lesson11.txt

C++ is a programming language. It is a programming language of many different dialects, just like

							Lesson 11: Typcasting
							
	Admitedly, typecasting is not a huge part of C or C++ programming.  However, there are times
when it is actually the best, or perhaps only, way to accomplish something.  Typecasting is
basically turning a variable of one type, say an int, into another type, a char, for one a single 
application.  

	Typecasts look like a data-type, like int, in between two parentheses. (char)aninteger will 
interpreted as a character for purposes of the function.

For example:
#include <iostream.h> //For cout

void main()       
{
  cout<<(char)65; //The (char) is a type cast, telling the computer to interpret the 64 as a 
  //character, not as a number.  It is going to give the ASCII output of the 
  //equivalent of the number 64(It should be the letter A).
}

	One use of typecasting is when you want to use the ASCII characters.  For example, what if 
you want to create your own chart of all 255 ASCII characters.  To do this, you will need to use
a typecast to allow you to print out the integer as a character.

#include <iostream.h> 
#include <conio.h>

void main()
{
  for(int x=1; x<256; x++) //The ASCII character set is from 1 to 255
  {
    cout<<x<<". "<<(char)x<<" "; //Note the use of the int version of x to output a number
				//and the use of (char) to typecast the x into a character 
				 //which outputs the ASCII character that corresponds to the 
				 //current number
  }
  getch();
}

	You can make a version of this program that will allow the user to enter a number, and the 
program could give the user the character corresponding to the number.  

	Typecasting is more useful than this, but this was just an introduction.  Admittedly, not 
the most advanced lesson, but one that can be very useful none-the-less.

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