Parse a fixed width file with an array of objects? - filehelpers

Question

Let's say I have a this fixed length string:
ABBCCC10purple crayon5 red pencil9 green marker
The A, B, and C fields are easily mapped:
[FixedLengthRecord]
public class OutterRecord
{
[FieldFixedLength(1)]
public string AField { get; set; }
[FieldFixedLength(2)]
public string BField { get; set; }
[FieldFixedLength(3)]
public string CField { get; set; }
}
However, the remaining part of the line is an array of objects. For example, let's say 10purple crayon is:
[FixedLengthRecord]
public class WritingInstrument
{
[FieldFixedLength(2)]
public string Count { get; set; }
[FieldFixedLength(7)]
public string Color { get; set; }
[FieldFixedLength(6)]
public string TypeOfInstrument { get; set; }
}
Is there a way in FileHelpers to parse the WritingIntsturments section? Given the constraint/limitation that each individual WritingInstrument record is a max of 15 characters wide, and there can be at most 10 items in the array.
I want the resulting deserialized object to look like this:
[FixedLengthRecord]
public class OutterRecord
{
[FieldFixedLength(1)]
public string AField { get; set; }
[FieldFixedLength(2)]
public string BField { get; set; }
[FieldFixedLength(3)]
public string CField { get; set; }
[SomeTypeOfFixedArray(10)]
List<WritingInstrument> WritingInstruments { get; set; }
}

Answer 1

You can just declare a field of type string[].
Here's a working program:
[FixedLengthRecord()]
public class OutterRecord
{
[FieldFixedLength(1)]
public string AField { get; set; }
[FieldFixedLength(2)]
public string BField { get; set; }
[FieldFixedLength(3)]
public string CField { get; set; }
[FieldFixedLength(15)]
public string[] WritingInstruments { get; set; }
}
internal class Program
{
static void Main(string[] args)
{
var engine = new FixedFileEngine<OutterRecord>();
var records = engine.ReadString("ABBCCC10purple crayon5 red pencil9 green marker");
Assert.AreEqual("A", records[0].AField);
Assert.AreEqual("BB", records[0].BField);
Assert.AreEqual("CCC", records[0].CField);
Assert.AreEqual("10purple crayon", records[0].WritingInstruments[0]);
Assert.AreEqual("5 red pencil", records[0].WritingInstruments[1]);
Assert.AreEqual("9 green marker", records[0].WritingInstruments[2]);
Console.WriteLine("All OK");
Console.ReadKey();
}
}