Hamming code Implementation in C++ with receiver side verification of code (original) (raw)

Last Updated : 15 Jul, 2025

Hamming code is an error-correcting code used for detecting and correcting errors in data transmission. It adds redundant bits to the data being transmitted which can be used to detect and correct errors that may occur during transmission. Developed by Richard W. Hamming in the 1950s, it is widely used in applications where reliable data transmission is critical, such as computer networks and telecommunication systems.

To implement the Hamming code in C++, we can use bitwise operations and arrays to represent the data and the redundant bits. The following code snippet demonstrates how to implement the Hamming code in C++ with receiver-side verification:

Example:

C++ `

#include using namespace std;

// function to calculate the parity bit for a given position int parity(int n, int *arr) { int p = 0; for (int i = 0; i < n; i++) { if (i != (1 << p) - 1) { p++; } else { p++; i += (1 << p) - 2; } } int sum = 0; for (int i = 0; i < n; i++) { if ((i & (1 << p - 1)) == 0) { sum ^= arr[i]; } } return sum; }

// function to encode the data using the Hamming code void encode(int *data, int n, int *encoded) { int r = 0; while ((1 << r) < n + r + 1) { r++; } int j = 0; for (int i = 0; i < n + r; i++) { if ((i & (i + 1)) == 0) { encoded[i] = 0; } else { encoded[i] = data[j]; j++; } } for (int i = 0; i < r; i++) { int p = parity(n + r, encoded); encoded[(1 << i) - 1] = p; } }

// function to decode the data using the Hamming code bool decode(int *data, int n, int *received) { int r = 0; while ((1 << r) < n + r + 1) { r++; } int error = 0; for (int i = 0; i < r; i++) { int p = parity(n + r, received); if (p != received[(1 << i) - 1]) { error += (1 << i) - 1; } } if (error != 0) { received[error - 1] ^= 1; } int j = 0; for (int i = 0; i < n + r; i++) { if ((i & (i + 1)) != 0) { data[j] = received[i]; j++; } } return error == 0; }

int main() { int n = 4; // size of data int r = 3; // number of redundant bits int data[n] = {1, 0, 1, 1}; // data to be transmitted int encoded[n + r] = {0}; // encoded data

C++

#include #include #include using namespace std; class hamming{ public: string data; //it is the raw data received int m , r = 0; // n is the length of raw data and r is the number of redundant bits char * msg; // it will store the all bits (data + redundant). We made it dynamic because at compile time we dont know how much redundant bits will be there, we will initialize memory to it once we know the number of redundant bits. hamming(string data){ this->data = data; //reversing the data received reverse(data.begin(),data.end()); m = data.size(); int power = 1;

        //finding the number of redundant bits and storing them in r
        while(power < (m + r + 1)){
            r++;
            power*=2;
        }
        //Allocating memory to our dynamic msg array(Note we are using one based indexing).
        msg = new char[m+r+1];
        int curr = 0;

