Write the field out in binary
A diagnostics screen prints a flags field as ones and zeros so an engineer can see at a glance which switches are on.
- Return the binary digits, most significant first.
- No leading zeros — except zero itself, which is written "0".
- The value is never negative.
toBinary(flags: int) → string
Go needs a compiler and Drill does not host one yet, so this page is the reference rather than an exercise: the problem, worked examples, and the solution in full. To type it out, the same problem runs in Python.
Where you start
func toBinary(flags int) string {
}Worked examples
| Call | Result |
|---|---|
toBinary(5) | "101" |
toBinary(0) | "0" |
toBinary(1) | "1" |
toBinary(8) | "1000" |
Hint
Peel off the lowest bit with a mask, shift down, and repeat. The digits come out backwards, so reverse them at the end.
Reference solution in Go
func toBinary(flags int) string {
if flags == 0 {
return "0"
}
digits := []rune{}
field := flags
for field > 0 {
digits = append([]rune{rune('0' + field&1)}, digits...)
field >>= 1
}
return string(digits)
}