[Tutor] how come this doesnt work

[Alex Hall]

On 1/15/11, Alan Gauld <alan.gauld at btinternet.com> wrote:
> "Alex Hall" <mehgcap at gmail.com> wrote
>
>> m=int(m)
>> just before the if statement. This causes m to turn from a string
>> into
>> an integer and is what is known as "casting" or "type casting", if I
>> have my vocabulary correct.
>
> Sadly you don't although its a common error.
>
> This is type conversion. You are actually changing the type of m.
>
> Type casting is something very different and is not really available
> in Python (except by underhand use of the struct module!). In type
> casting you tell the intertpreter to treat the bit pattern of one
> variable
> as if it were a different type but do not actually change the
> underlying
> bit pattern. Its used a lot in low level languages such as C but is
> not
> very useful in Python.
Thanks. That is very interesting, and I never knew that!
>
>
> Sorry to be pedantic, and if you hadn't mentioned correct
> vocabulary I probably wouldn't have bothered correcting it. :-)
Don't be sorry; it is always good to get terms right, and now I know
the difference between casting and type conversion. Very cool.
>
> HTH,
>
> --
> Alan Gauld
> Author of the Learn to Program web site
> http://www.alan-g.me.uk/
>
>
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-- 
Have a great day,
Alex (msg sent from GMail website)
mehgcap at gmail.com; http://www.facebook.com/mehgcap