How to convert a binary string to an integer or a float?

Question

I have binary strings in the form of either:

<<"5.7778345">>

or

<<"444555">>
         


        

Answer 1

This is the pattern that we use:

binary_to_number(B) ->
    list_to_number(binary_to_list(B)).

list_to_number(L) ->
    try list_to_float(L)
    catch
        error:badarg ->
            list_to_integer(L)
    end.