Dr. James,
Wonderful article. I was wondering what this does and why is it required many times like other folks.

If you work in a .NET environment you have probably come across Base64 encoded data. For example, Base64 encoding is used in ASP.NET for a Web application's ViewState value, as shown in Figure 1. Base64 encoding is also used to transmit binary data over e-mail. However, if you are like most of my colleagues (and me until recently) you do not have a thorough understanding of precisely what Base64 encoding is and when Base64 encoding should be used. In the this article I will explain exactly what Base64 encoding is, show you how to use the two primary .NET Framework methods that support Base64 encoding and decoding, and present a lightweight, custom C# implementation of Base64 encoding and decoding methods. This article assumes you are a .NET developer, tester, or manager and have intermediate level C# coding skill. After reading the article you'll have a solid grasp of Base64 encoding as well as the ability to write your own custom encoding methods. I think you'll find the ability to use Base64 encoded data is a valuable addition to your skill set.