What is the best way of telling when a message starts/ends with winsock?

Currently im doing this..

vb Code:

sckAccept(index).GetData data
data = addendum & data
 
lines = FindBetween2(data, "<My_Start_String>", "<My_End_String>")
For x = 0 To UBound(lines) - 1
data = Replace$(data, "<My_Start_String>" & lines(x) & "<My_End_String>", "")
debug.print "MESSAGE RECEIVED: " & lines(x)
next
 
addendum = data

But surely there is a better way out there.. (ps: findbetween2 returns the string data between 2 strings.. in case of multiple matches it returns an array)

How does this look? Can it be made faster?

vb Code:

Dim endPoint As Long
Const endString As String = "<My_End_String>"
 
Winsock.GetData Data 
Data = addendum & Data
 
Do
    endPoint = InStr(Data, endString)
    If endPoint > 0 Then
        Debug.Print "message: " & Left(Data, endPoint - 1)
        Data = Right(Data, Len(Data) - endPoint - Len(endString) + 1)
    Else
        Exit Do
    End If
Loop
 
addendum = Data

The best way is to not use a string but one byte to start and one byte to end (STX and ETX). These are standard string communications protocols that you should look into.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by randem

The best way is to not use a string but one byte to start and one byte to end (STX and ETX). These are standard string communications protocols that you should look into.

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this would be tough when sending binary data..

Just send a header data where you specify the data length, see this thread for an example:
http://www.vbforums.com/showthread.php?t=377648

Yes, it would be tough but you stated you are sending string data not binary data...

yes but theres crazy characters in the string :D

Then it's not a string, it's binary data...