How to calculate the sorting weight of a given string using the WEIGHT_STRING() function?

WEIGHT_STRING(str AS type) is a MySQL built-in function that calculates the sorting weight of a given string. Output can be converted to a given data type. For example:

SELECT WEIGHT_STRING('abc'), HEX(WEIGHT_STRING('abc'));
  -- +----------------------+---------------------------+
  -- | WEIGHT_STRING('abc') | HEX(WEIGHT_STRING('abc')) |
  -- +----------------------+---------------------------+
  -- |  A B C               | 004100420043              |
  -- +----------------------+---------------------------+

SELECT WEIGHT_STRING('ABC'), HEX(WEIGHT_STRING('ABC'));
  -- +----------------------+---------------------------+
  -- | WEIGHT_STRING('ABC') | HEX(WEIGHT_STRING('ABC')) |
  -- +----------------------+---------------------------+
  -- |  A B C               | 004100420043              |
  -- +----------------------+---------------------------+

SELECT 'ABC'='abc';
  -- +-------------+
  -- | 'ABC'='abc' |
  -- +-------------+
  -- |           1 |
  -- +-------------+

SELECT HEX(WEIGHT_STRING('ABC' AS CHAR(5))), HEX(WEIGHT_STRING('ABC' AS BINARY(10)));
  -- +--------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------+
  -- | HEX(WEIGHT_STRING('ABC' AS CHAR(5))) | HEX(WEIGHT_STRING('ABC' AS BINARY(10))) |
  -- +--------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------+
  -- | 00410042004300200020                 | 41424300000000000000                    |
  -- +--------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------+

Reference information of the WEIGHT_STRING() function:

WEIGHT_STRING(str AS type LEVEL levels): weight
  Returns the weight string for the input string. The return value is a
  binary string that represents the comparison and sorting value of the
  string.

Arguments, return value and availability:
  str: Required. The input value to be weighted.
  AS type: Optional. Default is the same type as the input.
  weight: Return value. The weight value of the input.
  Available since MySQL 5.7.

Change history:
  MySQL 8 - Removed the "LEVEL levels" clause, which allows you to control
    the bit order of the weight string at character collation level.

⇒ MySQL Functions on Numeric Values

⇐ UPPER() - Convert String to Upper Case

⇑ MySQL Functions on Character String Values

⇑⇑ MySQL Function References