Reading bytes using python 3.10

Question

When I am reading individual elements from bytes it is returning a integer value rather than returning the hex code. This I am noticing with Python 3 only (tested in v3.10). Any idea how this can adjusted? Below are the code and output from both Python 2.7 (which works fine) and Python 3.10 (which is converting to integers).

Python 2.7 (works fine)

>>> test = b'\x00\x01\x00\x02\x00\x00\x00\x03'
>>> test[0]
'\x00'
>>> test[1]
'\x01'
>>>

Python 3.10 (converting output to integers).

>>> test = b'\x00\x01\x00\x02\x00\x00\x00\x03'
>>> 
>>> test[0]
0
>>> test[1]
1
>>>

As designed. Bytes are data and individual bytes are integers 0-255 — Mark Tolonen
– Mark Tolonen, Commented Aug 30, 2022 at 1:10

sj95126 · Accepted Answer · 2022-08-30 02:38:24Z

2

Python 3 has a bytes type. When you create a binary string with b'...', you create an immutable sequence of bytes. Indexing that sequence returns type int. A slice of a b-string will be in bytes form like this:

>>> test[:2]
b'\x00\x01'

Python 2 did not have a bytes type, and in fact the b prefix on a string is ignored. '\x00\x01....' is just a string of non-representable characters in hex-escape syntax. Indexing and slicing that string returns another string (of one or more characters).

edited Aug 30, 2022 at 2:38

answered Aug 30, 2022 at 1:21

sj95126

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1 Comment

Mark Ransom Over a year ago

To understand Python 2 a little better, slip a \x5a in the middle of the string.

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