bits and bytes in java

Question

Can we have in Java one byte whose upper 4 bits represent values like 0x40/0x80 and lower 4 bits representing values like 0,1,2,3.If yes then how do we retrieve values out of that on byte?Any help is greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

You can create wrapper class for byte or int with methods that fidget bits.

int first4bits = (byteContainer >> 4) & 0xF;
int last4bits = byteContainer & 0xF;

The problem is that such actions are inappropriate in Java.

Answer 2

A simple example is probably easier than using words to describe it.

byte data = 0x74;
int high4 = (data >> 4) & 0xf;
int low4 = data & 0xf;