Type Conversion and Casting in Java

Type Conversion is the process of converting one data type into another.

• In Java, this is especially important when performing operations between different types (like int and float).

Two Types of Type Conversion in Java:

• Implicit Conversion
• Explicit Conversion

1.) Implicit Conversion:

Automatically done by the Java compiler when converting a smaller type to a larger type.

Syntax:

dataType2 var = var1; // var1 is of smaller type

Example:

int a = 10;
double b = a; // int to double
System.out.println(b); // Output: 10.0

2.) Explicit Conversion:

Must be manually done by the programmer when converting a larger type to a smaller type.

Syntax:

dataType2 var = (dataType2) var1; // var1 is of larger type

Example:

double a = 10.5;
int b = (int) a; // double to int
System.out.println(b); // Output: 10

Best Practices:

• Use implicit conversion when possible.
• Use explicit casting carefully to avoid unexpected results.
• Always test for data loss when casting larger to smaller types.