        //initializing the msg with data bits and for redundant bits, an initial value of n
        for(int i = 1 ; i <= m+r ; i++){
            if(i & (i-1)){
                msg[i] = data[curr++]; 
            }
            else msg[i] = 'n';
        }
        //function call to set the redundant bits
        setRedundantBits();
    }
    //function to show the whole msg
    void showmsg(){
        cout << "the data packet to be sent is :   ";
        for(int i = m+r ; i >= 1 ; i--){
            cout << msg[i] << " ";
        }
        cout << endl;
    }
    void setRedundantBits(){
        //for first redundant bit, check all those data bits at index where the first bit of index is set(1) similarly for second redundant bit, check all those data bits at index where the second bit of index is set(1), similarly for third redundant bit check all those data bits at index where the third bit of index is set to 1 and so on.
        int bit = 0;
        //outer loop runs for redundant bits (1 ,2 ,4 ,8 ....)
        for(int i = 1 ; i  <= m+r ; i*=2){
            int count = 0;
            //inner loop runs for data bits
            for(int j = i+1 ; j<=m+r ; j++){
                // checking if the data bit corresponds to our redundant bit or not using bit manipulation
                if(j & (1 << bit)){
                    if(msg[j] == '1') count++; // counting the number of ones in corresponding data bits
                }
            }
            //setting up redundant bits
            if(count & 1) msg[i] = '1';
            else msg[i] = '0';
            //increasing the bit position.
            bit++;
        }
        //showing up the message to be sent(data + redundant)
        showmsg();
    }
    void receiver(){
        //this ans will store the redundant bits, if they were right then according to even parity they will store 0 else if some error was made in a bit it will store 1
        string ans = "";
        int bit = 0;
        //this loop corresponds to the logic used in set redundant bits function
        for(int i = 1 ; i  <= m+r ; i*=2){
            int count = 0;
            for(int j = i+1 ; j<=m+r ; j++){
                if(j & (1 << bit)){
                    if(msg[j] == '1') count++;
                }
            }
            //incrementing the ans variable with the parity of redundant bit
            // if it was right then add 0 else 1
            if(count & 1){
                if(msg[i] == '1') ans.push_back('0');
                else ans.push_back('1');
            }
            else{
                if(msg[i]=='0') ans.push_back('0');
                else ans.push_back('1');
            }
            bit++;
        }
        // if the ans had any occurrence of 1 then there is some fault 
        if(ans.find('1') != string::npos){
            int power = 1;
            int wrongbit = 0;
            //evaluating the binary expression of ans variable
            for(int i = 0 ; i < ans.size() ; i++){
                if(ans[i]=='1') wrongbit+=power;
                power*=2;
            }
            cout << "bit number " << wrongbit << " is wrong and having error " << endl;
        }
        // if the ans dont have any occurrence of 1 then it is correct
        else{
            cout << "correct data packet received " << endl;
        }
    }

}; int main(){ string data = "1011001"; hamming h(data); // manipulating any ith data bit to check if receiver is detecting a error in that bit. If you eliminate the following line then correct code will be sent to receiver following that no error is received

//h.msg[i] == '0' ? h.msg[i] = '1' : h.msg[i] = '0';

h.receiver();
return 0;

} //time complexity = O(nlogn) where , n = databits + redundant bits //this code is contributed by Mayank Sharma.

`

Output

the data packet to be sent is : 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 correct data packet received

Pre-requisite: Hamming Code

Given a message bit in the form of an array msgBit[], the task is to find the Hamming Code of the given message bit.

Examples:

Input: S = "0101"
Output:
Generated codeword:
r1 r2 m1 r4 m2 m3 m4
0 1 0 0 1 0 1
Explanation:
Initially r1, r2, r4 is set to '0'.
r1 = Bitwise XOR of all bits position that has '1' in its 0th-bit position.
r2 = Bitwise XOR of all bits that has '1' in its 1st-bit position.
r3 = Bitwise XOR of all bits that has '1' in its 2nd-bit position.

Input: S = "0111"
Output:
Generated codeword:
r1 r2 m1 r4 m2 m3 m4
0 0 0 1 1 1 1

Approach: The idea is to first find the number of redundant bits which can be found by initializing r with 1 and then incrementing it by 1 each time while 2r is smaller than (m + r + 1) where m is the number of bits in the input message. Follow the below steps to solve the problem:

Below is the implementation of the above approach:

C `

// C program for the above approach

#include <math.h> #include <stdio.h>

// Store input bits int input[32];

// Store hamming code int code[32];

int ham_calc(int, int); void solve(int input[], int);

// Function to calculate bit for // ith position int ham_calc(int position, int c_l) { int count = 0, i, j; i = position - 1;

// Traverse to store Hamming Code
while (i < c_l) {

    for (j = i; j < i + position; j++) {

        // If current bit is 1
        if (code[j] == 1)
            count++;
    }

    // Update i
    i = i + 2 * position;
}

if (count % 2 == 0)
    return 0;
else
    return 1;

