How to implement TCollection.SaveToStream

Problem/Question/Abstract:

I need to implement a streaming capability for a TCollection class object. Is there anyone who knows how to do it?

Answer:

I do it via the following two utility procedures:

procedure ReadCollection(s: TStream; c: TCollection);
var
  Reader: TReader;
begin
  Reader := TReader.Create(s, 1024);
  try
    Reader.ReadValue; {collection marker}
    Reader.ReadCollection(c);
  finally
    Reader.Free;
  end;
end;

procedure WriteCollection(s: TStream; c: TCollection);
var
  Writer: TWriter;
begin
  Writer := TWriter.Create(s, 1024);
  try
    Writer.WriteCollection(c);
  finally
    Writer.Free;
  end;
end;

Both procedures assume that the stream has been created and positioned correctly.