I know Java doesn't allow unsigned types, so I was wondering how it casts an integer to a byte. Say I have an integer a with a value of 255 and I cast the integer to a byte. Is the value represented in the byte 11111111? In other words, is the value treated more as a signed 8 bit integer, or does it just directly copy the last 8 bits of the integer?
This is called a narrowing primitive conversion. According to the spec:
A narrowing conversion of a signed integer to an integral type T simply discards all but the n lowest order bits, where n is the number of bits used to represent type T. In addition to a possible loss of information about the magnitude of the numeric value, this may cause the sign of the resulting value to differ from the sign of the input value.
So it's the second option you listed (directly copying the last 8 bits).
I am unsure from your question whether or not you are aware of how signed integral values are represented, so just to be safe I'll point out that the byte value 1111 1111 is equal to -1 in the two's complement system (which Java uses).
int i = 255;
byte b = (byte)i;
So the value of be in hex is 0xFF but the decimal value will be -1.
int i = 0xff00;
byte b = (byte)i;
The value of b now is 0x00. This shows that java takes the last byte of the integer. ie. the last 8 bits but this is signed.
or does it just directly copy the last
8 bits of the integer
yes, this is the way this casting works
The following fragment casts an int to a byte. If the integer’s value is larger than the range of a byte, it will be reduced modulo (the remainder of an integer division by the) byte’s range.
int a;
byte b;
// …
b = (byte) a;
Just a thought on what is said: Always mask your integer when converting to bytes with 0xFF (for ints). (Assuming myInt was assigned values from 0 to 255).
e.g.
char myByte = (char)(myInt & 0xFF);
why? if myInt is bigger than 255, just typecasting to byte returns a negative value (2's complement) which you don't want.
Byte is 8 bit. 8 bit can represent 256 numbers.(2 raise to 8=256)
Now first bit is used for sign. [if positive then first bit=0, if negative first bit= 1]
let's say you want to convert integer 1099 to byte. just devide 1099 by 256. remainder is your byte representation of int
examples
1099/256 => remainder= 75
-1099/256 =>remainder=-75
2049/256 => remainder= 1
reason why? look at this image http://i.stack.imgur.com/FYwqr.png
According to my understanding, you meant
Integer i=new Integer(2);
byte b=i; //will not work
final int i=2;
byte b=i; //fine
At last
Byte b=new Byte(2);
int a=b; //fine
for (int i=0; i <= 255; i++) {
byte b = (byte) i; // cast int values 0 to 255 to corresponding byte values
int neg = b; // neg will take on values 0..127, -128, -127, ..., -1
int pos = (int) (b & 0xFF); // pos will take on values 0..255
}
The conversion of a byte that contains a value bigger than 127 (i.e,. values 0x80 through 0xFF) to an int results in sign extension of the high-order bit of the byte value (i.e., bit 0x80). To remove the 'extra' one bits, use x & 0xFF; this forces bits higher than 0x80 (i.e., bits 0x100, 0x200, 0x400, ...) to zero but leaves the lower 8 bits as is.
You can also write these; they are all equivalent:
int pos = ((int) b) & 0xFF; // convert b to int first, then strip high bits
int pos = b & 0xFF; // done as int arithmetic -- the cast is not needed
Java automatically 'promotes' integer types whose size (in # of bits) is smaller than int to an int value when doing arithmetic. This is done to provide a more deterministic result (than say C, which is less constrained in its specification).
You may want to have a look at this question on casting a 'short'.
Related
I have next method for converting to int from hex:
public static byte[] convertsHexStringToByteArray2(String hexString) {
int hexLength = hexString.length() / 2;
byte[] bytes = new byte[hexLength];
for (int i = 0; i < hexLength; i++) {
int hex = Integer.parseInt(hexString.substring(2 * i, 2 * i + 2), 16);
bytes[i] = (byte) hex;
}
return bytes;
}
when I use it for "80" hex string I get strange, not expected result:
public static void main(String[] args) {
System.out.println(Arrays.toString(convertsHexStringToByteArray2("80"))); // gives -128
System.out.println(Integer.toHexString(-128));
System.out.println(Integer.toHexString(128));
}
the output:
[-128]
ffffff80
80
I expect that "80" will be 128. What is wrong with my method?
I have next method for converting to int from hex
The method you posted converts a hex String to a byte array, and not to an int. That's why it is messing with its sign.
Converting from hex to int is easy:
Integer.parseInt("80", 16)
$1 ==> 128
But if you want to get a byte array for further processing by just casting:
(byte) Integer.parseInt("80", 16)
$2 ==> -128
It "changes" its sign. For further information on primitives and signed variable types take a look at Primitive Data Types, where it says:
The byte data type is an 8-bit signed two's complement integer. It has a minimum value of -128 and a maximum value of 127 (inclusive). The byte data type can be useful for saving memory in large arrays, where the memory savings actually matters. They can also be used in place of int where their limits help to clarify your code; the fact that a variable's range is limited can serve as a form of documentation.
