Specifically, we have the output from hexdump -C of a very small png image. The code block below demonstrates this idea for a one-by-one pixel png image. Transforming Files To Hexadecimal C++ Arrays Similarly, for 3D graphics applications, you may want to include the contents of your shader files in a C++ binary array, so you can easily feed it to OpenGL/Vulkan without having to read files from the disk. Long story short, making a binary blob for the contents of a file is a perfectly valid and fast way to use the binary contents of the file in your code.įor example, you may want to store a small icon image for your GUI application in your code, and not ship that image separately.
Why Include Files As Hexadecimal Byte Arrays In Your Code? In this post, we look at how to convert files to C++ hexadecimal arrays, using built-in terminal tools. Doing so will essentially ship whatever binary content you included with your binary, removing the need to also distribute files with your programs. Occasionally, you may want to include the content of your files in your code.
