Dealing with a string and byte in python [duplicate]

Question

I'm working with some python code, and I can't seem to figure out how to get a byte representation, and a string variable to work together.

I have:

secret = b'a very secret message'

if I redefine this as:

myrealsecret = 'Hey there this is a real secret'
secret = b+myrealsecret

Why is that? and how can I get whatever value is in myrealsecret to play nicely with secret as a byte representation?

Thank you.

Not a dupe........ although i do see where your going with that assumption. im asked how i can use my two variable references together. — CodeTalk
– CodeTalk, Commented Dec 22, 2015 at 23:15
You either need to .encode() your string or .decode() your bytes, depending on whether you want the result to be bytes or str. — senshin
– senshin, Commented Dec 22, 2015 at 23:20
Well, can you explain what does how to get a byte representation, and a string variable to work together mean? However b'test'+'text' raise TypeError if you're using Python 3. — Remi Guan
– Remi Guan, Commented Dec 22, 2015 at 23:21
Im simply trying to take a variable, like myrealsecret and represent it as a byte, so that i can use it in conjunction with secret var — CodeTalk
– CodeTalk, Commented Dec 22, 2015 at 23:21

Mark Tolonen · Accepted Answer · 2015-12-22 23:21:52Z

4

If you want the result to be bytes, encode the string (default encoding is utf8):

>>> secret+myrealsecret.encode()
b'a very secret messageHey there this is a real secret'

If you want the result to be a string, decode the bytes:

>>> secret.decode()+myrealsecret
'a very secret messageHey there this is a real secret'

Or, just define myrealsecret as a bytes object to begin with:

>>> myrealsecret = b'Hey there this is a real secret'
>>> secret + myrealsecret
b'a very secret messageHey there this is a real secret'

answered Dec 22, 2015 at 23:21

Mark Tolonen

181k26 gold badges182 silver badges278 bronze badges

Sign up to request clarification or add additional context in comments.

1 Comment

Finally, someone who didnt just jump to conclusions. This is spot on, thank you so, so much!