Byte Struct in C#

The byte struct in C# represents an 8-bit unsigned integer that can store values from 0 to 255. It is one of the fundamental value types in .NET and provides various methods for comparison, conversion, and formatting operations.

Syntax

Following is the syntax for declaring and initializing a byte variable −

byte variableName = value;  // value must be between 0 and 255

Fields

The byte struct provides two important constant fields −

Example

using System;

public class Demo {
    public static void Main() {
        Console.WriteLine("Byte MinValue: " + byte.MinValue);
        Console.WriteLine("Byte MaxValue: " + byte.MaxValue);
        Console.WriteLine("Size in bits: 8");
    }
}

The output of the above code is −

Byte MinValue: 0
Byte MaxValue: 255
Size in bits: 8

Common Methods

Using Byte.Parse() with Exception Handling

Example

using System;

public class Demo {
    public static void Main() {
        string str = "186";
        try {
            byte val = byte.Parse(str);
            Console.WriteLine("Parsed value: " + val);
        }
        catch (OverflowException) {
            Console.WriteLine("Value is out of range for a byte: " + str);
        }
        catch (FormatException) {
            Console.WriteLine("Invalid format for a byte: " + str);
        }
        
        // Testing with invalid value
        string invalidStr = "300";
        try {
            byte invalidVal = byte.Parse(invalidStr);
            Console.WriteLine("Parsed value: " + invalidVal);
        }
        catch (OverflowException) {
            Console.WriteLine("Value is out of range for a byte: " + invalidStr);
        }
    }
}

The output of the above code is −

Parsed value: 186
Value is out of range for a byte: 300

Formatting Byte Values

Example

using System;

public class Demo {
    public static void Main() {
        byte[] arr = { 0, 10, 50, 90, 100, 150 };
        Console.WriteLine("Decimal\tPadded\tHexadecimal");
        Console.WriteLine("-------\t------\t-----------");
        
        foreach (byte b in arr) {
            Console.WriteLine($"{b}\t{b:D4}\t{b:X4}");
        }
    }
}

The output of the above code is −

Decimal Padded  Hexadecimal
------- ------  -----------
0       0000    0000
10      0010    000A
50      0050    0032
90      0090    005A
100     0100    0064
150     0150    0096

Byte Comparison and Operations

Example

using System;

public class Demo {
    public static void Main() {
        byte a = 100;
        byte b = 150;
        byte c = 100;
        
        Console.WriteLine($"a = {a}, b = {b}, c = {c}");
        Console.WriteLine($"a.CompareTo(b): {a.CompareTo(b)}");
        Console.WriteLine($"a.CompareTo(c): {a.CompareTo(c)}");
        Console.WriteLine($"b.CompareTo(a): {b.CompareTo(a)}");
        Console.WriteLine($"a.Equals(c): {a.Equals(c)}");
        Console.WriteLine($"a.Equals(b): {a.Equals(b)}");
    }
}

The output of the above code is −

a = 100, b = 150, c = 100
a.CompareTo(b): -1
a.CompareTo(c): 0
b.CompareTo(a): 1
a.Equals(c): True
a.Equals(b): False

Conclusion

The byte struct in C# is essential for working with 8-bit unsigned integers ranging from 0 to 255. It provides methods for parsing, formatting, comparison, and conversion operations, making it useful for low-level data manipulation, file operations, and network programming where memory efficiency is important.