One could easily invert the sign by just increasing the value to convert:
(byte) Integer.parseInt("80", 16) & 0xFF
$3 ==> 128
That gets you a byte with the value you expect. Technically that result isn't correct and you must to switch the sign again, if you want to get an int or a hex string back again. I'd suggest you to don't use a byte array if you only want to convert between hex and dec.
A byte in Java stores numbers from -128 to 127. 80 in hex is 128 as an integer, which is too large to be stored in a byte. So, the value wraps around. Use a different type to store your value (such as a short).
To remember the maximum and minimum values for each integer primitive in decimal is quite difficult. Not so difficult for binary and hex. I understand that the wrapper classes have these values built in, but I like working with binary and hex. The problem is that I try
// value is byte
value = 0x80; // 1000_0000
but it doesn't work. But (after a little research),
value = -0x80;
and
value = (byte) 0x80;
both work. I thought that when assigning a literal to the smaller integer primitives, no cast is necessary. Are the binary, octal, and hex values considered literals or are they all 32 bits because they are not decimal? Any help in understanding what is going on is welcome.
To remember the maximum and minimum values, use the built in constants:
int iMax = Integer.MAX_VALUE;
byte bMin = Byte.MIN_VALUE;
Binary, octal, and hex values are evaluated in compile time as if their decimal equivalent were written. Some examples:
byte b1 = 0b1111111; //OK (same as byte b1 = 127)
byte b2 = 0b10000000; //possible lossy conversion (compiler does not know if you tried to insert the byte -128 or the int 128)
int i1 = 0xFFFFFFFF; //OK
int i2 = 0xFFFFFFFFF; //too large to fit inside int
Today I was learning about the left shift bit operator (<<). As I understand it the left shift bit operator moves bits to the left as specified. And also I know multiply by 2 for shifting. But I am confused, like what exactly is the meaning of "shifting bits" and why does the output differ when value is assigned with a different type?
When I call the function below, it gives output as System.out.println("b="+b); //Output: 0
And my question is: how does b become 0 and why is b typecasted?
public void leftshiftDemo()
{
byte a=64,b;
int i;
i=a << 2;
b=(byte)(a<<2);
System.out.println("i="+i); //Output: 256 i.e 64*2^2
System.out.println("b="+b); //Output: 0 how & why b is typecasted
}
Update (new doubt):
what does it mean "If you shift a 1 bit into high-order position (Bit 31 or 63), the value will become negative". eg.
public void leftshifHighOrder()
{
int i;
int num=0xFFFFFFE;
for(i=0;i<4;i++)
{
num=num<<1;
System.out.println(num);
/*
* Output:
* 536870908
* 1073741816
* 2147483632
* -32 //how this is -ve?
*/
}
}
When integers are casted to bytes in Java, only the lowest order bits are kept:
A narrowing conversion of a signed integer to an integral type T
simply discards all but the n lowest order bits, where n is the number
of bits used to represent type T. In addition to a possible loss of
information about the magnitude of the numeric value, this may cause
the sign of the resulting value to differ from the sign of the input
value.
In this case the byte 64 has the following binary representation:
01000000
The shift operator promotes the value to int:
00000000000000000000000001000000
then left shifts it by 2 bits:
00000000000000000000000100000000
We then cast it back into a byte, so we discard all but the last 8 bits:
00000000
Thus the final byte value is 0. However, your integer keeps all the bits, so its final value is indeed 256.
In java, ints are signed. To represent that, the 2's complement is used. In this representation, any number that has its high-order bit set to 1 is negative (by definition).
Therefore, when you left-shift a 1 that is on the 31st bit (that is the one before last for an int), it becomes negative.
i = a << 2;
in memory:
load a (8 bits) into regitry R1 (32 bits)
shift registry R1 to the left two position
assign registry R1 (32 bits) to variable i (32 bits).
b = (byte)(a << 2);
in memory:
load a (8 bits) into regitry R1 (32 bits)
shift registry R1 to the left two position
assign registry R1 (32 bits) to variable b (8 bits). <- this is why cast (byte) is necessary and why they get only the last 8 bits of the shift operation
The exact meaning of shifting bits is exactly what it sounds like. :-) You shift them to the left.
0011 = 3
0011 << 1 = 0110
0110 = 6
You should read about different data types and their ranges in Java.
Let me explain in easy terms.
byte a=64,b;
int i;
i=a << 2;
b=(byte)(a<<2);
'byte' in Java is signed 2's complement integer. It can store values from -128 to 127 both inclusive. When you do this,
i = a << 2;
you are left shifting 'a' by 2 bits and the value is supposed to be 64*2*2 = 256. 'i' is of type 'int' and 'int' in Java can represent that value.
