Binaries in Erlang Programming Language
Erlang provides a data structure called a binary to store large quantities of raw data efficiently. Binaries are more space-efficient compared to lists or tuples, and the Erlang runtime system is optimized for efficient input and output operations involving binaries.
What are Binaries?
Binaries in Erlang are written and printed as sequences of integers or strings, enclosed in double less than and greater than brackets (<< >>). They are used for handling raw data efficiently.
Example
-module(helloworld).
-export([start/0]).
start() ->
io:fwrite("~p~n", [<<5, 10, 20>>]),
io:fwrite("~p~n", [<<"hello">>]).
Output
When you run the above program, the output will be:
<<5,10,20>>
<<"hello">>
Functions for Working with Binaries
Erlang provides several functions to work with binaries. Below is a summary of some essential functions and their descriptions:
| Sr.No. | Method | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | list_to_binary/1 | Converts an existing list to a binary. |
| 2 | split_binary/2 | Splits the binary based on the specified index. |
| 3 | term_to_binary/1 | Converts a term to binary. |
| 4 | is_binary/1 | Checks if a bitstring is a binary value. |
| 5 | binary_part/2 | Extracts a part of the binary. |
| 6 | binary_to_float/1 | Converts a binary value to a float. |
| 7 | binary_to_integer/1 | Converts a binary value to an integer. |
| 8 | binary_to_list/1 | Converts a binary value to a list. |
| 9 | binary_to_atom/1 | Converts a binary value to an atom. |
Examples of Using Binary Functions
Converting a List to a Binary
-module(helloworld).
-export([start/0]).
start() ->
List = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5],
Binary = list_to_binary(List),
io:fwrite("Binary: ~p~n", [Binary]).
Splitting a Binary
-module(helloworld).
-export([start/0]).
start() ->
Binary = <<1, 2, 3, 4, 5>>,
{FirstPart, SecondPart} = split_binary(Binary, 2),
io:fwrite("First part: ~p~nSecond part: ~p~n", [FirstPart, SecondPart]).
Converting a Term to Binary
-module(helloworld).
-export([start/0]).
start() ->
Term = {hello, world},
Binary = term_to_binary(Term),
io:fwrite("Binary: ~p~n", [Binary]).
Checking if a Value is Binary
-module(helloworld).
-export([start/0]).
start() ->
Value = <<1, 2, 3>>,
IsBinary = is_binary(Value),
io:fwrite("Is binary: ~p~n", [IsBinary]).
Extracting a Part of a Binary
-module(helloworld).
-export([start/0]).
start() ->
Binary = <<1, 2, 3, 4, 5>>,
Part = binary_part(Binary, {1, 3}),
io:fwrite("Binary part: ~p~n", [Part]).
Converting a Binary to a Float
-module(helloworld).
-export([start/0]).
start() ->
Binary = <<64, 9, 33, 251, 84, 68, 45, 24>>,
Float = binary_to_float(Binary),
io:fwrite("Float: ~p~n", [Float]).
Converting a Binary to an Integer
-module(helloworld).
-export([start/0]).
start() ->
Binary = <<1, 0, 0, 0>>,
Integer = binary_to_integer(Binary),
io:fwrite("Integer: ~p~n", [Integer]).
Converting a Binary to a List
-module(helloworld).
-export([start/0]).
start() ->
Binary = <<"hello">>,
List = binary_to_list(Binary),
io:fwrite("List: ~p~n", [List]).
Converting a Binary to an Atom
-module(helloworld).
-export([start/0]).
start() ->
Binary = <<"hello">>,
Atom = binary_to_atom(Binary, utf8),
io:fwrite("Atom: ~p~n", [Atom]).
Conclusion
Erlang binaries are efficient for storing and manipulating large amounts of raw data. By using the functions provided by Erlang’s standard library, you can perform various operations on binaries, such as conversion, splitting, and extraction.
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Last updated 17 Aug 2024, 12:31 +0200 .