gchq/CyberChef · error · DishError

Error translating from ${Dish.enumLookup(this.type)} to Arra

Error message

Error translating from ${Dish.enumLookup(this.type)} to ArrayBuffer: ${err}

What it means

Thrown by Dish._toArrayBuffer(), the first half of _translate(), wrapping any synchronous exception from the per-type toArrayBuffer function (DishString.toArrayBuffer, DishFile.toArrayBuffer, etc.). It fires only for throws inside the function table lookup/invocation - in the browser the table returns Promises whose rejections are NOT caught here (they reject the outer translate promise). The message names the source Dish type and the inner error.

Source

Thrown at src/core/Dish.mjs:474

                [Dish.BYTE_ARRAY]:      () => Promise.resolve(DishByteArray.toArrayBuffer.bind(this)()),
            },
            node: {
                [Dish.STRING]:          () => DishString.toArrayBuffer.bind(this)(),
                [Dish.NUMBER]:          () => DishNumber.toArrayBuffer.bind(this)(),
                [Dish.HTML]:            () => DishHTML.toArrayBuffer.bind(this)(),
                [Dish.ARRAY_BUFFER]:    () => {},
                [Dish.BIG_NUMBER]:      () => DishBigNumber.toArrayBuffer.bind(this)(),
                [Dish.JSON]:            () => DishJSON.toArrayBuffer.bind(this)(),
                [Dish.FILE]:            () => DishFile.toArrayBuffer.bind(this)(),
                [Dish.LIST_FILE]:       () => DishListFile.toArrayBuffer.bind(this)(),
                [Dish.BYTE_ARRAY]:      () => DishByteArray.toArrayBuffer.bind(this)(),
            }
        };

        try {
            return toByteArrayFuncs[isNodeEnvironment() && "node" || "browser"][this.type]();
        } catch (err) {
            throw new DishError(`Error translating from ${Dish.enumLookup(this.type)} to ArrayBuffer: ${err}`);
        }
    }

    /**
     * Convert this.value to the given type from ArrayBuffer
     *
     * @param {number} toType - the Dish enum to convert to
    */
    _fromArrayBuffer(toType) {

        // Using 'bind' here to allow this.value to be mutated within translation functions
        const toTypeFunctions = {
            [Dish.STRING]:          () => DishString.fromArrayBuffer.bind(this)(),
            [Dish.NUMBER]:          () => DishNumber.fromArrayBuffer.bind(this)(),
            [Dish.HTML]:            () => DishHTML.fromArrayBuffer.bind(this)(),
            [Dish.ARRAY_BUFFER]:    () => {},
            [Dish.BIG_NUMBER]:      () => DishBigNumber.fromArrayBuffer.bind(this)(),
            [Dish.JSON]:            () => DishJSON.fromArrayBuffer.bind(this)(),

View on GitHub (pinned to 4290ea7539)

Solutions

Read the inner ${err} in the message - it identifies which Dish*.toArrayBuffer failed and why.
Before calling dish.get(toType)/_translate, assert dish.valid() passes so value and type are consistent.
If the inner error references File/ListFile, confirm you are in an environment with the File API (browser, or Node >= 20 with web File) and the file content is readable.
Avoid mutating dish.value by hand; always use dish.set() so type/value stay consistent.

Example fix

// before
dish.value = 123; // type still STRING, value now a number
dish.get(Dish.ARRAY_BUFFER); // _toArrayBuffer throws on DishString path

// after
dish.set(123, Dish.NUMBER);
dish.get(Dish.ARRAY_BUFFER);

Defensive patterns

Strategy: try-catch

Validate before calling

if (!dish.valid()) {
  throw new Error('Dish value/type inconsistent - fix before translate');
}
// then translate

Type guard

null

Try / catch

try {
  await dish.get(targetType);
} catch (e) {
  if (e instanceof DishError && /translating from .* to ArrayBuffer/.test(e.message)) {
    // inner translation failed - inspect e.message for the cause
  }
  throw e;
}

Prevention

Never mutate dish.value by hand; use set() to keep value and type consistent.
Call dish.valid() before any translate/get/presentAs.
Confirm File/ListFile paths run where the File API exists.

When it happens

Trigger: A Dish whose .value has drifted out of sync with .type (e.g. type is STRING but value is a number) causing DishString.toArrayBuffer to fail; a Dish.FILE in a Node environment where the File API or its content is unavailable; a Dish.BIG_NUMBER whose value is a corrupt {c,e,s} object that BigNumber rejects on serialise.

Common situations: An upstream operation mutated dish.value directly without going through set(); running browser-oriented dish translation (File/ListFile) under Node where the File constructor/blob.text behaves differently; a BigNumber that survived valid() but fails ArrayBuffer round-trip due to extreme exponent.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of gchq/CyberChef@4290ea7539 (2026-08-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/3f187f024cc366ae. Report an issue: GitHub.