Sending Hex to sockets?

Hi guys i'm writing a UDP client based on the example given in TCP/IP sockets in C book, but I would like to know how to send a hex string to the socket.

Currently when I write a hex string it is interpreted as ascii, but I would like it to be sent as it is written. Do I need to do ascii to hex conversion on the commandline argument or is it relating to the socket iteself.

All help is greatly appreciated

Considering that sending binary data across the network is subject to byte-order, isn't sending a hex-string actually a better choice anyways?

Edit: Obviously at some point, the hex string will need to be translated to a binary value - but I would prefer to do that where it's being used, rather than the client side. It's obviously a subject that can only be determined on a personal preference basis.

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Mats