In this tutorial, you will learn how to convert one data type to another using typecasting with the help of examples.
Typecasting means converting one data type to another. In C language, you can typecast data type one to another using the cast operator which is denoted by (type). For example, if you want to store an integer value into a float variable then you need to typecast ‘int’ to ‘float’.
Syntax
(type) expression
Note: It is always recommended to convert the lower value to higher to avoid data loss.
Example without typecasting
Let’s check an example where we will try to store an integer value into a float variable after dividing with another integer value.
#include <stdio.h>
int main()
{
float f = 5 / 2;
printf("f : %f\n", f);
return 0;
}
Output
As you can see from the above example that c compiler does not typecast the value automatically before dividing. Hence, the output of the division is 2. Now the value 2 stores in the float variable and the C compiler automatically typecast it while storing the value.
Example with typecasting
Now we perform explicit typecasting using cast operator while dividing two integer values.
#include <stdio.h>
int main()
{
float f = (float)5 / 2;
printf("f : %f\n", f);
return 0;
}
Output
In this case, the C compiler type cast integer values into float and then performs the division operation.