A variable-length unsigned/signed integer using base128 encoding. 1-byte groups consist of 1-bit flag of continuation and 7-bit value chunk, and are ordered "least significant group first", i.e. in "little-endian" manner.
This particular encoding is specified and used in:
More information on this encoding is available at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LEB128
This particular implementation supports integer values up to 64 bits (i.e. the
maximum unsigned value supported is 2**64 - 1
), which implies that serialized
values can be up to 10 bytes in length.
If the most significant 10th byte (groups[9]
) is present, its has_next
must be false
(otherwise we would have 11 or more bytes, which is not
supported) and its value
can be only 0
or 1
(because a 9-byte VLQ can
represent 9 * 7 = 63
bits already, so the 10th byte can only add 1 bit,
since only integers up to 64 bits are supported). These restrictions are
enforced by this implementation. They were inspired by the Protoscope tool,
see https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protoscope/blob/8e7a6aafa2c9958527b1e0747e66e1bfff045819/writer.go#L644-L648.
This page hosts a formal specification of Variable length quantity, unsigned/signed integer, base128, little-endian using Kaitai Struct. This specification can be automatically translated into a variety of programming languages to get a parsing library.
All parsing code for Ruby generated by Kaitai Struct depends on the Ruby runtime library. You have to install it before you can parse data.
The Ruby runtime library can be installed from RubyGems:
gem install kaitai-struct
Parse a local file and get structure in memory:
data = VlqBase128Le.from_file("path/to/local/file.bin")
Or parse structure from a string of bytes:
bytes = "\x00\x01\x02..."
data = VlqBase128Le.new(Kaitai::Struct::Stream.new(bytes))
After that, one can get various attributes from the structure by invoking getter methods like:
data.value # => Resulting unsigned value as normal integer
# This is a generated file! Please edit source .ksy file and use kaitai-struct-compiler to rebuild
require 'kaitai/struct/struct'
unless Gem::Version.new(Kaitai::Struct::VERSION) >= Gem::Version.new('0.9')
raise "Incompatible Kaitai Struct Ruby API: 0.9 or later is required, but you have #{Kaitai::Struct::VERSION}"
end
##
# A variable-length unsigned/signed integer using base128 encoding. 1-byte groups
# consist of 1-bit flag of continuation and 7-bit value chunk, and are ordered
# "least significant group first", i.e. in "little-endian" manner.
#
# This particular encoding is specified and used in:
#
# * DWARF debug file format, where it's dubbed "unsigned LEB128" or "ULEB128".
# <https://dwarfstd.org/doc/dwarf-2.0.0.pdf> - page 139
# * Google Protocol Buffers, where it's called "Base 128 Varints".
# <https://protobuf.dev/programming-guides/encoding/#varints>
# * Apache Lucene, where it's called "VInt"
# <https://lucene.apache.org/core/3_5_0/fileformats.html#VInt>
# * Apache Avro uses this as a basis for integer encoding, adding ZigZag on
# top of it for signed ints
# <https://avro.apache.org/docs/1.12.0/specification/#primitive-types-1>
#
# More information on this encoding is available at <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LEB128>
#
# This particular implementation supports integer values up to 64 bits (i.e. the
# maximum unsigned value supported is `2**64 - 1`), which implies that serialized
# values can be up to 10 bytes in length.
#
# If the most significant 10th byte (`groups[9]`) is present, its `has_next`
# must be `false` (otherwise we would have 11 or more bytes, which is not
# supported) and its `value` can be only `0` or `1` (because a 9-byte VLQ can
# represent `9 * 7 = 63` bits already, so the 10th byte can only add 1 bit,
# since only integers up to 64 bits are supported). These restrictions are
# enforced by this implementation. They were inspired by the Protoscope tool,
# see <https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protoscope/blob/8e7a6aafa2c9958527b1e0747e66e1bfff045819/writer.go#L644-L648>.
class VlqBase128Le < Kaitai::Struct::Struct
def initialize(_io, _parent = nil, _root = self)
super(_io, _parent, _root)
_read
end
def _read
@groups = []
i = 0
begin
_ = Group.new(@_io, self, @_root, i, (i != 0 ? groups[(i - 1)].interm_value : 0), (i != 0 ? (i == 9 ? 9223372036854775808 : (groups[(i - 1)].multiplier * 128)) : 1))
@groups << _
i += 1
end until !(_.has_next)
self
end
##
# One byte group, clearly divided into 7-bit "value" chunk and 1-bit "continuation" flag.
class Group < Kaitai::Struct::Struct
def initialize(_io, _parent = nil, _root = self, idx, prev_interm_value, multiplier)
super(_io, _parent, _root)
@idx = idx
@prev_interm_value = prev_interm_value
@multiplier = multiplier
_read
end
def _read
@has_next = @_io.read_bits_int_be(1) != 0
raise Kaitai::Struct::ValidationNotEqualError.new((idx == 9 ? false : has_next), has_next, _io, "/types/group/seq/0") if not has_next == (idx == 9 ? false : has_next)
@value = @_io.read_bits_int_be(7)
raise Kaitai::Struct::ValidationGreaterThanError.new((idx == 9 ? 1 : 127), value, _io, "/types/group/seq/1") if not value <= (idx == 9 ? 1 : 127)
self
end
def interm_value
return @interm_value unless @interm_value.nil?
@interm_value = (prev_interm_value + (value * multiplier))
@interm_value
end
##
# If `true`, then we have more bytes to read.
#
# Since this implementation only supports serialized values up to 10
# bytes, this must be `false` in the 10th group (`groups[9]`).
attr_reader :has_next
##
# The 7-bit (base128) numeric value chunk of this group
#
# Since this implementation only supports integer values up to 64 bits,
# the `value` in the 10th group (`groups[9]`) can only be `0` or `1`
# (otherwise the width of the represented value would be 65 bits or
# more, which is not supported).
attr_reader :value
attr_reader :idx
attr_reader :prev_interm_value
attr_reader :multiplier
end
def len
return @len unless @len.nil?
@len = groups.length
@len
end
##
# Resulting unsigned value as normal integer
def value
return @value unless @value.nil?
@value = groups.last.interm_value
@value
end
def sign_bit
return @sign_bit unless @sign_bit.nil?
@sign_bit = (len == 10 ? 9223372036854775808 : (groups.last.multiplier * 64))
@sign_bit
end
def value_signed
return @value_signed unless @value_signed.nil?
@value_signed = ( ((sign_bit > 0) && (value >= sign_bit)) ? -((sign_bit - (value - sign_bit))) : value)
@value_signed
end
attr_reader :groups
end