Free ASCII Table Online Tool


Dec	Hex	Oct	Bin	Char	Description
					Null (\0)
					Start of Heading
					Start of Text
					End of Text
					End of Transmission
					Enquiry
					Acknowledge
					Bell (\a)
					Backspace (\b)
					Tab (\t)
					Line Feed (\n)
					Vertical Tab (\v)
					Form Feed (\f)
					Carriage Return (\r)
					Shift Out
					Shift In
					Data Link Escape
					Device Control 1
					Device Control 2
					Device Control 3
					Device Control 4
					Negative Acknowledge
					Synchronous Idle
					End of Transmission Block
					Cancel
					End of Medium
					Substitute
					Escape
					File Separator
					Group Separator
					Record Separator
					Unit Separator
					Space
					Printable Character
					Printable Character
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					Delete
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Understanding ASCII: The Foundation of Digital Text

Explore the world of ASCII characters, their history, applications, and importance in modern computing. Learn how these fundamental codes power everything from simple text files to complex network protocols.

What is ASCII?

ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) is a character encoding standard that assigns numerical values to letters, digits, punctuation marks, and control characters. Developed in the 1960s, ASCII revolutionized computing by providing a universal way to represent text digitally.

Key ASCII Facts

Contains 128 characters (0-127)
Uses 7 bits for each character
First 32 characters are control codes
Characters 32-126 are printable
Character 127 is Delete (DEL)

Why ASCII Still Matters Today

Despite the emergence of Unicode and other encoding systems, ASCII remains fundamental to computing. Its simplicity and ubiquity make it essential for many technical applications and protocols.

Programming

Essential for string manipulation and character processing in all programming languages

Core to language syntax and data handling

Data Transmission

Used in network protocols and data exchange formats

Ensures reliable communication between systems

File Formats

Foundation for many file format specifications and headers

Critical for file parsing and validation

Networking

Used in HTTP headers, URLs, and network protocols

Powers internet communication infrastructure

Security

Important for encryption algorithms and secure communications

Basis for cryptographic operations

Legacy Systems

Still used in older systems and embedded devices

Maintains compatibility with existing infrastructure

ASCII Character Categories

ASCII characters are divided into distinct categories, each serving specific purposes in computing and data processing.

Control Characters (0-31)

Non-printable characters used for text formatting and control

Examples: TAB (9), LF (10), CR (13), ESC (27)

Printable Characters (32-126)

Visible characters including letters, numbers, and symbols

Examples: A-Z, a-z, 0-9, punctuation marks

Special Characters

Symbols and punctuation marks used in text and programming

Examples: ! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) [ ] { }

Whitespace Characters

Characters that represent spacing and formatting

Examples: Space (32), Tab (9), Line Feed (10)

Programming Applications

ASCII codes are extensively used in programming for various text processing and data manipulation tasks.

string manipulation

Convert characters to codes for analysis and processing

Example: ord('A') returns 65

file processing

Handle text files and parse structured data

Example: Reading CSV files with proper encoding

network programming

Process HTTP headers and network data

Example: Parsing URL-encoded data

encryption

Implement basic encryption and encoding schemes

Example: Caesar cipher and ROT13 algorithms

Common ASCII Characters

Some ASCII characters are used more frequently than others in everyday computing and programming.

Essential Characters

Space (32) Word separation

Newline (10) Line breaks

Tab (9) Text indentation

Null (0) String termination

Quote (34) String literals

Important Control Characters

Backspace (8) - Removes previous character
Carriage Return (13) - Returns to line start
Line Feed (10) - Moves to next line
Escape (27) - Special control sequences
Delete (127) - Removes character at cursor

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between ASCII and Unicode?

ASCII uses 7 bits (128 characters) and covers English characters, while Unicode uses 16+ bits and supports characters from all languages worldwide.

Why are there only 128 ASCII characters?

ASCII was designed to use 7 bits, providing 128 possible values (0-127). This was sufficient for English text and basic computing needs at the time.

Are ASCII characters still relevant today?

Yes, ASCII remains crucial for programming, network protocols, file formats, and maintaining compatibility with legacy systems.

What happens if I use a character outside the ASCII range?

Different encoding systems handle this differently. In ASCII-only systems, these characters may display incorrectly or cause errors.

How do I convert between ASCII codes and characters?

Most programming languages provide functions like chr() and ord() in PHP, or String.fromCharCode() and charCodeAt() in JavaScript.

Is ASCII case-sensitive?

Yes, uppercase letters (A-Z: 65-90) and lowercase letters (a-z: 97-122) have different ASCII codes.

ASCII in Modern Computing

UTF-8 encoding builds upon ASCII compatibility

Unicode extends ASCII for global character support

ASCII codes used in binary file formats

Network protocols rely on ASCII headers

Database systems use ASCII for metadata

HTML, CSS, and JavaScript use ASCII characters

ASCII Table - Complete ASCII Character Reference

Complete ASCII character reference table