When you again left shift and typecast,
b=(byte)(a<<2);
you keep your lower 8 bits and hence the value is 0.
You can read this for different primitive types in Java.
http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/java/nutsandbolts/datatypes.html
Hello i'm learning java programming and i just had task in my book which says to convert
int varible to byte variable
byte b;
int i=257;
And when i convert int to b
b=(byte) i;
Output is 1 ?
How it can be one when value of byte variable goes from -128 to 127
In my book they say byte variable have range of validity to 256 ?
257 == 00000000000000000000000100000001 (as integer which holds 32 bits)
1 == 00000001 (byte holds only 8 bits)
Because it can store any number from -128 to 127. A byte is always signed in Java. You may get its unsigned value by binary-anding it with 0xFF.
Example:
int i = 234;
byte b = (byte) i;
System.out.println(b); // -22
int i2 = b & 0xFF;
System.out.println(i2); // 234
The key here is to look at the bits.
int i = 257 gives us this set of bits (leaving off leading zeros):
b100000001
That value requires nine bits to hold (int has 32, so plenty of room). When you do b = (byte)i, it's a truncating cast. That means only what can be held by the byte (eight bits) is copied to it. So that gives us the lower eight bits:
b00000001
...which is the value 1.
The range of 256 is because it can store any number from -128 all the way to 127. The difference between these two numbers is 256. The value of 1 has occurred thanks to overflow, where you've attempted to store a value that can not be accurately represented with 7 bits and 1 sign bit.
its because byte range is from -128 to +127
Please check this link why byte is from -128 to 127
-128 0 127, So range is 256.
-2^7 to 2^7-1
I need to convert a number into an unsigned byte. The number is always less than or equal to 255, and so it will fit in one byte.
I also need to convert that byte back into that number. How would I do that in Java? I've tried several ways and none work. Here's what I'm trying to do now:
int size = 5;
// Convert size int to binary
String sizeStr = Integer.toString(size);
byte binaryByte = Byte.valueOf(sizeStr);
and now to convert that byte back into the number:
Byte test = new Byte(binaryByte);
int msgSize = test.intValue();
Clearly, this does not work. For some reason, it always converts the number into 65. Any suggestions?
A byte is always signed in Java. You may get its unsigned value by binary-anding it with 0xFF, though:
int i = 234;
byte b = (byte) i;
System.out.println(b); // -22
int i2 = b & 0xFF;
System.out.println(i2); // 234
Java 8 provides Byte.toUnsignedInt to convert byte to int by unsigned conversion. In Oracle's JDK this is simply implemented as return ((int) x) & 0xff; because HotSpot already understands how to optimize this pattern, but it could be intrinsified on other VMs. More importantly, no prior knowledge is needed to understand what a call to toUnsignedInt(foo) does.
In total, Java 8 provides methods to convert byte and short to unsigned int and long, and int to unsigned long. A method to convert byte to unsigned short was deliberately omitted because the JVM only provides arithmetic on int and long anyway.
To convert an int back to a byte, just use a cast: (byte)someInt. The resulting narrowing primitive conversion will discard all but the last 8 bits.
If you just need to convert an expected 8-bit value from a signed int to an unsigned value, you can use simple bit shifting:
int signed = -119; // 11111111 11111111 11111111 10001001
/**
* Use unsigned right shift operator to drop unset bits in positions 8-31
*/
int psuedoUnsigned = (signed << 24) >>> 24; // 00000000 00000000 00000000 10001001 -> 137 base 10
/**
* Convert back to signed by using the sign-extension properties of the right shift operator
*/
int backToSigned = (psuedoUnsigned << 24) >> 24; // back to original bit pattern
http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/java/nutsandbolts/op3.html
If using something other than int as the base type, you'll obviously need to adjust the shift amount: http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/java/nutsandbolts/datatypes.html
Also, bear in mind that you can't use byte type, doing so will result in a signed value as mentioned by other answerers. The smallest primitive type you could use to represent an 8-bit unsigned value would be a short.
Except char, every other numerical data type in Java are signed.
As said in a previous answer, you can get the unsigned value by performing an and operation with 0xFF. In this answer, I'm going to explain how it happens.
int i = 234;
byte b = (byte) i;
System.out.println(b); // -22
int i2 = b & 0xFF;
// This is like casting b to int and perform and operation with 0xFF
System.out.println(i2); // 234
If your machine is 32-bit, then the int data type needs 32-bits to store values. byte needs only 8-bits.
The int variable i is represented in the memory as follows (as a 32-bit integer).
0{24}11101010
Then the byte variable b is represented as:
11101010
As bytes are signed, this value represent -22. (Search for 2's complement to learn more about how to represent negative integers in memory)
Then if you cast is to int it will still be -22 because casting preserves the sign of a number.
