Small explanatory question "Cast" in C++

Development Programming & Scripting C++
1

Hello friends of the code. Relatively new to C++.

Can anyone explain to me exactly what “cast” is good for in C++, using this example or in general?

I am in an actor “weapon”.

APawn* OwnerPawn = Cast<APawn>(GetOwner());

AController* OwnerController = OwnerPawn->GetController();

FVector Location;

FRotator Rotation;

OwnerController->GetPlayerViewPoint(Location, Rotation);

2

A Cast tells the compiler to treat a pointer as being a specific class.

In your example, GetOwner() returns an AActor. This AActor may or may not be a APawn.

The cast tells the compiler to treat the pointer returned by GetOwner as an APawn.

3

Thanks for the answer, and why would you do that? What is casting good for?

4

Because without casting in this case, you wouldn’t be able to call functions from APawn or access it’s properties.

5

I think I have understood the hierarchy and meaning of Cast.

Is there a page where you can see hierarchically all classes correctly assigned?

6

Use Documentation:

Inheritance Hierarchy:
APawn: APawn | Unreal Engine Documentation

7

Unfortunately there is no general view.
I also had the impression that classes are arranged next to each other. That is still missing. But thanks.

8

Cast here will check a class id for object and will compare a class id of the template class argument. If they have a match (i mean if one inherits another) - then a static_cast will be performed. It is like a dynamic_cast in c++. But unreal engine works without rtti and that is why it has a custom implementation.
google dynamic_cast and rtti for more information.