C# Type Conversion & Casting
C# supports two types of type conversion: implicit conversion and explicit conversion (also known as casting).
Implicit Conversion
Implicit conversion occurs automatically when the compiler can safely convert a value of one type to another type without the risk of losing information or causing errors. For example, you can assign an int value to a long variable without explicit conversion, because a long can represent any value that an int can represent.
int x = 10; long y = x; // implicit conversion from int to longSource:www.theitroad.com
In this example, the value of x is implicitly converted to a long and assigned to y.
Explicit Conversion (Casting)
Explicit conversion (casting) is required when the compiler cannot automatically convert a value of one type to another type. For example, you cannot assign a long value to an int variable without explicit conversion, because a long can represent larger values than an int.
long x = 123456789; int y = (int)x; // explicit conversion from long to int
In this example, the value of x is explicitly converted to an int using the cast operator (int).
C# provides several cast operators for converting between types, including:
(bool)(byte)(char)(decimal)(double)(float)(int)(long)(sbyte)(short)(uint)(ulong)(ushort)
Note that not all type conversions are valid, and attempting to convert incompatible types can result in run-time errors. It's important to understand the limitations and risks of type conversion, and to use casting only when necessary and with caution.