Where is the itoa function in Linux?

Question

itoa() is a really handy function to convert a number to a string. Linux does not seem to have itoa(), is there an equivalent function or do I have to use sprintf(str, "%d", num)?

Answer 1

Where is the itoa function in Linux?

There is no such function in Linux. I use this code instead.

/*
=============
itoa

Convert integer to string

PARAMS:
- value     A 64-bit number to convert
- str       Destination buffer; should be 66 characters long for radix2, 24 - radix8, 22 - radix10, 18 - radix16.
- radix     Radix must be in range -36 .. 36. Negative values used for signed numbers.
=============
*/

char* itoa (unsigned long long  value,  char str[],  int radix)
{
    char        buf [66];
    char*       dest = buf + sizeof(buf);
    boolean     sign = false;

    if (value == 0) {
        memcpy (str, "0", 2);
        return str;
    }

    if (radix < 0) {
        radix = -radix;
        if ( (long long) value < 0) {
            value = -value;
            sign = true;
        }
    }

    *--dest = '\0';

    switch (radix)
    {
    case 16:
        while (value) {
            * --dest = '0' + (value & 0xF);
            if (*dest > '9') *dest += 'A' - '9' - 1;
            value >>= 4;
        }
        break;
    case 10:
        while (value) {
            *--dest = '0' + (value % 10);
            value /= 10;
        }
        break;

    case 8:
        while (value) {
            *--dest = '0' + (value & 7);
            value >>= 3;
        }
        break;

    case 2:
        while (value) {
            *--dest = '0' + (value & 1);
            value >>= 1;
        }
        break;

    default:            // The slow version, but universal
        while (value) {
            *--dest = '0' + (value % radix);
            if (*dest > '9') *dest += 'A' - '9' - 1;
            value /= radix;
        }
        break;
    }

    if (sign) *--dest = '-';

    memcpy (str, dest, buf +sizeof(buf) - dest);
    return str;
}

Answer 2

I have used _itoa(...) on RedHat 6 and GCC compiler. It works.

Answer 3

Where is the itoa function in Linux?

As itoa() is not standard in C, various versions with various function signatures exists.
char *itoa(int value, char *str, int base); is common in *nix.

Should it be missing from Linux or if code does not want to limit portability, code could make it own.

Below is a version that does not have trouble with INT_MIN and handles problem buffers: NULL or an insufficient buffer returns NULL.

#include <stdlib.h>
#include <limits.h>
#include <string.h>

// Buffer sized for a decimal string of a `signed int`, 28/93 > log10(2)
#define SIGNED_PRINT_SIZE(object)  ((sizeof(object) * CHAR_BIT - 1)* 28 / 93 + 3)

char *itoa_x(int number, char *dest, size_t dest_size) {
  if (dest == NULL) {
    return NULL;
  }

  char buf[SIGNED_PRINT_SIZE(number)];
  char *p = &buf[sizeof buf - 1];

  // Work with negative absolute value
  int neg_num = number < 0 ? number : -number;

  // Form string
  *p = '\0';
  do {
    *--p = (char) ('0' - neg_num % 10);
    neg_num /= 10;
  } while (neg_num);
  if (number < 0) {
    *--p = '-';
  }

  // Copy string
  size_t src_size = (size_t) (&buf[sizeof buf] - p);
  if (src_size > dest_size) {
    // Not enough room
    return NULL;
  }
  return memcpy(dest, p, src_size);
}

---

Below is a C99 or later version that handles any base [2...36]

char *itoa_x(int number, char *dest, size_t dest_size, int base) {
  if (dest == NULL || base < 2 || base > 36) {
    return NULL;
  }

  char buf[sizeof number * CHAR_BIT + 2]; // worst case: itoa(INT_MIN,,,2)
  char *p = &buf[sizeof buf - 1];

  // Work with negative absolute value to avoid UB of `abs(INT_MIN)`
  int neg_num = number < 0 ? number : -number;

  // Form string
  *p = '\0';
  do {
    *--p = "0123456789ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ"[-(neg_num % base)];
    neg_num /= base;
  } while (neg_num);
  if (number < 0) {
    *--p = '-';
  }

  // Copy string
  size_t src_size = (size_t) (&buf[sizeof buf] - p);
  if (src_size > dest_size) {
    // Not enough room
    return NULL;
  }
  return memcpy(dest, p, src_size);
}

For a C89 and onward compliant code, replace inner loop with

  div_t qr;
  do {
    qr = div(neg_num, base);
    *--p = "0123456789ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ"[-qr.rem];
    neg_num = qr.quot;
  } while (neg_num);

Answer 4

Edit: I just found out about std::to_string which is identical in operation to my own function below. It was introduced in C++11 and is available in recent versions of gcc, at least as early as 4.5 if you enable the c++0x extensions.

