How to: Convert an Object to Another Type in Visual Basic

You convert an Object variable to another data type by using a conversion keyword such as CType Function (Visual Basic).

Example

The following example converts an Object variable to an Integer and a String.

Public Sub objectConversion(ByVal anObject As Object)
    Dim anInteger As Integer
    Dim aString As String
    anInteger = CType(anObject, Integer)
    aString = CType(anObject, String)
End Sub

If you know that the contents of an Object variable are of a particular data type, it is better to convert the variable to that data type. If you continue to use the Object variable, you incur either boxing and unboxing (for a value type) or late binding (for a reference type). These operations all take extra execution time and make your performance slower.

Compiling the Code

This example requires:

• A reference to the System namespace.

See Also

Reference

Data Type Summary (Visual Basic)

Type Conversion Functions (Visual Basic)

Object

Concepts

Widening and Narrowing Conversions (Visual Basic)

Implicit and Explicit Conversions (Visual Basic)

Value Changes During Conversions (Visual Basic)

Conversions Between Strings and Other Types (Visual Basic)

Array Conversions (Visual Basic)

Typeless Programming in Visual Basic

Other Resources

Type Conversions in Visual Basic

Structures (Visual Basic)