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C# Tutorial 3.4: Type Conversions

 Type conversions, also known as type casting, allow you to convert a value from one data type to another. C# provides two types of conversions: implicit and explicit. Let's explore how to perform type conversions in C#.

1. Implicit Conversions:

Implicit conversions are performed by the C# compiler automatically when there is no risk of data loss. For example, converting from a smaller data type to a larger one.

using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        // Implicit conversion from int to double
        int intValue = 42;
        double doubleValue = intValue;

        // Display the result
        Console.WriteLine($"intValue: {intValue}");
        Console.WriteLine($"doubleValue: {doubleValue}");
    }
}

In this example, the int value is implicitly converted to a double because there is no risk of data loss.

2. Explicit Conversions:

Explicit conversions, also known as casting, are performed when there is a risk of data loss, and you need to explicitly tell the compiler to perform the conversion.

using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        // Explicit conversion from double to int
        double doubleValue = 42.56;
        int intValue = (int)doubleValue;

        // Display the result
        Console.WriteLine($"doubleValue: {doubleValue}");
        Console.WriteLine($"intValue: {intValue}");
    }
}

In this example, the double value is explicitly cast to an int. Note that this may result in the loss of the fractional part of the number.

3. Common Type Conversion Methods:

C# provides methods to perform common type conversions. Here are a few examples:

a. Convert Class:

The Convert class provides methods for converting various types to other types.

using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        // Using Convert.ToInt32() method
        double doubleValue = 42.56;
        int intValue = Convert.ToInt32(doubleValue);

        // Display the result
        Console.WriteLine($"doubleValue: {doubleValue}");
        Console.WriteLine($"intValue: {intValue}");
    }
}


b. Parse Methods:

Many data types have parse methods that allow you to convert a string representation to the respective type.

using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        // Using int.Parse() method
        string numberString = "123";
        int intValue = int.Parse(numberString);

        // Display the result
        Console.WriteLine($"numberString: {numberString}");
        Console.WriteLine($"intValue: {intValue}");
    }
}

4. Handling Type Conversion Errors:

When performing explicit conversions or using parse methods, it's important to handle potential conversion errors, especially when dealing with user input.

using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        // Handling conversion errors
        string userInput = "abc";
        int result;

        if (int.TryParse(userInput, out result))
        {
            Console.WriteLine($"Successfully converted: {result}");
        }
        else
        {
            Console.WriteLine("Conversion failed. Please enter a valid number.");
        }
    }
}


In this example, int.TryParse is used to attempt the conversion, and it returns a boolean indicating success. The converted value is stored in the result variable.

5. Run the Programs:

Press F5 or click the "Start Debugging" button to build and run each program.

6. Experiment:

  • Try different conversion scenarios.
  • Experiment with different data types and conversion methods.

Congratulations! You've learned about type conversions in C#. In the next tutorial, we'll explore control flow statements, starting with if statements.

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