Overview of Integer Serialization

Quxlang provides two compiler-defined unsigned integer encodings through ordinary iterator-shaped calls: UINTANY and unsigned LEB128.

UINTANY

SERIALIZE_UINTANY writes an unsigned value and returns the advanced output iterator. DESERIALIZE_UINTANY writes the decoded value through @VALUE and returns the advanced input iterator:

::uintany_roundtrip STATIC_TEST
{
  VAR output [2]BYTE;
  VAR original U16 := 200;
  VAR decoded U16 := 0;

  SERIALIZE_UINTANY(
    @VALUE original,
    @OUTPUT_ITERATOR output[& 0]
  );
  DESERIALIZE_UINTANY(
    @VALUE decoded,
    @INPUT_ITERATOR output[& 0]
  );

  ASSERT(decoded == original);
}

UINTANY is Quxlang's compact unsigned-integer serialization used by contracts such as the length prefix of a STRINGLIKE value. It is not byte-for-byte identical to LEB128.

Unsigned LEB128

The corresponding LEB128 forms have the same call interface:

VAR output [3]BYTE;
VAR value U64 := 70000;
VAR decoded U64 := 0;

SERIALIZE_LEB128(@VALUE value, @OUTPUT_ITERATOR output[& 0]);
DESERIALIZE_LEB128(@VALUE decoded, @INPUT_ITERATOR output[& 0]);

ASSERT(decoded == value);

The value parameter must be an unsigned integer type or BYTE. Deserialization needs a mutable destination object of that type.

Iterator return values

Both families take the iterator by value and return its advanced value. Capture that result when the caller needs to continue serializing or when the iterator is a nontrivial object:

VAR end AUTO := SERIALIZE_UINTANY(
  @VALUE value,
  @OUTPUT_ITERATOR begin
);

This convention lets an array pointer work as an iterator while preserving the state of a richer iterator object passed by value.

See Serialization, Stringlike Types, and Call arguments.

Reference

See the Variable-Length Integer Serialization Reference for the complete language rules, constraints, and technical edge cases.