CODEWITHSUNDEEP
iosobjective-cnsstringbase64
user330739
user330739

Reputation: 455

Unusual results for Base64 decode NSString

I have been racking my head on this for a week. If someone can provide some direction, I will be very grateful.

I have greatly simplified the problem to these basic steps.

Here is the code:

NSString * data = @"JVBERi0xLjIgDQol4uPP0w0KIA0KOSAwIG9iag0KPDwNCi9MZW5ndGggMTAgMCBSDQovRmlsdGVyIC9GbGF0ZURlY29kZSANCj4-DQpzdHJlYW0NCkiJzZDRSsMwFIafIO_we6eyZuckTZPtbtIWBi0UjYKQGxFbJmpliuLb26QM8X6CJBfJyf99ycmFF6xJagWrrMxzwJeCEMd-gFjWBC1dLPeCJFkbl_fTKfwnTqt1CK0xIZyEwFYZ2T-fwT8KnmIxUmJinNKJyUiyW7mZVEQ6I54m2K3ZzFiupvgPaee7JHFuZqyDvxuGBbZdu8D1y-7jYf-2e__C2KOJm9dxfEqqTHMRXZlR0hRJuKwZau6EJa-MOdjpYN_gprq8xVW7aRp0ZY162ySbktoWvxpPZULGxJLSr-G4UuX-QHrcl_rz_2eqvPgGPPWhqg0KZW5kc3RyZWFtDQplbmRvYmoNCjEwIDAgb2JqDQoyNDYNCmVuZG9iag0KNCAwIG9iag0KPDwNCi9UeXBlIC9QYWdlDQovUGFyZW50IDUgMCBSDQovUmVzb3VyY2VzIDw8DQovRm9udCA8PA0KL0YwIDYgMCBSIA0KL0YxIDcgMCBSIA0KPj4NCi9Qcm9jU2V0IDIgMCBSDQo-Pg0KL0NvbnRlbnRzIDkgMCBSDQo-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-Pg0KZW5kb2JqDQo4IDAgb2JqDQo8PA0KL1R5cGUgL0ZvbnREZXNjcmlwdG9yDQovRm9udE5hbWUgL0Jvb2tBbnRpcXVhLEJvbGQNCi9GbGFncyAxNjQxOA0KL0ZvbnRCQm94IFsgLTI1MCAtMjYwIDEyMzYgOTMwIF0NCi9NaXNzaW5nV2lkdGggNzUwDQovU3RlbVYgMTQ2DQovU3RlbUggMTQ2DQovSXRhbGljQW5nbGUgMA0KL0NhcEhlaWdodCA5MzANCi9YSGVpZ2h0IDY1MQ0KL0FzY2VudCA5MzANCi9EZXNjZW50IDI2MA0KL0xlYWRpbmcgMjEwDQovTWF4V2lkdGggMTAzMA0KL0F2Z1dpZHRoIDQ2MA0KPj4NCmVuZG9iag0KMiAwIG9iag0KWyAvUERGIC9UZXh0ICBdDQplbmRvYmoNCjUgMCBvYmoNCjw8DQovS2lkcyBbNCAwIFIgXQ0KL0NvdW50IDENCi9UeXBlIC9QYWdlcw0KL01lZGlhQm94IFsgMCAwIDYxMiA3OTIgXQ0KPj4NCmVuZG9iag0KMSAwIG9iag0KPDwNCi9DcmVhdG9yICgxNzI1LmZtKQ0KL0NyZWF0aW9uRGF0ZSAoMS1KYW4tMyAxODoxNVBNKQ0KL1RpdGxlICgxNzI1LlBERikNCi9BdXRob3IgKFVua25vd24pDQovUHJvZHVjZXIgKEFjcm9iYXQgUERGV3JpdGVyIDMuMDIgZm9yIFdpbmRvd3MpDQovS2V5d29yZHMgKCkNCi9TdWJqZWN0ICgpDQo-Pg0KZW5kb2JqDQozIDAgb2JqDQo8PA0KL1BhZ2VzIDUgMCBSDQovVHlwZSAvQ2F0YWxvZw0KL0RlZmF1bHRHcmF5IDExIDAgUg0KL0RlZmF1bHRSR0IgIDEyIDAgUg0KPj4NCmVuZG9iag0KMTEgMCBvYmoNClsvQ2FsR3JheQ0KPDwNCi9XaGl0ZVBvaW50IFswLjk1MDUgMSAxLjA4OTEgXQ0KL0dhbW1hIDAuMjQ2OCANCj4-DQpdDQplbmRvYmoNCjEyIDAgb2JqDQpbL0NhbFJHQg0KPDwNCi9XaGl0ZVBvaW50IFswLjk1MDUgMSAxLjA4OTEgXQ0KL0dhbW1hIFswLjI0NjggMC4yNDY4IDAuMjQ2OCBdDQovTWF0cml4IFswLjQzNjEgMC4yMjI1IDAuMDEzOSAwLjM4NTEgMC43MTY5IDAuMDk3MSAwLjE0MzEgMC4wNjA2IDAuNzE0MSBdDQo-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-XQ0KPj4NCnN0YXJ0eHJlZg0KMjcyNg0KJSVFT0YNCg==";

NSData *decodedData = [[NSData alloc] initWithBase64EncodedString:data options:0];

NSLog(@"Decode String Value: %@", decodedData); //prints null .. and thus the problem

To give the problem more context, the data is from gmail rest api attachment. The attachment is encoded in base64 (MIME type of pdf). The string above is retrieved by getting that attachment. I am able to correctly parse it in python by literally doing this: base64.urlsafe_b64decode(data) .. so I know that string isn't malformed .. im doing something wrong on the iOS side.. just cant figure out what exactly.

Anyway, if someone can please help me out on why the decoding on iOS is failing, you will be my personal hero and savior.

Upvotes: 3

Views: 192

Answers (1)

Rob
Rob

Reputation: 437917

The issue is the presence of the - and _ characters instead of the standard + and / characters. If you replace those, it works:

NSMutableString *alteredString = [NSMutableString stringWithString:string];
[alteredString replaceOccurrencesOfString:@"-" withString:@"+" options:0 range:NSMakeRange(0, [alteredString length])];
[alteredString replaceOccurrencesOfString:@"_" withString:@"/" options:0 range:NSMakeRange(0, [alteredString length])];
NSData *decodedData = [[NSData alloc] initWithBase64EncodedString:alteredString options:0];

Upvotes: 6

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