Introduction:

Binary and hexadecimal are essential numeral systems in computer programming, particularly when working with low-level data. Converting between these systems is a fundamental skill that every C# programmer should possess. This blog will explore two methods to convert binary to hexadecimal in C#.

Method 1: Using Built-in Functions

The first method leverages C#'s built-in functions to simplify the binary to hexadecimal conversion. C# provides methods for parsing binary strings and formatting numbers as hexadecimal strings, making this approach concise and straightforward.

using System;

class BinaryToHexadecimal
{
    static void Main()
    {
        // Input binary string
        string binaryInput = "110101101010";

        // Convert binary to decimal
        int decimalValue = Convert.ToInt32(binaryInput, 2);

        // Convert decimal to hexadecimal
        string hexadecimalOutput = decimalValue.ToString("X");

        // Display the result
        Console.WriteLine($"Binary: {binaryInput}");
        Console.WriteLine($"Hexadecimal: {hexadecimalOutput}");
    }
}

Output:

Binary: 110101101010
Hexadecimal: 35AA

In this method, we begin by taking a binary input string, "110101101010." Using Convert.ToInt32(binaryInput, 2), we convert the binary string to its decimal equivalent. The Convert.ToInt32 method takes the binary string and the base (2 in this case) as inputs and returns the corresponding integer value.

Next, we convert the decimal value to a hexadecimal string using decimalValue.ToString("X"). The "X" format specifier is used to convert the decimal value to its hexadecimal string representation.

Method 2: Manual Conversion

The second method involves manually converting the binary string to hexadecimal without relying on built-in functions. This approach is educational and helps deepen our understanding of binary and hexadecimal systems.

using System;

class BinaryToHexadecimal
{
    static void Main()
    {
        // Input binary string
        string binaryInput = "110101101010";

        // Padding the binary string to make its length divisible by 4
        while (binaryInput.Length % 4 != 0)
            binaryInput = "0" + binaryInput;

        // Initialize variables
        string hexadecimalOutput = "";
        string[] binaryToHexMap = { "0", "1", "2", "3", "4", "5", "6", "7", "8", "9", "A", "B", "C", "D", "E", "F" };

        // Convert binary to hexadecimal manually
        for (int i = 0; i < binaryInput.Length; i += 4)
        {
            string nibble = binaryInput.Substring(i, 4);
            int decimalValue = 0;

            for (int j = 0; j < nibble.Length; j++)
            {
                decimalValue += int.Parse(nibble[j].ToString()) * (1 << (3 - j));
            }

            hexadecimalOutput += binaryToHexMap[decimalValue];
        }

        // Display the result
        Console.WriteLine($"Binary: {binaryInput}");
        Console.WriteLine($"Hexadecimal: {hexadecimalOutput}");
    }
}

Output:

Binary: 110101101010
Hexadecimal: 35AA

In the second method, we begin with the same binary input string, "110101101010." We then pad the binary string with leading zeros to make its length divisible by 4. This ensures that each group of 4 binary digits (referred to as a "nibble") corresponds to a single hexadecimal digit.

Next, we initialize a hexadecimalOutput string and a binaryToHexMap array. The binaryToHexMap array serves as a lookup table to map binary values (0-15) to their hexadecimal counterparts (0-9 and A-F).

We proceed with manual conversion by iterating through the binary string in groups of 4 digits, starting from the most significant bits. For each nibble, we calculate its decimal value by multiplying each binary digit by the corresponding power of 2 (using the left shift operator) and summing the results.

Finally, we use the binaryToHexMap to find the hexadecimal representation for the decimal value of the current nibble and append it to the hexadecimalOutput string.

Conclusion:

In this blog, we explored two methods for performing this conversion. Method 1 utilized C#'s built-in functions, providing a concise and straightforward solution. By leveraging Convert.ToInt32 and string formatting, we converted the binary input to decimal and then to hexadecimal. Method 2, on the other hand, demonstrated a manual approach. This method involved dividing the binary input into nibbles, calculating their decimal values, and mapping those values to their hexadecimal representations using a lookup table.