python-bitstring

Simple construction, analysis and modification of binary data.

Version: 1.0.1
License: MIT/X Consortium License
Operating System: Linux
Homepage: code.google.com
Developed by: Scott Griffiths

python-bitstring is a Python module for analysing, constructing and modifying binary data.

The underlying binary data can be interpreted as, or constructed from, hexadecimal, octal or binary strings, signed or unsigned integers, and signed or unsigned Exponential Golomb coded integers. It can also be used as and created from plain Python strings.

The module is provided with a comprehensive set of unit tests and has been tested with Python 2.4, 2.5 and 2.6.

Example usage:

Different interpretations, slicing and concatenation:

a = BitString(uint=5647, length=16)

print a.hex, a.bin, a.uint # 0x160f 0b0001011000001111 5647
print a[3:9].bin, a[3:9].int # 0b101100 -20
print (a[0:4] + '0xf').hex # 0x1f

Reading data sequentially. Note that the data would more usually come from a read() on a binary file.

b = BitString(data='x00x00x01xb3x16x01x20x4f')

start_code = b.readbytes(4).hex # 0x000001b3
width = b.readbits(12).uint # 352
height = b.readbits(12).uint # 288
flags = b.readbits(3).bin # 0b010

Searching, inserting and deleting:

c = BitString(bin='00010010010010001111') # c.hex == '0x1248f'

c.findbytealigned('0x48')
print c.readbyte() # 0x48
c.insert('0b0000') # c.hex == '0x12480f'
c.deletebits(bits=8, deletepos=4) # c.hex == '0x180f'