Converting to binary

[seforo]

Hi Guys,

i want to convert a decimal value to binary. There is a function that does that in stdlib.h called itoa() but is it not standard hence not all compilers recognize it. Is there any other function (or series of funtions) that I can use. I can write mine from the scratch but I would like to know, first, if there is a function that does that.

[ssorower]

Hi,
as far as I am concern, itoa doesnt convert from decimal to binary. It converts from integer to string(ascii, thats why i(integer) to a(ascii)). For example, if you have an integer 1225, then itoa will convert it into "1225".

You will be better of writing your own code for decimal to binary conversion:)

Did you really meant to convert from decimal to binary or you wanted a standard function to convert from integer to string (similar to itoa may be)?

Thanks,
Sorower

[archonmagnus]

Hi Guys,

i want to convert a decimal value to binary. There is a function that does that in stdlib.h called itoa() but is it not standard hence not all compilers recognize it. Is there any other function (or series of funtions) that I can use. I can write mine from the scratch but I would like to know, first, if there is a function that does that.

There aren't any standard functions to convert decimal to binary. It isn't that hard to write a conversion function. Strangely, it would be less time consuming to write the function from scratch than to search the web for accessing a (non-existant) built-in conversion. :p

[ilikepython]

Hi,
as far as I am concern, itoa doesnt convert from decimal to binary. It converts from integer to string(ascii, thats why i(integer) to a(ascii)). For example, if you have an integer 1225, then itoa will convert it into "1225".

You will be better of writing your own code for decimal to binary conversion:)

Did you really meant to convert from decimal to binary or you wanted a standard function to convert from integer to string (similar to itoa may be)?

Thanks,
Sorower

Actually, itoa()'s third arguement, is the base. So to convert from decimal to binary you would do this:

int num = 43;
char bin_string[8];
 
itoa(num, bin_string, 2);
 
cout << bin_string << endl;    // outputs "101011"
 

[weaknessforcats]

Here's thing same thing written in C++:

int num = 43;
bitset<8> bin_string(num);    
string str;
str = bin_string.to_string();
cout << str << endl;
 

[archonmagnus]

Here's thing same thing written in C++:

int num = 43;
bitset<8> bin_string(num);    
string str;
str = bin_string.to_string();
cout << str << endl;
 

Well... I guess one learns something new every day. ;)

[weaknessforcats]

Well... I guess one learns something new every day. ;)

I'd love to take credit for this but it was AdrianH that put me onto it.

[archonmagnus]

The way that I was thinking to do it (which is hardly as elegant as weaknessforcat's above) is with the following code:

unsigned char bitMask = 0x80;
unsigned short input = 43;  // outputs "00101011"
 
for (int i = 0; i < 8; i++)
{
    if (input & bitMask)
        cout<<"1";
    else
        cout<<"0";
 
    bitMask =>> 1;
}