InetRead returns hex?

[adamchapman]

I'm using InetRead to access a machine's ID on the amazon ec2 service. 

 

to access the string containing the machine's ID I'm using the line:

$instanceID = InetRead("http://169.254.169.254/latest/meta-data/instance-id",4)

ConsoleWrite($instanceID)
ConsoleWrite(@CRLF)

$instanceID = StringLeft($instanceID,10) ; use the first ten characters

ConsoleWrite($instanceID)
ConsoleWrite(@CRLF)

I think the "4" option in the InetRead function call should force ASCII format, but it must be struggling. 

 

The first ConsoleWrite returns: i-aa0fa69e (which is the properly formatted machine ID)

and the second ConsoleWrite returns: 0x692D6161

 

which appears to be the hex equivalent of the original string.

 

Does any body know how I can force the $instanceID variable to be an ASCII string?

 

This one is really confusing me

 

 

 

Edited September 5, 2013 by adamchapman

[adamchapman]

Found a solution, although fairly long-winded:

ocal $hDownload = InetGet("http://169.254.169.254/latest/meta-data/instance-id","localID.txt",4,1)
ConsoleWrite("reading ID..." & @CRLF)
Do
    Sleep(250)
Until InetGetInfo($hDownload, 2) ; Check if the download is complete.

InetClose($hDownload) ; Close the handle to release resources.


; Now read that file in ASCII:
$Localidf=FileOpen("localID.txt", 0); read mode, no write permission LOCAL ID FILE
$instanceID = FileReadLine($LocalIDf, 1)
ConsoleWrite($instanceID)
ConsoleWrite(@CRLF)
FileClose($LocalIDf)

Writing the page text to a file with InetGet while forcing ASCII in the INetGet options, than reading the file back works fine. Strange how InetRead didn't act the same way though

[Cravin]

Just for future reference - InetRead() returns values in binary format.  You can then convert into readable text using BinaryToString()