---

Not only is itoa missing from gcc, it's not the handiest function to use since you need to feed it a buffer. I needed something that could be used in an expression so I came up with this:

std::string itos(int n)
{
   const int max_size = std::numeric_limits<int>::digits10 + 1 /*sign*/ + 1 /*0-terminator*/;
   char buffer[max_size] = {0};
   sprintf(buffer, "%d", n);
   return std::string(buffer);
}

Ordinarily it would be safer to use snprintf instead of sprintf but the buffer is carefully sized to be immune to overrun.

See an example: http://ideone.com/mKmZVE

Answer 5

Reading the code of guys who do it for a living will get you a LONG WAY.

Check out how guys from MySQL did it. The source is VERY WELL COMMENTED and will teach you much more than hacked up solutions found all over the place.

MySQL's implementation of int2str

I provide the mentioned implementation here; the link is here for reference and should be used to read the full implementation.

char *
int2str(long int val, char *dst, int radix, 
        int upcase)
{
  char buffer[65];
  char *p;
  long int new_val;
  char *dig_vec= upcase ? _dig_vec_upper : _dig_vec_lower;
  ulong uval= (ulong) val;

  if (radix < 0)
  {
    if (radix < -36 || radix > -2)
      return NullS;
    if (val < 0)
    {
      *dst++ = '-';
      /* Avoid integer overflow in (-val) for LLONG_MIN (BUG#31799). */
      uval = (ulong)0 - uval;
    }
    radix = -radix;
  }
  else if (radix > 36 || radix < 2)
    return NullS;

  /*
    The slightly contorted code which follows is due to the fact that
    few machines directly support unsigned long / and %.  Certainly
    the VAX C compiler generates a subroutine call.  In the interests
    of efficiency (hollow laugh) I let this happen for the first digit
    only; after that "val" will be in range so that signed integer
    division will do.  Sorry 'bout that.  CHECK THE CODE PRODUCED BY
    YOUR C COMPILER.  The first % and / should be unsigned, the second
    % and / signed, but C compilers tend to be extraordinarily
    sensitive to minor details of style.  This works on a VAX, that's
    all I claim for it.
  */
  p = &buffer[sizeof(buffer)-1];
  *p = '\0';
  new_val= uval / (ulong) radix;
  *--p = dig_vec[(uchar) (uval- (ulong) new_val*(ulong) radix)];
  val = new_val;
  while (val != 0)
  {
    ldiv_t res;
    res=ldiv(val,radix);
    *--p = dig_vec[res.rem];
    val= res.quot;
  }
  while ((*dst++ = *p++) != 0) ;
  return dst-1;
}

Answer 6

itoa is not a standard C function. You can implement your own. It appeared in the first edition of Kernighan and Ritchie's The C Programming Language, on page 60. The second edition of The C Programming Language ("K&R2") contains the following implementation of itoa, on page 64. The book notes several issues with this implementation, including the fact that it does not correctly handle the most negative number

 /* itoa:  convert n to characters in s */
 void itoa(int n, char s[])
 {
     int i, sign;

     if ((sign = n) < 0)  /* record sign */
         n = -n;          /* make n positive */
     i = 0;
     do {       /* generate digits in reverse order */
         s[i++] = n % 10 + '0';   /* get next digit */
     } while ((n /= 10) > 0);     /* delete it */
     if (sign < 0)
         s[i++] = '-';
     s[i] = '\0';
     reverse(s);
}  

The function reverse used above is implemented two pages earlier:

 #include <string.h>

 /* reverse:  reverse string s in place */
 void reverse(char s[])
 {
     int i, j;
     char c;

     for (i = 0, j = strlen(s)-1; i<j; i++, j--) {
         c = s[i];
         s[i] = s[j];
         s[j] = c;
     }
}