### Function

# GLib convert

since: 2.0

#### Declaration

    gchar*
    g_convert (
      const gchar* str,
      gssize len,
      const gchar* to_codeset,
      const gchar* from_codeset,
      gsize* bytes_read,
      gsize* bytes_written,
      GError** error
    )

#### Description

Converts a string from one character set to another.

Note that you should use `g_iconv()` for streaming conversions. Despite the fact that `bytes_read` can return information about partial characters, the g_convert_… functions are not generally suitable for streaming. If the underlying converter maintains internal state, then this won’t be preserved across successive calls to g_convert(), `g_convert_with_iconv()` or g_convert_with_fallback(). (An example of this is the GNU C converter for CP1255 which does not emit a base character until it knows that the next character is not a mark that could combine with the base character.)

Using extensions such as “//TRANSLIT” may not work (or may not work well) on many platforms. Consider using `g_str_to_ascii()` instead.

Available since: 2.0

#### Parameters

`str`

  Type: An array of `guint8`

                  the string to convert.

  The length of the array is specified in the `len` argument.
  The data is owned by the caller of the function.

`len`

  Type: `gssize`

  The length of the string in bytes, or -1 if the string is nul-terminated (Note that some encodings may allow nul bytes to occur inside strings. In that case, using -1 for the `len` parameter is unsafe)

`to_codeset`

  Type: `const gchar*`

  Name of character set into which to convert `str`.

  The data is owned by the caller of the function.
  The value is a NUL terminated UTF-8 string.

`from_codeset`

  Type: `const gchar*`

  Character set of `str`.

  The data is owned by the caller of the function.
  The value is a NUL terminated UTF-8 string.

`bytes_read`

  Type: `gsize*`

  Location to store the number of bytes in the input string that were successfully converted, or `NULL`. Even if the conversion was successful, this may be less than `len` if there were partial characters at the end of the input. If the error `G_CONVERT_ERROR_ILLEGAL_SEQUENCE` occurs, the value stored will be the byte offset after the last valid input sequence.

  The argument will be set by the function.
  The argument can be `NULL`.

`bytes_written`

  Type: `gsize*`

  The number of bytes stored in the output buffer (not including the terminating nul).

  The argument will be set by the function.
  The argument can be `NULL`.

`error`

  Type: `GError **`

  The return location for a recoverable error.

  The argument can be `NULL`.
  If the return location is not `NULL`, then you must initialize it to a `NULL` `GError*`.
  The argument will be left initialized to `NULL` by the function if there are no errors.
  In case of error, the argument will be set to a newly allocated `GError`; the caller will take ownership of the data, and be responsible for freeing it.

#### Return value

Type: An array of `guint8`

         If the conversion was successful, a newly allocated buffer
         containing the converted string, which must be freed with g_free().
         Otherwise `NULL` and `error` will be set.

The length of the array is in the `bytes_written` argument.
The caller of the function takes ownership of the data, and is responsible for freeing it.