Display file in binary format

Question

I'd like to view executable file in Vim.

I used :set binary and thought that I will see only ones and zeros, but nothing changed.

How can I achieve to see only ones and zeros?

Uhh, binary in that sense actually means non-text. Btw, what would you do with all the "ones and zeros"? — Rook, Jan 21 '12 at 13:39
I'm studying the process of translation of small assembly code with `as` utility in Linux and want to see the result as binary file. — xralf, Jan 21 '12 at 13:56
Note: when you start wanting to use `xxd` to edit binary files, you will have problems: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/27086771/how-to-make-a-valid-input-for-xxd-r-in-vim-when-removing-a-byte — Ciro Santilli OurBigBook.com, Apr 04 '15 at 19:08
@xralf, Consider accepting the other answer as the solution. — Iulian Onofrei, May 08 '18 at 20:27

score 50 · Answer 1 · answered Dec 28 '13 at 01:51

50

This did the trick for me:

:%!xxd -b

answered Dec 28 '13 at 01:51

rhegler19

score 43 · Accepted Answer · answered Jan 21 '12 at 13:37

43

Instead of ones and zeros, you can get an hexadecimal representation with:

:setlocal display=uhex

Also, you can get an hexadecimal dump of a buffer with:

:%!xxd

answered Jan 21 '12 at 13:37

jcollado

1

This is useful but it won't display raw file (ones and zeros) as is stored on the harddrive. It's reformated with vim. – xralf Jan 21 '12 at 16:11
But they write it's not possible in `vim`. Maybe hex is more convenient for real work but it's strange that vim can't display raw file. – xralf Jan 21 '12 at 16:21
2

@xralf - The thing is, 1's and 0's "format" is not that really useful at all ... so there's not that much demand for it. – Rook Jan 21 '12 at 16:37
Hexadecimal and Binary conversion is straighforward. Hex mode is just that, hex digits. Studying binary data or raw data is a very specific matter, just for hacking, auditing, photography, cibersecurity... few tools can do that... – Eugenio F. Martinez Pacheco Oct 22 '14 at 14:16
Instead of your answer, you could have given one for ones and zeros, because that's what had been asked for. – Iulian Onofrei May 08 '18 at 20:26
This is not an answer for the question – m4110c Sep 16 '19 at 01:44
The first command didn't work for me, but the second one did. – Mustapha-Belkacim Nov 03 '19 at 14:55

2 Answers2