Explicit conversion is the act of deliberately converting a value from one data type to another, like casting a float to an int in Java or C++. It's commonly used when interfacing with legacy systems or code written by that one developer who rage quit and now lives off the grid in Montana.
"I had to use explicit conversion on the JSON payload from the Node.js service because the intern forgot to cast the user's age to an integer."
"When I saw the explicit conversion in the legacy Perl codebase, I knew it was going to be a long night of refactoring and questioning my life choices."
Type Conversion in C++ - If you enjoy unreadable template error messages and shooting yourself in the foot, this article is for you.
Type Conversion in Java - For those times when you need to convert a String
to an int
because some enterprise architect decided that was a good idea in 2004.
Type Casting and Type Conversion in Python - Let's be real, no one actually uses explicit type conversion in Python. We just let the interpreter figure it out and hope for the best.
Note: the Developer Dictionary is in Beta. Please direct feedback to skye@statsig.com.