Pro C# 2010 and the .NET 4 Platform, Fifth Edition

12.3. Understanding Custom Type Conversions

Let's now examine a topic closely related to operator overloading: custom type conversions. To set the stage for the discussion, let's quickly review the notion of explicit and implicit conversions between numerical data and related class types.

12.3.1. Recall: Numerical Conversions

In terms of the intrinsic numerical types (sbyte, int, float, etc.), an explicit conversion is required when you attempt to store a larger value in a smaller container as this may result in a loss of data. Basically, this is your way to tell the compiler, "Leave me alone, I know what I am trying to do." Conversely, an implicit conversion happens automatically when you attempt to place a smaller type in a destination type ...