Java Object type casting
Converting object reference of one type to another type is called Java object typecasting. Casting is a programming term that means, effectively, converting a value or an object from one type to another. The result of a cast is a new value or object; casting does not change the original object or value.
The class of the object you're casting and the class you're casting it to must be related by inheritance; that is, you can cast an object only to an instance of its class's sub- or superclass-not to any random class. Casting downward in the class hierarchy is automatic, but casting upward is not.
There are two types of object typecasting:
1. upcasting
2. downcasting
Upcasting:
Upcasting is implicit and safe. Here subclass object is converted to superclass object, because a subclass object is also a superclass object.
Downcasting:
Down-casting is potentially unsafe, because you could attempt to use a method that the derived class does not actually implement. With this in mind, down-casting is always explicit, that is, we are always specifying the type we are down-casting to. Converting an instance of a subclass to an instance of a superclass loses the information
Upcasting vs Downcasting
Given Below is a program which easily demonstrates the difference between Upcasting and downcastin in Java.
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Vehicle v1 = new Car(); / /Right . upcasting or implicit casting
Vehicle v2= new Vehicle();
Car c0 = v1; // Wrong compile time error "Type Mismatch"
//Explicit or downcasting is required
Car c1 = (Car) v1 // Right. downcasting or explicit casting . v1 has a knowledge //of Car due to line 1
Car c2= (Car) v2; //Wrong Runtime exception ClassCastException because v2 //has no knowledge of Car.
Bus b1 = new BMW(); //Wrong compile time error "type mismatch"
Car c3 = new BMW(); //Right. Upcasting or implicit casting
Car c4 = (BMW) v1; // Wrong Runtime exception ClassCastexception
Object o = v1; //v1 can only be upcast to its parent
Car c5 = (Car) v1; // v1 can be downcast to Car due to line 1
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- ClassCastException is thrown to indicate that code has attempted to cast an object to a subclass of which it is not an instance. Use exception handling mechanism to catch ClassCastException
- Use the instanceof operator to guard against incorrect casting.
