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RUST Data Type Conversion

December 17, 2023

Type Conversion

Generally type conversion in RUST is where we convert in one values data type to another data type.

There are two kinds of Type Conversions.

Explicitly One: Where programmer explicitly mention the type change using keywords like asor using function like try_into()
Implicit One: when compiler automatically does the conversion when necessary

Explicit Conversion

We can use the keyword as for type conversion for example.

				
					let a: u32 = 23;

let b: f64 = a as f64;

We use try_into() function for cases where we are not sure the end result of the Type conversion and this will return a Result Type, which can be a converted value or the error.

				
					let x: u32 = 128;
// convert u32 to u8, may panic if overflow
let y: u8 = x.try_into().unwrap();

Implicit Conversion

The small integers are automatically promoted to larger integers when used in expressions by the complier.

				
					let a: u8 = 80;

// u8 automatically gets promoted to u32
let x: u32 = a + 120 ;

Other Type conversions

Integer to string

using to_string() function.

				
					let a:u32 = 36
let b:String = a.to_string();

Sting to Integer

				
					let a: String = "23".to_string();

// This can panic as this conversion can fail
let b: u32 = a.parse().unwrap();

Array to Vector

				
					let a: [u32, 5] = [12,32,34,19,90];

let b: Vec<u32> = a.to_vec();

Points to remember during Type conversion in RUST

Overflow: Converting between types with different sizes can lead to overflow. Use try_into() or handle potential overflows explicitly.
Loss of precision: Converting from a larger type to a smaller one may lose information. Be aware of potential precision loss.
Type safety: Rust's type system ensures type safety, preventing many errors related to type mismatching.