URL compatible base64 encoding/decoding (RFC 3548)

[anonymous]

We use the boost archive library for serialization of binary data which will be part of an URL. We encode the binary stream using the iterators transform_width and base64_from_binary. Since the base64_from_binary iterator uses symbols which must not be used in URLs we’ve derived a base64URL_from_binary iterator (and its counterpart), which follows RFC 3548 chapter 4. The code is a copy of the original base64_from_binary.hpp and binary_from_base64.hpp which is modified to use the symbols '-' and '_' instead of '+' and '/' for the values 62 and 63.

[markus.stier@…]

zip containing base64URL iterators

[Robert Ramey]

I had a brief look at this and I don't think it's something that belongs in the serialization library. It's application seems just too narrow.

I also would have some other reservations:

As submitted it applies this "tweak" to the whole file rather than just the url's. So it's something that would be better implemented as a special data type. e.g.:

struct url {
    template<class Archive>
    void serialize(Archive &ar, const unsigned int version){
        ...
    }
};

Robert Ramey