Create MessageSerializer utility

main/src/main/java/sd/util/MessageSerializer.java

@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+package sd.util; // Or sd.util if you prefer
+
+import java.io.ByteArrayInputStream;
+import java.io.ByteArrayOutputStream;
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.io.ObjectInputStream;
+import java.io.ObjectOutputStream;
+
+import sd.protocol.MessageProtocol;
+
+/**
+ * Utility class for serializing and deserializing MessageProtocol objects.
+ * * NOTE: The SocketConnection class already handles serialization/deserialization
+ * automatically via ObjectOutputStream and ObjectInputStream directly
+ * on the socket stream. This class serves more as an example or for
+ * scenarios where you might want to manipulate the bytes directly
+ * (e.g., for sending via UDP or other means).
+ */
+public class MessageSerializer {
+
+    /**
+     * Serializes a MessageProtocol object into a byte array.
+     * * @param message The MessageProtocol object to be serialized.
+     * @return A byte array representing the serialized object.
+     * @throws IOException If an error occurs during serialization.
+     */
+    public static byte[] serialize(MessageProtocol message) throws IOException {
+        // Use a ByteArrayOutputStream to write bytes into memory
+        ByteArrayOutputStream byteStream = new ByteArrayOutputStream();
+        
+        // Use an ObjectOutputStream to write the object into the byteStream
+        try (ObjectOutputStream objectStream = new ObjectOutputStream(byteStream)) {
+            objectStream.writeObject(message);
+        } // The try-with-resources automatically closes the objectStream
+        
+        // Return the resulting bytes
+        return byteStream.toByteArray();
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Deserializes a byte array back into a MessageProtocol object.
+     * * @param data The byte array to be deserialized.
+     * @return The reconstructed MessageProtocol object.
+     * @throws IOException If an error occurs while reading the bytes.
+     * @throws ClassNotFoundException If the class of the serialized object cannot be found.
+     */
+    public static MessageProtocol deserialize(byte[] data) throws IOException, ClassNotFoundException {
+        // Use a ByteArrayInputStream to read from the byte array
+        ByteArrayInputStream byteStream = new ByteArrayInputStream(data);
+        
+        // Use an ObjectInputStream to read the object from the byteStream
+        try (ObjectInputStream objectStream = new ObjectInputStream(byteStream)) {
+            // Read the object and cast it to MessageProtocol
+            return (MessageProtocol) objectStream.readObject();
+        } // The try-with-resources automatically closes the objectStream
+    }
+
+    // Private constructor to prevent instantiation of the utility class
+    private MessageSerializer() {
+        throw new UnsupportedOperationException("This is a utility class and cannot be instantiated.");
+    }
+}