Type conversion
Type conversion transforms a value from one data type to another, either through an explicit operation or an implicit language rule.
Type coercion: Implicit conversion changes a value’s type as part of an operation or language rule. This is the implicit form of conversion, often triggered by operators or function calls.
Data type: A classification that determines the values a program can represent and the operations it can perform. Conversion changes the classification governing a value’s allowed operations.
Type reinterpretation: An operation views the same underlying bits as a different type without converting their encoded value. Unlike conversion, reinterpretation can preserve bits while changing their meaning.
Foreign-function interface: A mechanism that lets code in one language call functions or access data from another. Cross-language calls often require conversions between incompatible type representations.
Type casting: An explicit operation requests that a value be treated as or converted to another type. Casts make conversion visible in source code, though their safety and behavior vary by language.
Type system: A programming language’s rules for assigning, checking, and using types. Its rules determine which conversions are permitted, inferred, or rejected.
Parsing: The analysis of text according to a grammar to produce structured data. Parsing may create a typed value from text, but it is not simply a type change.
Database type conversion: The conversion of values between database column types or between database and application types. Queries and drivers convert values at boundaries between stored data and program objects.
Numeric conversion: A conversion between numeric representations, such as integers, floating-point numbers, and decimals. Numeric conversions expose rounding, overflow, and precision loss especially clearly.
Type safety: A property of a language or program that restricts operations to those valid for a value’s type. Conversion rules affect whether type changes preserve safe operations.