1{24}11101010
The the casted 32-bit value of b perform and operation with 0xFF.
1{24}11101010 & 0{24}11111111
=0{24}11101010
Then you get 234 as the answer.
The solution works fine (thanks!), but if you want to avoid casting and leave the low level work to the JDK, you can use a DataOutputStream to write your int's and a DataInputStream to read them back in. They are automatically treated as unsigned bytes then:
For converting int's to binary bytes;
ByteArrayOutputStream bos = new ByteArrayOutputStream();
DataOutputStream dos = new DataOutputStream(bos);
int val = 250;
dos.write(byteVal);
...
dos.flush();
Reading them back in:
// important to use a (non-Unicode!) encoding like US_ASCII or ISO-8859-1,
// i.e., one that uses one byte per character
ByteArrayInputStream bis = new ByteArrayInputStream(
bos.toString("ISO-8859-1").getBytes("ISO-8859-1"));
DataInputStream dis = new DataInputStream(bis);
int byteVal = dis.readUnsignedByte();
Esp. useful for handling binary data formats (e.g. flat message formats, etc.)
The Integer.toString(size) call converts into the char representation of your integer, i.e. the char '5'. The ASCII representation of that character is the value 65.
You need to parse the string back to an integer value first, e.g. by using Integer.parseInt, to get back the original int value.
As a bottom line, for a signed/unsigned conversion, it is best to leave String out of the picture and use bit manipulation as #JB suggests.
Even though it's too late, I'd like to give my input on this as it might clarify why the solution given by JB Nizet works. I stumbled upon this little problem working on a byte parser and to string conversion myself.
When you copy from a bigger size integral type to a smaller size integral type as this java doc says this happens:
https://docs.oracle.com/javase/specs/jls/se7/html/jls-5.html#jls-5.1.3
A narrowing conversion of a signed integer to an integral type T simply discards all but the n lowest order bits, where n is the number of bits used to represent type T. In addition to a possible loss of information about the magnitude of the numeric value, this may cause the sign of the resulting value to differ from the sign of the input value.
You can be sure that a byte is an integral type as this java doc says
https://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/java/nutsandbolts/datatypes.html
byte: The byte data type is an 8-bit signed two's complement integer.
So in the case of casting an integer(32 bits) to a byte(8 bits), you just copy the last (least significant 8 bits) of that integer to the given byte variable.
int a = 128;
byte b = (byte)a; // Last 8 bits gets copied
System.out.println(b); // -128
Second part of the story involves how Java unary and binary operators promote operands.
https://docs.oracle.com/javase/specs/jls/se7/html/jls-5.html#jls-5.6.2
Widening primitive conversion (§5.1.2) is applied to convert either or both operands as specified by the following rules:
If either operand is of type double, the other is converted to double.
Otherwise, if either operand is of type float, the other is converted to float.
Otherwise, if either operand is of type long, the other is converted to long.
Otherwise, both operands are converted to type int.
Rest assured, if you are working with integral type int and/or lower it'll be promoted to an int.
// byte b(0x80) gets promoted to int (0xFF80) by the & operator and then
// 0xFF80 & 0xFF (0xFF translates to 0x00FF) bitwise operation yields
// 0x0080
a = b & 0xFF;
System.out.println(a); // 128
I scratched my head around this too :). There is a good answer for this here by rgettman.
Bitwise operators in java only for integer and long?
If you want to use the primitive wrapper classes, this will work, but all java types are signed by default.
public static void main(String[] args) {
Integer i=5;
Byte b = Byte.valueOf(i+""); //converts i to String and calls Byte.valueOf()
System.out.println(b);
System.out.println(Integer.valueOf(b));
}
In terms of readability, I favor Guava's:
UnsignedBytes.checkedCast(long) to convert a signed number to an unsigned byte.
UnsignedBytes.toInt(byte) to convert an unsigned byte to a signed int.
Handling bytes and unsigned integers with BigInteger:
byte[] b = ... // your integer in big-endian
BigInteger ui = new BigInteger(b) // let BigInteger do the work
int i = ui.intValue() // unsigned value assigned to i
in java 7
public class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
byte b = -2;
int i = 0 ;
i = ( b & 0b1111_1111 ) ;
System.err.println(i);
}
}
result : 254
I have tested it and understood it.
In Java, the byte is signed, so 234 in one signed byte is -22, in binary, it is "11101010", signed bit has a "1", so with negative's presentation 2's complement, it becomes -22.
And operate with 0xFF, cast 234 to 2 byte signed(32 bit), keep all bit unchanged.
I use String to solve this:
int a = 14206;
byte[] b = String.valueOf(a).getBytes();
String c = new String(b);
System.out.println(Integer.valueOf(c));
and output is 14206.