From: Brian Candler <b.candler@...>
Date: 2011-10-09T19:09:27+09:00
Subject: Re: Convert Packed decimal to decimal in ruby or shell

Arun P. wrote in post #1025789:
> I am trying to convert packed decimal to decimal by using ruby or shell
> but i dont have proper idea.
> Input:ƒáÅiŒ
> Output:123456789012

That's odd looking input, because it's of undefined character set. Can 
you provide some clean, unambiguous input? (e.g. in hex)

> suggest me how to convert or if any library or functions or code
> snippets.

When you say "packed decimal" do you mean Binary Coded Decimal, where 
one byte contains two hex digits?

irb(main):005:0> [123456789012.to_s].pack("H*")
=> "\0224Vx\220\022"

Notice that's the same as "\x12\x34\x56\x78\x90\x12". Warning: if the 
string has an odd number of characters then you need to add a leading 
"0" to it to get the right answer. I haven't done that here because the 
string happened to be an even number of characters.

Then to reverse it:

irb(main):009:0> str = "\x12\x34\x56\x78\x90\x12"
=> "\0224Vx\220\022"
irb(main):010:0> str.unpack("H*").first.to_i
=> 123456789012

That's 6 characters, which doesn't look anything like the ones you 
provided.

Or do you just mean a direct conversion from decimal to binary?

irb(main):011:0> 123456789012.to_s(16)
=> "1cbe991a14"
irb(main):012:0> [123456789012.to_s(16)].pack("H*")
=> "\034\276\231\032\024"
irb(main):013:0> str = "\x1c\xbe\x99\x1a\x14"
=> "\034\276\231\032\024"
irb(main):014:0> str.unpack("H*").first.to_i(16)
=> 123456789012

Again, at the first step you should ensure that your string has an even 
number of hex digits before packing. Fortunately in this case it does.

That gives 5 characters, although they look nothing like the 5 
characters you showed.

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