How to Convert a Byte Array or Slice to a String

Convert string to bytes in Go

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🗓 August 10, 2018 | 👱 By: Hugh

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Sometimes a method will take a []byte as a parameter, but all you have is a string. Converting between a string and a []byte is actually just a matter of casting between them:

bytes := []byte(str)

or

str := string(bytes)

A longer example:

package main
import "fmt"
func giveMeBytes(bytes []byte) {
	// Print as bytes.
	fmt.Println(bytes)
	// Convert to a string and print.
	fmt.Println(string(bytes))
}
func main() {
	str := "Hello, world!"
	giveMeBytes([]byte(str))
}

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Output:

[72 101 108 108 111 44 32 119 111 114 108 100 33]
Hello, world!

As useless as this program is, it shows a method that requires a slice of bytes, and how to pass a string into it using a cast (line 15). Within that method, the bytes are printed as a slice of bytes first, then as a string in the original form by casting it to a string in line 9.

Conclusion

Cast your net far and wide and you will catch more fish.

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