[RESOLVED] How to convert a HEX array to DEC ???

Hi all. I have a collection of raw hexadecimal bytes (2 digits each with a space between i.e. "5E A2 1C") which I want to convert and simultaneously, I want to separate each part with ',' but I don't know how.

I came here with the idea below for second part:

Code:

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Dim result as UInt16()
TextBox1.Text = String.Empty
For Each item As UInt16 In result
    TextBox1.Text = String.Format("{0}, ", item)
Next

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But I'm really hopeful you guys will come with a better short and organize idea to do both at same time. :wave:

Think about the steps involved:

1. Split the existing String on the spaces.
2. Loop through the input to get the output.
3. On each iteration, convert one hex string to a number.
4. Convert each number to a decimal string.
5. Combine the outputs into a single string.

That's five completely separate steps that you can research independently and then ask questions about separately, if and when you encounter an actual issue. ALWAYS break the problem up into the simplest parts possible and address each part separately, then combine the partial solutions.

So, where exactly is your actual issue?

So, Here's the abstract scheme. Converting is now possible @ the same time. No more "," is needed due to fetching them in their desirable locations in every loop cycles.

Code:

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    Private Sub Button1_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click
        Dim WORDS As String() = TextBox1.Text.Split(New Char() {" "c})
        Dim WORD As String
        For Each WORD In WORDS

            ListBox1.Items.Add(Convert.ToInt16(WORD))    'Converting each part occurs here

        Next

---

✔ It builds completely with no errors.
✖ But led to debug due to not recognizing A, B, C, D, E and F as match as variable type at runtime. ("Format exception was unhandled" Input string was not in a correct format.)
✖ Not even work fine with number inputs (All combinations of 0~999 acts like they're decimal numbers. It returns back them back with no changes).

Today's Lesson not to forget: Using others codes ≅ Increasing troubles.

*It should be noted that I am a pro microcontroller programmer. Only here cause of visual studio enthusiastic cool projects. I am at the "Lowest level". I deal with bits ;)

Right, Converet.ToInt16 will only convert strings that are already decimal numbers, and you know these are not. Therefore, it will convert "12", but not "1A", and it will convert "12" to 12, which is not what you want.

However, there are overloads:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dot...ngs-to-numbers

Oh, so basically changing WORD and/or WORDS to byte, sbyte, uint16 or something that I don't know seem to be enough but in

Code:

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Dim WORDS As String() = TextBox1.Text.Split(New Char() {" "c})

---

errors will show up.
What is that "c" after {" "c} even mean? And also new char in Split(New Char() ...) is a fix part of the format i guess according to the msdn.

NO! My TextBox1.Text (or the WORD split from it) should be in 16th based. How can I tell the machine to consider that?

Guess what? This code works for vice versa (From decimal to hexadecimal):

Code:

---

    Private Sub Button1_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click

        Dim WORDS As String() = TextBox1.Text.ToString.Split(New Char() {" "c})
        Dim WORD As Integer
        For Each WORD In WORDS
            ListBox1.Items.Add(Convert.ToString(WORD, 16))
        Next

---

:bigyello: Didn't expect that that way is harder

The 'c' is saying that " " is a character rather than a string. Those are two different types. You are creating an array of Char, so it can only take items of type Char. Without the 'c', then anything inside quotes will be a string, regardless of whether or not it is just a single character long.

Did you look at the link I provided? The various Convert.ToInteger variants normally convert strings to integers, but they assume that the string they are trying to convert is a base 10 representation of the integer. In your case, the string they are trying to convert is a base 16 representation of the integer, so you have to use a variation of Convert.ToInteger to tell the computer that, which is what the link shows.

I haven't looked to see whether there is a similar overload of Convert.ToInt16. There probably is, but there isn't much point in converting to an Int16....ever. You'd only really use that in certain rare embedded systems, as far as I can tell.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Shaggy Hiker

Did you look at the link I provided?

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Yes Shaggy. I also read CStr, CChr, CSng, CDbl, etc. narrow conversion article which was really weird cool thing. I will read your reply again to figure it out but can anyone contribute with a tested code while I'm looking up? I thought you computer science people do these examples as your homework at least in north america. :rolleyes:

That link had the actual line of code that you needed.

In your second post, you have this:

Convert.ToInt16(WORD)

That converts a string into a base 10 number, which isn't what you want, because the string is NOT a base 10 number. The string is a base 16 number. The link shows a method that converts a string that is a base 16 number into an integer.

