How to Check a Hexadecimal Number in Python

If you’re working with Python and you need to check if a number is a Hexadecimal or not, this straightforward guide will enable you to execute this task swiftly. We will make use of Python’s built-in functions and Python’s exception-handling feature to accomplish this task.

What is a Hexadecimal Number?

A hexadecimal number is a number represented in the base-16 numeral system. It encompasses digits from 0 to 9 followed by ‘A’ to ‘F’. For instance, ‘1F’ is an example of a hexadecimal number.

Understanding Python Built-In-Function

In Python, the int() function provides the flexibility to convert a month to an integer from different formats by specifying the base of the number.

To check if a particular string is a hexadecimal number, we can attempt to convert the string into an integer by specifying base-16. If the conversion raises a ValueError exception, then the string is not a hexadecimal number.

Here’s how it works:

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def is_hexadecimal_number(s):
    try:
        int(s, 16)
        return True
    except ValueError:
        return False

Here, the try-except statement serves to handle runtime errors( Exceptions ) that can occur during program execution, thus preserving the normal execution of the program.

Function Testing

Now, let’s test our function. Let’s enter a hexadecimal number and a non-hexadecimal number and see the results:

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print(is_hexadecimal_number('1F'))  # True
print(is_hexadecimal_number('Z'))  # False

Output:

True
False

As a result, when we input a hexadecimal number (“1F”), the function returns True, while when we input a non-hexadecimal character (“Z”), our function helpfully returns False, confirming that the entered character isn’t a hexadecimal number.

Full Code:

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def is_hexadecimal_number(s):
    try:
        int(s, 16)
        return True
    except ValueError:
        return False
 
print(is_hexadecimal_number('1F'))  # True
print(is_hexadecimal_number('Z'))  # False

Conclusion

To summarize, Python’s built-in functions and exception handling make checking a hexadecimal number simple and straightforward. By following this guide, you can conveniently check whether a number is hexadecimal or not, avoiding potential errors in your code or the need for lengthy and complex conditional statements. Python’s simplicity and flexibility once again prove invaluable.