C# .NET DNS query component

#region
//
// Bdev.Net.Dns by Rob Philpott, Big Developments Ltd. Please send all bugs/enhancements to
// rob@bigdevelopments.co.uk  This file and the code contained within is freeware and may be
// distributed and edited without restriction.
// 

#endregion

using System;
using System.Text;

namespace Bdev.Net.Dns
{
	/// <summary>
	/// Logical representation of a pointer, but in fact a byte array reference and a position in it. This
	/// is used to read logical units (bytes, shorts, integers, domain names etc.) from a byte array, keeping
	/// the pointer updated and pointing to the next record. This type of Pointer can be considered the logical
	/// equivalent of an (unsigned char*) in C++
	/// </summary>
	internal class Pointer
	{
		// a pointer is a reference to the message and an index
		private byte[]		_message;
		private int			_position;

		// pointers can only be created by passing on an existing message
		public Pointer(byte[] message, int position)
		{
			_message = message;
			_position = position;
		}

		/// <summary>
		/// Shallow copy function
		/// </summary>
		/// <returns></returns>
		public Pointer Copy()
		{
			return new Pointer(_message, _position);
		}

		/// <summary>
		/// Adjust the pointers position within the message
		/// </summary>
		/// <param name="position">new position in the message</param>
		public void SetPosition(int position)
		{
			_position = position;
		}

		/// <summary>
		/// Overloads the + operator to allow advancing the pointer by so many bytes
		/// </summary>
		/// <param name="pointer">the initial pointer</param>
		/// <param name="offset">the offset to add to the pointer in bytes</param>
		/// <returns>a reference to a new pointer moved forward by offset bytes</returns>
		public static Pointer operator+(Pointer pointer, int offset)
		{
			return new Pointer(pointer._message, pointer._position + offset);
		}

		/// <summary>
		/// Reads a single byte at the current pointer, does not advance pointer
		/// </summary>
		/// <returns>the byte at the pointer</returns>
		public byte Peek()
		{
			return _message[_position];
		}

		/// <summary>
		/// Reads a single byte at the current pointer, advancing pointer
		/// </summary>
		/// <returns>the byte at the pointer</returns>
		public byte ReadByte()
		{
			return _message[_position++];
		}

		/// <summary>
		/// Reads two bytes to form a short at the current pointer, advancing pointer
		/// </summary>
		/// <returns>the byte at the pointer</returns>
		public short ReadShort()
		{
			return (short)(ReadByte()<<8 | ReadByte());
		}

		/// <summary>
		/// Reads four bytes to form a int at the current pointer, advancing pointer
		/// </summary>
		/// <returns>the byte at the pointer</returns>
		public int ReadInt()
		{
			return (ushort)ReadShort()<<16 | (ushort)ReadShort();
		}

		/// <summary>
		/// Reads a single byte as a char at the current pointer, advancing pointer
		/// </summary>
		/// <returns>the byte at the pointer</returns>
		public char ReadChar()
		{
			return (char)ReadByte();
		}

		/// <summary>
		/// Reads a domain name from the byte array. The method by which this works is described
		/// in RFC1035 - 4.1.4. Essentially to minimise the size of the message, if part of a domain
		/// name already been seen in the message, rather than repeating it, a pointer to the existing
		/// definition is used. Each word in a domain name is a label, and is preceded by its length
		/// 
		/// eg. bigdevelopments.co.uk
		/// 
		/// is [15] (size of bigdevelopments) + "bigdevelopments"
		///    [2]  "co"
		///    [2]  "uk"
		///    [1]  0 (NULL)
		/// </summary>
		/// <returns>the byte at the pointer</returns>
		public string ReadDomain()
		{
			StringBuilder domain = new StringBuilder();
			int length = 0;
		
			// get  the length of the first label
			while ((length = ReadByte()) != 0)
			{
				// top 2 bits set denotes domain name compression and to reference elsewhere
				if ((length & 0xc0) == 0xc0)
				{
					// work out the existing domain name, copy this pointer
					Pointer newPointer = Copy();
						
					// and move it to where specified here
					newPointer.SetPosition((length & 0x3f)<<8 | ReadByte());

					// repeat call recursively
					domain.Append(newPointer.ReadDomain());
					return domain.ToString();
				}

				// if not using compression, copy a char at a time to the domain name
				while (length > 0)
				{
					domain.Append(ReadChar());
					length--;
				}

				// if size of next label isn't null (end of domain name) add a period ready for next label
				if (Peek() != 0) domain.Append('.');
			}

			// and return
			return domain.ToString();
		}
	}
}