+
+/* convenience APIs for serializing / deserializing GNS records */
+
+/**
+ * Calculate how many bytes we will need to serialize the given
+ * records.
+ *
+ * @param rd_count number of records in the rd array
+ * @param rd array of GNUNET_NAMESTORE_RecordData with rd_count elements
+ *
+ * @return the required size to serialize
+ *
+ */
+size_t
+GNUNET_NAMESTORE_records_get_size (unsigned int rd_count,
+ const struct GNUNET_NAMESTORE_RecordData *rd);
+
+/**
+ * Serialize the given records to the given destination buffer.
+ *
+ * @param rd_count number of records in the rd array
+ * @param rd array of GNUNET_NAMESTORE_RecordData with rd_count elements
+ * @param dest_size size of the destination array
+ * @param dest where to write the result
+ *
+ * @return the size of serialized records
+ */
+ssize_t
+GNUNET_NAMESTORE_records_serialize (unsigned int rd_count,
+ const struct GNUNET_NAMESTORE_RecordData *rd,
+ size_t dest_size,
+ char *dest);
+
+
+/**
+ * Deserialize the given records to the given destination.
+ *
+ * @param len size of the serialized record data
+ * @param src the serialized record data
+ * @param rd_count number of records in the rd array
+ * @param dest where to put the data
+ *
+ * @return GNUNET_OK on success, GNUNET_SYSERR on error
+ */
+int
+GNUNET_NAMESTORE_records_deserialize (size_t len,
+ const char *src,
+ unsigned int rd_count,
+ struct GNUNET_NAMESTORE_RecordData *dest);
+
+
+/**
+ * Checks if a name is wellformed
+ *
+ * @param name the name to check
+ * @return GNUNET_OK on success, GNUNET_SYSERR on error
+ */
+int
+GNUNET_NAMESTORE_check_name (const char * name);
+
+/**
+ * Convert the 'value' of a record to a string.
+ *
+ * @param type type of the record
+ * @param data value in binary encoding
+ * @param data_size number of bytes in data
+ * @return NULL on error, otherwise human-readable representation of the value
+ */
+char *
+GNUNET_NAMESTORE_value_to_string (uint32_t type,
+ const void *data,
+ size_t data_size);
+
+
+/**
+ * Convert human-readable version of a 'value' of a record to the binary
+ * representation.
+ *
+ * @param type type of the record
+ * @param s human-readable string
+ * @param data set to value in binary encoding (will be allocated)
+ * @param data_size set to number of bytes in data
+ * @return GNUNET_OK on success
+ */
+int
+GNUNET_NAMESTORE_string_to_value (uint32_t type,
+ const char *s,
+ void **data,
+ size_t *data_size);
+
+
+/**
+ * Convert a type name (i.e. "AAAA") to the corresponding number.
+ *
+ * @param typename name to convert
+ * @return corresponding number, UINT32_MAX on error
+ */
+uint32_t
+GNUNET_NAMESTORE_typename_to_number (const char *typename);
+
+
+/**
+ * Convert a type number (i.e. 1) to the corresponding type string (i.e. "A")
+ *
+ * @param type number of a type to convert
+ * @return corresponding typestring, NULL on error
+ */
+const char *
+GNUNET_NAMESTORE_number_to_typename (uint32_t type);
+
+