}

// Function to calculate hamming code void solve(int input[], int n) { int i, p_n = 0, c_l, j, k; i = 0;

// Find msg bits having set bit
// at x'th position of number
while (n > (int)pow(2, i) - (i + 1)) {
    p_n++;
    i++;
}

c_l = p_n + n;

j = k = 0;

// Traverse the msgBits
for (i = 0; i < c_l; i++) {

    // Update the code
    if (i == ((int)pow(2, k) - 1)) {
        code[i] = 0;
        k++;
    }

    // Update the code[i] to the
    // input character at index j
    else {
        code[i] = input[j];
        j++;
    }
}

// Traverse and update the
// hamming code
for (i = 0; i < p_n; i++) {

    // Find current position
    int position = (int)pow(2, i);

    // Find value at current position
    int value = ham_calc(position, c_l);

    // Update the code
    code[position - 1] = value;
}

// Print the Hamming Code
printf("\nThe generated Code Word is: ");
for (i = 0; i < c_l; i++) {
    printf("%d", code[i]);
}

}

// Driver Code void main() { // Given input message Bit input[0] = 0; input[1] = 1; input[2] = 1; input[3] = 1;

int N = 4;

// Function Call
solve(input, N);

}

C++

// C++ program for the above approach

#include <bits/stdc++.h> using namespace std;

// Function to generate hamming code vector generateHammingCode( vector msgBits, int m, int r) { // Stores the Hamming Code vector hammingCode(r + m);

// Find positions of redundant bits
for (int i = 0; i < r; ++i) {

    // Placing -1 at redundant bits
    // place to identify it later
    hammingCode[pow(2, i) - 1] = -1;
}

int j = 0;

// Iterate to update the code
for (int i = 0; i < (r + m); i++) {

    // Placing msgBits where -1 is
    // absent i.e., except redundant
    // bits all positions are msgBits
    if (hammingCode[i] != -1) {
        hammingCode[i] = msgBits[j];
        j++;
    }
}

for (int i = 0; i < (r + m); i++) {

    // If current bit is not redundant
    // bit then continue
    if (hammingCode[i] != -1)
        continue;

    int x = log2(i + 1);
    int one_count = 0;

    // Find msg bits containing
    // set bit at x'th position
    for (int j = i + 2;
         j <= (r + m); ++j) {

        if (j & (1 << x)) {
            if (hammingCode[j - 1] == 1) {
                one_count++;
            }
        }
    }

    // Generating hamming code for
    // even parity
    if (one_count % 2 == 0) {
        hammingCode[i] = 0;
    }
    else {
        hammingCode[i] = 1;
    }
}

// Return the generated code
return hammingCode;

}

// Function to find the hamming code // of the given message bit msgBit[] void findHammingCode(vector& msgBit) {

// Message bit size
int m = msgBit.size();

// r is the number of redundant bits
int r = 1;

// Find no. of redundant bits
while (pow(2, r) < (m + r + 1)) {
    r++;
}

// Generating Code
vector<int> ans
    = generateHammingCode(msgBit, m, r);

// Print the code
cout << "Message bits are: ";
for (int i = 0; i < msgBit.size(); i++)
    cout << msgBit[i] << " ";

cout << "\nHamming code is: ";
for (int i = 0; i < ans.size(); i++)
    cout << ans[i] << " ";

}

// Driver Code int main() { // Given message bits vector msgBit = { 0, 1, 0, 1 };

// Function Call
findHammingCode(msgBit);

return 0;

}

`

Time Complexity: O((M + R)2) where M is the number of bits in the input message and R is the number of redundant bits
Auxiliary Space: O(M + R) the algorithm needs space proportional to input data size (M) plus output data size (R). This is common in data manipulation algorithms like sorting or searching. Excessive memory usage can limit problem scale, so it's important to consider auxiliary space complexity alongside time complexity.