How to convert System.Decimal bits to string in C#?

Question

I'd like to be able to get the bits from a System.Decimal value and then convert that to the string representation of the value, much like Decimal.ToString() would do but I have a hard time coming up with the algorithm.

So I have something like this:

decimal d = 1403.45433M;
int[] nDecimalBits = decimal.GetBits(d);

// How to convert the 4 integers in nDecimalBits to a string
// that contains "1403.45433"?

I know the binary layout of the decimal - the first 3 integers contain the value bits and the last integer contains the sign bit and the scaling factor.

I tried searching for the algorithm using various search terms but decimal is mostly used as a synonym for 'floating-point number' so my searches turned up answers to unrelated problems.

Any help would be appreciated.

Edit: in response to some answers, I need to send the bits to a different platform where the value needs to be reconstructed. System.Decimal and any of its member functions are not available there, so I need to grab the bits and translate them to a string.

If I had a choice, I'd obviously use ToString() but then I wouldn't need to ask.

Answer 1

You can use the Decimal constructor Decimal(Int32[]) to convert your value back:

Decimal Constructor (Int32[])

Initializes a new instance of Decimal to a decimal value represented in binary and contained in a specified array.

Afterwards, you can use ToString if you want. Example:

decimal d = 1403.45433M;
int[] nDecimalBits = decimal.GetBits(d);

decimal d2 = new decimal(nDecimalBits);
string s = d2.ToString();

Answer 2

It's does not algoritm, but i suppose it should help.

Decimal bits structure:

The binary representation of a Decimal number consists of a 1-bit sign, a 96-bit integer number, and a scaling factor used to divide the integer number and specify what portion of it is a decimal fraction. The scaling factor is implicitly the number 10, raised to an exponent ranging from 0 to 28.

The return value is a four-element array of 32-bit signed integers.

The first, second, and third elements of the returned array contain the low, middle, and high 32 bits of the 96-bit integer number.

The fourth element of the returned array contains the scale factor and sign. It consists of the following parts:

Bits 0 to 15, the lower word, are unused and must be zero.

Bits 16 to 23 must contain an exponent between 0 and 28, which indicates the power of 10 to divide the integer number.

Bits 24 to 30 are unused and must be zero.

Bit 31 contains the sign; 0 meaning positive, and 1 meaning negative.