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C++ provides several explicit type casting operators, designed to offer more control and safety compared to the older C-style cast.
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These named casts help clarify the intent of the conversion and allow the compiler to perform more rigorous checks.
The four main C++ cast types are:
static_cast:
- Used for conversions that are well-defined at compile time and are generally safe.
- Examples include converting between related types in an inheritance hierarchy (e.g., Base* to Derived* when the object is actually Derived), converting numeric types (e.g., int to double), or converting void* to a specific pointer type.
- It does not perform runtime checks.
dynamic_cast:
- Used for safe downcasting in polymorphic class hierarchies.
- Requires the class to have at least one virtual function (i.e., be polymorphic).
- Performs a runtime check to ensure the conversion is valid. If the conversion is not valid, it returns nullptr for pointers or throws a std::bad_cast exception for references.
const_cast:
- Used to add or remove const or volatile qualifiers from a variable.
- It is the only cast that can modify the const or volatile nature of an object.
- Using const_cast to modify an object that was originally declared const can lead to undefined behavior.
reinterpret_cast:
- Used for low-level, bit-wise reinterpretation of data.
- It can convert any pointer type to any other pointer type, or between a pointer type and an integer type.
- It is generally considered the most dangerous cast as it offers no type safety and can easily lead to undefined behavior if used incorrectly. It should be used as a last resort when no other cast is suitable.
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In order to control these types of conversions between classes, we have four specific casting operators: dynamic_cast, reinterpret_cast, static_cast and const_ ...
People also ask
What is the difference between static and dynamic cast in C++?
The dynamic_cast checks the actual type of entity at runtime and fails since entity points to an Enemy object, not a Player . The static_cast blindly converts entity to a Player* . Accessing the object causes undefined behavior because entity is actually of type Enemy .
What are the different types of type casting?
Type casting is simply the process of changing one data type of a variable into another. The way of doing this can be either implicitly done by the compiler or it requires the programmer's intervention explicitly. There are two types of type-casting in C++; implicit type casting and explicit type casting.
What are the different cast variants in C++?
Four different cast operators apply to Windows Runtime types: static_cast Operator, dynamic_cast Operator, safe_cast Operator, and reinterpret_cast Operator. safe_cast and static_cast throw an exception when the conversion can't be performed; static_cast Operator also performs compile-time type checking.
Oct 16, 2022
What are the 4 types of cast in C++?
Casting Operators
dynamic_cast Used for conversion of polymorphic types.
static_cast Used for conversion of nonpolymorphic types.
const_cast Used to remove the const , volatile , and __unaligned attributes.
reinterpret_cast Used for simple reinterpretation of bits.
safe_cast Used in C++/CLI to produce verifiable MSIL.
May 5, 2025 · The casting operators is the modern C++ solution for converting one type of data safely to another type. This process is called typecasting.
Oct 16, 2022 · Four different cast operators apply to Windows Runtime types: static_cast Operator, dynamic_cast Operator, safe_cast Operator, and reinterpret_cast Operator.
Dec 26, 2022 · Static cast: This is the most basic type of cast. It can be used to convert a value from one type to another, as long as the types are ...
Aug 2, 2021 · dynamic_cast Used for conversion of polymorphic types. · static_cast Used for conversion of nonpolymorphic types. · const_cast Used to remove the ...
Explicit type conversion - cppreference.com - C++ Reference
en.cppreference.com › cpp › explicit_cast
Jan 19, 2025 · Explicitly converts any number of values to a value of the target type. 1) Explicit type conversion (cast notation), also called C-style cast.
Jan 30, 2015 · As mentioned in other answers, casts are written explicitly. The standard refers to them as explicit type conversions; [expr.cast]/2:.
The generally accepted order is: const_cast, static_cast, reinterpret_cast, and dynamic_cast. These are discussed in the following sections. Smart C++ ...
7 days ago · Static Cast: Used for standard compile time type conversions. · Dynamic Cast: Used for runtime type conversion in polymorphism and inheritance.
Dec 17, 2023 · In C++, there are two main types of casting: implicit casting (also known as type coercion) and explicit casting. 1. Implicit Casting (Type ...