Byte.ToString() Method in C#

The Byte.ToString() method in C# converts the value of the current Byte object to its equivalent string representation. This method is inherited from the Object class and overridden to provide byte-specific string conversion.

Syntax

Following is the syntax for the basic ToString() method −

public override string ToString();

The Byte class also provides overloaded versions that accept format specifiers −

public string ToString(string format);
public string ToString(IFormatProvider provider);
public string ToString(string format, IFormatProvider provider);

Using Basic ToString() Method

The parameterless ToString() method converts a byte value to its decimal string representation −

using System;

public class Demo {
   public static void Main() {
      byte val1, val2;
      val1 = Byte.MinValue;
      val2 = 15;
      Console.WriteLine("Value1 (Byte) = " + val1.ToString());
      Console.WriteLine("Value2 (Byte) = " + val2.ToString());
      Console.WriteLine("Maximum Byte Value = " + Byte.MaxValue.ToString());
   }
}

The output of the above code is −

Value1 (Byte) = 0
Value2 (Byte) = 15
Maximum Byte Value = 255

Using Format Specifiers

You can use format specifiers to control how the byte value is converted to string −

using System;

public class Demo {
   public static void Main() {
      byte value = 255;
      Console.WriteLine("Decimal: " + value.ToString());
      Console.WriteLine("Hexadecimal (lowercase): " + value.ToString("x"));
      Console.WriteLine("Hexadecimal (uppercase): " + value.ToString("X"));
      Console.WriteLine("Binary representation: " + Convert.ToString(value, 2));
      Console.WriteLine("With leading zeros: " + value.ToString("D3"));
   }
}

The output of the above code is −

Decimal: 255
Hexadecimal (lowercase): ff
Hexadecimal (uppercase): FF
Binary representation: 11111111
With leading zeros: 255

Common Format Specifiers

Practical Example with Array

Here's a practical example showing how to convert an array of bytes to their string representations −

using System;

public class Demo {
   public static void Main() {
      byte[] byteArray = {10, 25, 100, 255};
      Console.WriteLine("Byte values in different formats:");
      
      foreach(byte b in byteArray) {
         Console.WriteLine($"Decimal: {b.ToString()}, Hex: {b.ToString("X2")}, Padded: {b.ToString("D3")}");
      }
   }
}

The output of the above code is −

Byte values in different formats:
Decimal: 10, Hex: 0A, Padded: 010
Decimal: 25, Hex: 19, Padded: 025
Decimal: 100, Hex: 64, Padded: 100
Decimal: 255, Hex: FF, Padded: 255

Conclusion

The Byte.ToString() method provides flexible string conversion for byte values. It supports various format specifiers for decimal, hexadecimal, and padded representations, making it essential for data formatting and display operations in C# applications.