Prefix syntax for binary

[nishihatapalmer]

v3 has syntax for matching binary bytes and hex bytes. The normal prefix for binary bytes is 0b. For hex it is 0x.

However, hex bytes are first class citizens in byteseek, so don't need the 0x prefix. The problem is that "0b" is a valid hex byte in its own right, so creates an ambiguous syntax. Does 0b01010101 match a single byte, or does it match a sequence of 5 hex bytes?

Because of this ambiguity, I'm proposing that the prefix for binary is "0i" instead of "0b".

• 0i01010101 matches a single byte with the binary value given.
• 0b01010101 matches a sequence of 5 byte values.

I've tried all the other letter in "binary" for an alternative to "0b", and "0i" seems to be the right one.

• "n" sounds like a generic "number", not "binary": "0n01010101".
• "a" doesn't sound like anything: "0a01010101"
• "r" is just strange: "0r01010101"
• "y" kind of works as the last letter since "x" is for hex, so "y" could be binary: 0y01010101.

I think "0i" works better than "0y", but not entirely sure. "0y" is visually more distinct than "0i", and has the virtue of being the last letter like the standard hex syntax.

[nishihatapalmer]

Some examples:

0i00001111 0y00001111
0i01010101 0y01010101
0i00001111 0y00001111

[nishihatapalmer]

I think I like the visual distinctness of "0y" over "0i". The "i" looks very like a 1, which makes it hard to read.

[nishihatapalmer]

The more I see the 0i prefix, the more I find it visually confusing. Going to give the 0y prefix a go.