Convert large hex string to decimal string

Question

I need to convert a large (too large for the built-in data types) hex string to a string with it's decimal representation. For example:

std::string sHex = "07AA17C660F3DD1D2A1B48F1B746C148";
std::string sDec; // should end up with: "10187768649047767717933300899576725832"

I'm currently using the c++ BigInt Class which offers a very easy way to achieve this (but is GPL only):

BigInt::Vin vbiTemp(sHex, 16);
sDec = vbiTemp.toStrDec();

Is there simple way to do this conversion without a 3rd party arithmetic library? Or can you recommend a free (non-GPL) alternative with similar simplicity (efficiency is irrelevant)?

Answer 1

Ok, here is a generic base converter class. I wrote the original implementation in C#, and converted this now to C++. It's .NET origins may still shine through. Feel free to use it as you see fit.

You could use it like this:

const BaseConverter& hex2dec = BaseConverter::HexToDecimalConverter();
std::cout << hex2dec.Convert("07AA17C660F3DD1D2A1B48F1B746C148");

The output will be:

10187768649047767717933300899576725832

The class isn't limited to hex digits, but will happily translate between any base, using any base digit encoding.

API

• BaseConverter::BaseConverter(const std::string& sourceBaseSet, const std::string& targetBaseSet);

  Constructs a new BaseConverter instance. The class translates between numbers represented in a source number base to a target number base.

  The constructor takes two string arguments to specify the symbols to be used for the source and target number bases. The first character in the string has value 0, the 2nd has value 1, and so on. Example: the symbols for an octal number base are typically "01234567", and for hexadecimal "0123456789ABCDEF". Any printable ASCII character may be used for a symbol, so you could eg. use "OI" (instead of "01") for a binary system.

  Note: the base symbols are case sensitive, so the symbols "0123456789abcdef" will not decode hexadecimal numbers using upper-case characters.

• std::string BaseConverter::Convert(std::string value) const;
std::string BaseConverter::Convert(const std::string& value, size_t minDigits) const;

  Converts number value in the source number base into the target number base and returns the result. The 2nd overload takes an additional parameter minDigits to specify the minimum number of digits in the result. The returned value will be padded by prepending zero or more symbols having value 0 in the target number base.

• std::string BaseConverter::FromDecimal(unsigned int value) const;
std::string BaseConverter::FromDecimal(unsigned int value, size_t minDigits) const;
  

  Converts an unsigned int decimal number to the target number base.

• unsigned int BaseConverter::ToDecimal(std::string value) const;

  Converts a number in the source number system to a decimal unsigned int. Note: the result will be wrong if the decimal value of the number in the source base system exceeds UINT_MAX.

• static const BaseConverter& BaseConverter::DecimalToBinaryConverter();
static const BaseConverter& BaseConverter::BinaryToDecimalConverter();
static const BaseConverter& BaseConverter::DecimalToHexConverter();
static const BaseConverter& BaseConverter::HexToDecimalConverter();
  

  Convenience functions returning instances of BaseConverter suitable to convert between common number bases. Note: upper-case characters A - F are used for the hexadecimal number base.

BaseConverter.h:

// Arbitrary precision base conversion by Daniel Gehriger <[email protected]>   

#include <string>

class BaseConverter
{
public:
    std::string GetSourceBaseSet() const { return sourceBaseSet_; }
    std::string GetTargetBaseSet() const { return targetBaseSet_; }
    unsigned int GetSourceBase() const { return (unsigned int)sourceBaseSet_.length(); }
    unsigned int GetTargetBase() const { return (unsigned int)targetBaseSet_.length(); }

    /// <summary>
    /// Constructor
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="sourceBaseSet">Characters used for source base</param>
    /// <param name="targetBaseSet">Characters used for target base</param>
    BaseConverter(const std::string& sourceBaseSet, const std::string& targetBaseSet);

    /// <summary>
    /// Get a base converter for decimal to binary numbers
    /// </summary>
    static const BaseConverter& DecimalToBinaryConverter();

    /// <summary>
    /// Get a base converter for binary to decimal numbers
    /// </summary>
    static const BaseConverter& BinaryToDecimalConverter();

    /// <summary>
    /// Get a base converter for decimal to binary numbers
    /// </summary>
    static const BaseConverter& DecimalToHexConverter();

    /// <summary>
    /// Get a base converter for binary to decimal numbers
    /// </summary>
    static const BaseConverter& HexToDecimalConverter();

    /// <summary>
    /// Convert a value in the source number base to the target number base.
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="value">Value in source number base.</param>
    /// <returns>Value in target number base.</returns>
    std::string  Convert(std::string value) const;


    /// <summary>
    /// Convert a value in the source number base to the target number base.
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="value">Value in source number base.</param>
    /// <param name="minDigits">Minimum number of digits for returned value.</param>
    /// <returns>Value in target number base.</returns>
    std::string Convert(const std::string& value, size_t minDigits) const;

    /// <summary>
    /// Convert a decimal value to the target base.
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="value">Decimal value.</param>
    /// <returns>Result in target base.</returns>
    std::string FromDecimal(unsigned int value) const;

    /// <summary>
    /// Convert a decimal value to the target base.
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="value">Decimal value.</param>
    /// <param name="minDigits">Minimum number of digits for returned value.</param>
    /// <returns>Result in target base.</returns>
    std::string FromDecimal(unsigned int value, size_t minDigits) const;

