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+# ethutil
+
+[![Build
+Status](https://travis-ci.org/ethereum/go-ethereum.png?branch=master)](https://travis-ci.org/ethereum/go-ethereum)
+
+The ethutil package contains the ethereum utility library.
+
+# Installation
+
+`go get github.com/ethereum/ethutil-go`
+
+# Usage
+
+## RLP (Recursive Linear Prefix) Encoding
+
+RLP Encoding is an encoding scheme utilized by the Ethereum project. It
+encodes any native value or list to string.
+
+More in depth information about the Encoding scheme see the [Wiki](http://wiki.ethereum.org/index.php/RLP)
+article.
+
+```go
+rlp := ethutil.Encode("doge")
+fmt.Printf("%q\n", rlp) // => "\0x83dog"
+
+rlp = ethutil.Encode([]interface{}{"dog", "cat"})
+fmt.Printf("%q\n", rlp) // => "\0xc8\0x83dog\0x83cat"
+decoded := ethutil.Decode(rlp)
+fmt.Println(decoded) // => ["dog" "cat"]
+```
+
+## Patricia Trie
+
+Patricie Tree is a merkle trie utilized by the Ethereum project.
+
+More in depth information about the (modified) Patricia Trie can be
+found on the [Wiki](http://wiki.ethereum.org/index.php/Patricia_Tree).
+
+The patricia trie uses a db as backend and could be anything as long as
+it satisfies the Database interface found in `ethutil/db.go`.
+
+```go
+db := NewDatabase()
+
+// db, root
+trie := ethutil.NewTrie(db, "")
+
+trie.Put("puppy", "dog")
+trie.Put("horse", "stallion")
+trie.Put("do", "verb")
+trie.Put("doge", "coin")
+
+// Look up the key "do" in the trie
+out := trie.Get("do")
+fmt.Println(out) // => verb
+```
+
+The patricia trie, in combination with RLP, provides a robust,
+cryptographically authenticated data structure that can be used to store
+all (key, value) bindings.
+
+```go
+// ... Create db/trie
+
+// Note that RLP uses interface slices as list
+value := ethutil.Encode([]interface{}{"one", 2, "three", []interface{}{42}})
+// Store the RLP encoded value of the list
+trie.Put("mykey", value)
+```
+
+## Value
+
+Value is a Generic Value which is used in combination with RLP data or
+`([])interface{}` structures. It may serve as a bridge between RLP data
+and actual real values and takes care of all the type checking and
+casting. Unlike Go's `reflect.Value` it does not panic if it's unable to
+cast to the requested value. It simple returns the base value of that
+type (e.g. `Slice()` returns []interface{}, `Uint()` return 0, etc).
+
+### Creating a new Value
+
+`NewEmptyValue()` returns a new \*Value with it's initial value set to a
+`[]interface{}`
+
+`AppendLint()` appends a list to the current value.
+
+`Append(v)` appends the value (v) to the current value/list.
+
+```go
+val := ethutil.NewEmptyValue().Append(1).Append("2")
+val.AppendList().Append(3)
+```
+
+### Retrieving values
+
+`Get(i)` returns the `i` item in the list.
+
+`Uint()` returns the value as an unsigned int64.
+
+`Slice()` returns the value as a interface slice.
+
+`Str()` returns the value as a string.
+
+`Bytes()` returns the value as a byte slice.
+
+`Len()` assumes current to be a slice and returns its length.
+
+`Byte()` returns the value as a single byte.
+
+```go
+val := ethutil.NewValue([]interface{}{1,"2",[]interface{}{3}})
+val.Get(0).Uint() // => 1
+val.Get(1).Str()  // => "2"
+s := val.Get(2)   // => Value([]interface{}{3})
+s.Get(0).Uint()   // => 3
+```
+
+## Decoding
+
+Decoding streams of RLP data is simplified
+
+```go
+val := ethutil.NewValueFromBytes(rlpData)
+val.Get(0).Uint()
+```
+
+## Encoding
+
+Encoding from Value to RLP is done with the `Encode` method. The
+underlying value can be anything RLP can encode (int, str, lists, bytes)
+
+```go
+val := ethutil.NewValue([]interface{}{1,"2",[]interface{}{3}})
+rlp := val.Encode()
+// Store the rlp data
+Store(rlp)
+```