Python , Convert A Representation of A Binary to A Real Binary Value

Question

I am doing a homework project about cryptography in Python. I need to convert a string representation of binary to a real binary. I mean; binary = "00000011" should be converted to real 8bits , since I will use it for a XOR operation. How can I convert it in this way in Python?. Thank you in advance.

Answer 1

You can use the int() function to make it an integer, which takes a radix parameter:

>>> int("00000011", 2)
3

Once you have an integer, you can use the ^ xor operator:

>>> 3 ^ 1
2