    /// <summary>
    /// Convert value in source base to decimal.
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="value">Value in source base.</param>
    /// <returns>Decimal value.</returns>
    unsigned int ToDecimal(std::string value) const;

private:
    /// <summary>
    /// Divides x by y, and returns the quotient and remainder.
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="baseDigits">Base digits for x and quotient.</param>
    /// <param name="x">Numerator expressed in base digits; contains quotient, expressed in base digits, upon return.</param>
    /// <param name="y">Denominator</param>
    /// <returns>Remainder of x / y.</returns>
    static unsigned int divide(const std::string& baseDigits, 
                               std::string& x, 
                               unsigned int y);

    static unsigned int base2dec(const std::string& baseDigits,
                                 const std::string& value);

    static std::string dec2base(const std::string& baseDigits, unsigned int value);

private:
    static const char*  binarySet_;
    static const char*  decimalSet_;
    static const char*  hexSet_;
    std::string         sourceBaseSet_;
    std::string         targetBaseSet_;
};

BaseConverter.cpp:

// Arbitrary precision base conversion by Daniel Gehriger <[email protected]>   

#include "BaseConverter.h"
#include <stdexcept>
#include <algorithm>


const char* BaseConverter::binarySet_ = "01";
const char* BaseConverter::decimalSet_ = "0123456789";
const char* BaseConverter::hexSet_ = "0123456789ABCDEF";

BaseConverter::BaseConverter(const std::string& sourceBaseSet, const std::string& targetBaseSet) 
    : sourceBaseSet_(sourceBaseSet)
    , targetBaseSet_(targetBaseSet)
{
    if (sourceBaseSet.empty() || targetBaseSet.empty())
        throw std::invalid_argument("Invalid base character set");
}

const BaseConverter& BaseConverter::DecimalToBinaryConverter()
{
    static const BaseConverter dec2bin(decimalSet_, binarySet_);
    return dec2bin;
}

const BaseConverter& BaseConverter::BinaryToDecimalConverter()
{
    static const BaseConverter bin2dec(binarySet_, decimalSet_);
    return bin2dec;
}

const BaseConverter& BaseConverter::DecimalToHexConverter()
{
    static const BaseConverter dec2hex(decimalSet_, hexSet_);
    return dec2hex;
}

const BaseConverter& BaseConverter::HexToDecimalConverter()
{
    static const BaseConverter hex2dec(hexSet_, decimalSet_);
    return hex2dec;
}

std::string BaseConverter::Convert(std::string value) const
{
    unsigned int numberBase = GetTargetBase();
    std::string result;

    do
    {
        unsigned int remainder = divide(sourceBaseSet_, value, numberBase);
        result.push_back(targetBaseSet_[remainder]);
    }
    while (!value.empty() && !(value.length() == 1 && value[0] == sourceBaseSet_[0]));

    std::reverse(result.begin(), result.end());
    return result;
}

std::string BaseConverter::Convert(const std::string& value, size_t minDigits) const
{
    std::string result = Convert(value);
    if (result.length() < minDigits)
        return std::string(minDigits - result.length(), targetBaseSet_[0]) + result;
    else
        return result;
}

std::string BaseConverter::FromDecimal(unsigned int value) const
{
    return dec2base(targetBaseSet_, value);
}

std::string BaseConverter::FromDecimal(unsigned int value, size_t minDigits) const
{
    std::string result = FromDecimal(value);
    if (result.length() < minDigits)
        return std::string(minDigits - result.length(), targetBaseSet_[0]) + result;
    else
        return result;
}

unsigned int BaseConverter::ToDecimal(std::string value) const
{
    return base2dec(sourceBaseSet_, value);
}

unsigned int BaseConverter::divide(const std::string& baseDigits, std::string& x, unsigned int y)
{
    std::string quotient;

    size_t lenght = x.length();
    for (size_t i = 0; i < lenght; ++i)
    {
        size_t j = i + 1 + x.length() - lenght;
        if (x.length() < j)
            break;

        unsigned int value = base2dec(baseDigits, x.substr(0, j));

        quotient.push_back(baseDigits[value / y]);
        x = dec2base(baseDigits, value % y) + x.substr(j);
    }

    // calculate remainder
    unsigned int remainder = base2dec(baseDigits, x);

    // remove leading "zeros" from quotient and store in 'x'
    size_t n = quotient.find_first_not_of(baseDigits[0]);
    if (n != std::string::npos)
    {
        x = quotient.substr(n);
    }
    else
    {
        x.clear();
    }

    return remainder;
}

std::string BaseConverter::dec2base(const std::string& baseDigits, unsigned int value)
{
    unsigned int numberBase = (unsigned int)baseDigits.length();
    std::string result;
    do 
    {
        result.push_back(baseDigits[value % numberBase]);
        value /= numberBase;
    } 
    while (value > 0);

    std::reverse(result.begin(), result.end());
    return result;
}

unsigned int BaseConverter::base2dec(const std::string& baseDigits, const std::string& value)
{
    unsigned int numberBase = (unsigned int)baseDigits.length();
    unsigned int result = 0;
    for (size_t i = 0; i < value.length(); ++i)
    {
        result *= numberBase;
        int c = baseDigits.find(value[i]);
        if (c == std::string::npos)
            throw std::runtime_error("Invalid character");

        result += (unsigned int)c;
    }

    return result;
}