tohex

This page explains how to use the tohex function in APL.

Use the tohex function to convert integer or long values to hexadecimal string representation. This is helpful when you need to display numeric values in hexadecimal format, work with memory addresses, or convert identifiers to hex format for compatibility with other systems.

You typically use tohex when working with numeric identifiers, memory addresses, or when you need hexadecimal representation for debugging, logging, or system integration purposes.

For users of other query languages

If you come from other query languages, this section explains how to adjust your existing queries to achieve the same results in APL.

Splunk SPL users

In Splunk, you use printf with format specifiers like %x or %X to convert numbers to hexadecimal. In APL, tohex provides a direct function for this conversion.

Splunk example

... | eval hex_value = printf("%x", numeric_field)

ANSI SQL users

In standard SQL, you use TO_HEX or HEX functions in some databases, or FORMAT functions with hex specifiers. In APL, tohex provides a straightforward way to convert integers to hexadecimal strings.

SQL example

SELECT TO_HEX(546) AS hex_value FROM dual;

Usage

Syntax

tohex(value [, minLength])

Parameters

Name	Type	Description
value	int	The integer or long value to convert to hexadecimal string.
minLength	int	Optional. Minimum length of the resulting hex string. Default is 0.

Returns

If conversion is successful, the result is a string value representing the hexadecimal representation. If conversion isn’t successful, the result is null.

Example

Convert numeric identifiers to hexadecimal format for display or integration with systems that use hex identifiers.

Query

['sample-http-logs']
| extend id_hex = tohex(id, 8)
| project _time, uri, id, id_hex

Output

_time	uri	id	id_hex
Jun 24, 09:28:10	/api/users	12345	00003039

This example converts numeric identifiers to hexadecimal format, making them more readable and compatible with systems that use hex identifiers.

List of related functions

• toint: Converts input to integer. Use toint for smaller integers before converting to hex.
• tostring: Converts input to string. Use tostring for general string conversion, and tohex specifically for hexadecimal representation.