## read a string until a '\x00' is encountered (-> null termination of strings in C!)
sub read_complete_string {
	my ($self) = @_;
	my $string = "";

	## return empty string if we're already at the end of the buffer
	if($self->index() >= $self->size()) {
		return $string;
	}

	my $end_of_string = index($self->buffer(), "\x00", $self->index());

	if(!($end_of_string)) {
			## just read the rest of the buffer if there is no termination
			$string =  $self->read_buffer($self->size() - $self->index());
	}
	else {
		$string = $self->read_buffer($end_of_string - $self->index());
		## ignore the nullbyte '\x00'
		$self->skip(1);
	}

	return $string;
}

##</code><code>##

## read the specified number of bytes from buffer, called by the other read_* functions
sub read_buffer {
	my ($self , $user_length) = @_;
	my $length = 1;
	$length = $user_length if $user_length;

	if(($self->index() + $length) > $self->size()) { print "$tag: WARNING: ##### read_buffer(): not enough data left, ignoring request to read $length bytes! #####\n"; return 0; }

	my $val = substr($self->buffer(), $self->index(), $length);
	$self->index($self->index() + $length);

	print "$tag: DEBUG: read_buffer(): read raw data '$val' of length $length, now at $self->{_index} (" . $self->data_left() . " bytes of " . $self->size() . " left)\n";

	return $val;
}

## skips the given number of bytes
sub skip {
	my ($self, $user_length) = @_;
	my $default_length;
	my $length;
	$default_length = 1;

	$length = $default_length;
	$length = $user_length if $user_length;

	$self->index($self->index() + $length);

	return $length;
}

##</code><code>##

struct client_t {
  short ping;
  int rate;
  char name[32]; // NULL-terminated
  byte clanTagPosition; // 0: prefix, 1: suffix
  char clanTag[32]; // NULL-terminated
  byte isBot;
};

##</code><code>##

sub read_short {
	my ($self) = @_;

	my $sys_short_length = $Config{shortsize};
	my $short = unpack('S', $self->read_buffer($sys_short_length));

	return $short;
}


# elsewhere in the code:
print "ping: " . $self->package_reader->read_short() . "\n";