Java converting int to hex and back again

Question

I have the following code...

int Val=-32768;
String Hex=Integer.toHexString(Val);

This equates to ffff8000

int         


        

Answer 1

Hehe, curious. I think this is an "intentianal bug", so to speak.

The underlying reason is how the Integer class is written. Basically, parseInt is "optimized" for positive numbers. When it parses the string, it builds the result cumulatively, but negated. Then it flips the sign of the end-result.

Example:

66 = 0x42

parsed like:

4*(-1) = -4
-4 * 16 = -64 (hex 4 parsed)

-64 - 2 = -66 (hex 2 parsed)

return -66 * (-1) = 66

Now, let's look at your example FFFF8000

16*(-1) = -16 (first F parsed)
-16*16 = -256 

-256 - 16 = -272 (second F parsed)
-272 * 16 = -4352 

-4352 - 16 = -4368 (third F parsed)
-4352 * 16 = -69888

-69888 - 16 = -69904 (forth F parsed)
-69904 * 16 = -1118464 

-1118464 - 8 = -1118472 (8 parsed)
-1118464 * 16 = -17895552 

-17895552 - 0 = -17895552 (first 0 parsed)
Here it blows up since -17895552 < -Integer.MAX_VALUE / 16 (-134217728). 
Attempting to execute the next logical step in the chain (-17895552 * 16)
would cause an integer overflow error.

Edit (addition): in order for the parseInt() to work "consistently" for -Integer.MAX_VALUE <= n <= Integer.MAX_VALUE, they would have had to implement logic to "rotate" when reaching -Integer.MAX_VALUE in the cumulative result, starting over at the max-end of the integer range and continuing downwards from there. Why they did not do this, one would have to ask Josh Bloch or whoever implemented it in the first place. It might just be an optimization.

However,

Hex=Integer.toHexString(Integer.MAX_VALUE);
System.out.println(Hex);
System.out.println(Integer.parseInt(Hex.toUpperCase(), 16));

works just fine, for just this reason. In the sourcee for Integer you can find this comment.

// Accumulating negatively avoids surprises near MAX_VALUE