Frankly, I think this stems from a confusion between strings and numbers, and I have no idea how to explain that in a way that will shift your perspective.

You already know that Convert.ToInt16 converts a String to a Short. You also know that Convert.ToString can take a base of 16 to convert TO a hexadecimal String. I wonder whether you can similarly use a base to convert FROM a hexadecimal String? The Parse and TryParse methods I mentioned will also converty from hexadecimal, although they do so a different way. All this information is provided in the official documentation.

By the way, you don't need any arguments when calling String.Split. The default behaviour for that method is to split on whitespace so it will split on spaces if you don't tell it to split on anything else.

vb.net Code:

Dim words = myString.Split()
Dim upperBound = words.GetUpperBound(0)
Dim numbers(upperBound) As Short
 
For i = 0 To upperBound
    'Get word from first array, convert to number and set in second array.
Next

You people won't believe me what I just found. (Other function part of the code pre-wrote)

- Changing X to G converts the formatting from hexadecimal to decimal.
- Number after that means digits per number.

Code:

---

Dim result As String = String.Empty
        For Each item As Byte In values
            result += String.Format("{0:X2} ", item)
        Next
        Return result

---

Did you people aware of this?


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I will not close this case cause another challenge showed up XD Consider numbers below.

Code:

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01 04 00 08 D9 1A 0E

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Mentioned code (with "G" as format) returns this:

Code:

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1 4 0 8 217 26 14

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Which is incorrect because this piece of hex frames are Modbus RTU responses (In order: SlaveAddress, CommandCode, HoldingRegister, Data....Data, CRC0, CRC1) are considered of 2 bytes each per a data.

Code:

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1 4 0 2265 6670‬

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To achieve a reliable answer, What the project requires could be divided in smaller parts as Jmcilhinney said:
- Removing/Ignoring first 3 Bytes.
- Merging each 2 Bytes after till end.

1) Multiplying First byte (Most significant) in hundred (Hexadecimal) then adding Second byte (Less significant)
2) Or in powering/exponentiation of that wrong decimal numbers to correct it
Would be possible ways for second checkpoint right?

Please help...

I don't know what you're talking about with that first part. "Don't believe you"? Having looked back over the rest of the thread, the code you posted there doesn't appear to resemble anything else, so I'm not sure what there is to believe or disbelieve. What is values? Depending on the answer to that question, I think we've either been not understanding what you were asking. Was it in some other thread?

If values is the string of bytes, then you're almost right in your steps, but not quite.

There are bit shift operators, which can be more efficient than multiplication. For example, you could do this:

dim res As Integer = (highByte << 8) Or lowByte

Now, you might make res an UInt16 if you want it to be just two bytes, but don't use an Int16, as the high bit of that isn't free. If you just want the bytes, then the UInt16 is reasonable, but if you want to turn that number into a string, then use an integer, because it will be somewhat more efficient.

The alternative would be:

Dim res As Integer = (highByte * 256) + lowByte

or else, as you stated:

Dim res As Integer (highByte * &H100) + lowByte

Theoretically, the bit shifting/bit manipulation approach would be somewhat faster than the other two, but in practice I'm not sure that's true in .NET.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by pourkascheff

Hi all. I have a collection of raw hexadecimal bytes (2 digits each with a space between i.e. "5E A2 1C") which I want to convert and simultaneously, I want to separate each part with ',' but I don't know how.

I came here with the idea below for second part:

Code:

---

Dim result as UInt16()
TextBox1.Text = String.Empty
For Each item As UInt16 In result
    TextBox1.Text = String.Format("{0}, ", item)
Next

---

But I'm really hopeful you guys will come with a better short and organize idea to do both at same time. :wave:

---

Code:

---

        'Hi all. I have a collection of raw hexadecimal bytes (2 digits each with a space between i.e. "5E A2 1C")
        '  which I want to convert and simultaneously, I want to separate each part with ',' but I don't know how.

        Dim TESTinp As String = "5E A2 1C FF"

        '  which I want to convert - YOU did not say to what
        Dim cnvrt As List(Of Byte)
        cnvrt = (From b As String In TESTinp.Split
                    Select Byte.Parse(b, Globalization.NumberStyles.HexNumber)).ToList

        '  and simultaneously, I want to separate each part with ','
        Dim sb As New System.Text.StringBuilder
        For Each b As Byte In cnvrt
            sb.Append(b.ToString("X2"))
            sb.Append(", ")
        Next
        sb.Length -= 2
        Debug.WriteLine(sb.ToString)

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