What Is The Right Way To Use reinterpret_cast In C++?

What is casting in C++? What is a cast operator? What types of casting can be used in a C++ app? What is reinterpret_cast in C++? How can I use reinterpret_cast in C++?

C++ is a fast and powerful programming language suitable for all types of purposes.

In this post, we will explain how to use reinterpret_cast in C++. Before this, let’s recap what is meant by ‘casting’ in C++.

What is casting in C++?

Casting is a technique to convert one data type to another data type. The operator used for this purpose is known as the cast operator. It is a unary operator which forces one data type to be converted into another data type.

In C++, a cast operator is an Unary Operator which forces one data type to be converted into another data type.
In general, C++ supports four types of casting:

1. Static Cast (static_cast)
2. Dynamic Cast (dynamic_cast)
3. Constant Cast (const_cast)
4. Reinterpret Cast (reinterpret_cast)

What is reinterpret_cast?

ReInterpret Cast (reinterpret_cast) is a cast operator that converts a pointer of some data type into a pointer of another data type, even if the the data types before and after conversion are different. reninterpret_cast does not check if the pointer type and data pointed by the pointer is same or not. In another terms reinterpret_cast converts type to another type by reinterpreting the underlying bit pattern which is pointed by a pointer.

reinterpret_cast only guarantees that if you cast a pointer to a different type, and then reinterpret_cast it back to the original type, you get the original value. So in the following:

Syntax for the reinterpret_cast:

Is there an example of how to use reinterpret_cast?

This is a simple example of how to use reinterpret_cast.

Here is a full example

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