter.im/Join Chat.svg)](https://gitter.im/jDataView/jDataView?utm_source=badge&utm_medium=badge&utm_campaign=pr-badge&utm_content=badge) [![Build Status](https://travis-ci.org/jDataView/jDataView.png?branch=master)](https://travis-ci.org/jDataView/jDataView) [![NPM version](https://badge.fury.io/js/jdataview.png)](https://npmjs.org/package/jdataview) [jDataView](http://blog.vjeux.com/2011/javascript/jdataview-read-binary-file.html) - A unique way to work with a binary file in JavaScript. ================================ jDataView provides convenient way to read and/or modify binary data in all the browsers. It follows the [DataView Specification](http://www.khronos.org/registry/typedarray/specs/latest/#8) and even extends it for a more practical use. Explanation =========== There are three ways to read a binary file from the browser. * The first one is to download the file through XHR with [charset=x-user-defined](https://developer.mozilla.org/en/using_xmlhttprequest#Receiving_binary_data). You get the file as a **String**, convert it to byte **Array** and you have to rewrite all the decoding and encoding functions (getUint16, getFloat32, ...). All the browsers support this. * Then browsers that implemented **Canvas** also added **CanvasPixelArray** as part of **ImageData**. It is fast byte array that is created and used internally by `` element for manipulating low-level image data. We can create such host element and use it as factory for our own instances of this array. * Then browsers that implemented **WebGL** added **ArrayBuffer**. It is a plain buffer that can be read with views called **TypedArrays** (Int32Array, Float64Array, ...). You can use them to decode the file but this is not very handy. It has big drawback, it can't read non-aligned data (but we can actually hack that). So they replaced **CanvasPixelArray** with **Uint8ClampedArray** (same as Uint8Array, but cuts off numbers outside 0..255 range). * A new revision of the specification added **DataViews**. It is a view around your buffer that can read/write arbitrary data types directly through functions: getUint32, getFloat64 ... And one way to read a binary file from the server. * **NodeJS Buffers**. They appeared in [Node 0.4.0](http://nodejs.org/docs/v0.4.0/api/buffers.html). [Node 0.5.0](http://nodejs.org/docs/v0.5.0/api/buffers.html) added a DataView-like API. And [Node 0.6.0](http://nodejs.org/docs/v0.6.0/api/buffers.html) changed the API naming convention. **jDataView** provides the **DataView API** with own convenient extensions using the best available option between Arrays, TypedArrays, NodeJS Buffers and DataViews. Documentation ============= * API * [jDataView constructor](https://github.com/jDataView/jDataView/wiki/jDataView-constructor) * [DataView Specification](http://www.khronos.org/registry/typedarray/specs/latest/#8) * Extended Specification * [Operation control](https://github.com/jDataView/jDataView/wiki/Operation-control) * [writeXXX methods](https://github.com/jDataView/jDataView/wiki/writeXXX-methods) * [Strings and Blobs](https://github.com/jDataView/jDataView/wiki/Strings-and-Blobs) * [64-bit integers](https://github.com/jDataView/jDataView/wiki/64-bit-integers) * [Bitfields](https://github.com/jDataView/jDataView/wiki/Bitfields) * [Internal utilities](https://github.com/jDataView/jDataView/wiki/Internal-utilities) * [Example](https://github.com/jDataView/jDataView/wiki/Example) * [Changelog](https://github.com/jDataView/jDataView/blob/master/CHANGELOG.md) Advanced usage ([jBinary](https://github.com/jDataView/jBinary)) ======================== For complicated binary structures, it may be hard enough to use only low-level get/set operations for parsing, processing and writing data. In addition, most likely you might need convenient I/O methods for retrieving data from external sources such like local files (using File API or from Node.js), remote files (via HTTP(S)), data-URIs, Node.js streams etc. as well as for displaying generated content to user on webpage in image/video/audio/... containers or even as simple download link. If you faced any of these problems, you might want to check out new [jBinary](https://github.com/jDataView/jBinary) library that works on top of **jDataView** and allows to operate with binary data in structured and convenient way. Demos ===== [HTTP Live Streaming realtime converter and player demo](http://rreverser.github.io/mpegts/) implemented using [jBinary](https://github.com/jDataView/jBinary) data structures. [![Screenshot](http://rreverser.github.io/mpegts/screenshot.png?)](http://rreverser.github.io/mpegts/) --- A [World of Warcraft Model Viewer](http://jdataview.github.io/jsWoWModelViewer/). It uses [jDataView](https://github.com/jDataView/jDataView)+[jBinary](https://github.com/jDataView/jBinary) to read the binary file and then WebGL to display it. [![Screenshot](http://jdataview.github.io/jsWoWModelViewer/images/modelviewer.png)](http://jdataview.github.io/jsWoWModelViewer/) --- A [PhotoSynth WebGL Viewer](http://www.visual-experiments.com/2011/04/05/photosynth-webgl-viewer/) by Visual Experiments. It uses jDataView to read the binary file and then WebGL to display it. [![Screenshot](http://i.imgur.com/HRHXo.jpg)](http://www.visual-experiments.com/2011/04/05/photosynth-webgl-viewer/) --- A [simple tar viewer](http://jdataview.github.io/jDataView/untar/). It is a "Hello World" demo of how easy it is to use the library. --- JavaScript [TrueTypeFont library demo](http://ynakajima.github.io/ttf.js/demo/glyflist/) which uses jDataView to read and display glyphs from TrueType file. -- [jBinary.Repo](https://jdataview.github.io/jBinary.Repo) ready-to-use typesets and corresponding demos of using [jDataView](https://github.com/jDataView/jDataView)+[jBinary](https://github.com/jDataView/jBinary) for reading popular file formats like [GZIP archives](https://jdataview.github.io/jBinary.Repo/demo/#gzip), [TAR archives](https://jdataview.github.io/jBinary.Repo/demo/#tar), [ICO images](https://jdataview.github.io/jBinary.Repo/demo/#ico), [BMP images](https://jdataview.github.io/jBinary.Repo/demo/#bmp), [MP3 tags](https://jdataview.github.io/jBinary.Repo/demo/#mp3) etc. --- [Talking image](http://hacksparrow.github.io/talking-image/) - animation and audio in one package powered by HTML5 Audio, [jDataView](https://github.com/jDataView/jDataView) and [jBinary](https://github.com/jDataView/jBinary). --- *Please tell us if you made something with jDataView :)* License ======= jDataView is issued under [Do What The Fuck You Want To Public License](http://sam.zoy.org/wtfpl/) :) --- _Source: https://npm.io/package/jdataview · Machine-readable twin of the npm.io package page. Health data is recomputed on every publish._