How to: Define a Conversion Operator [msdn]

because of my project, learned something about VB.NET. and now by chance, find this stuff. it's pretty cool.

Visual Studio 2005

Other Versions

 

If you have defined a class or structure, you can define a type conversion operator between the type of your class or structure and another data type (such as Integer, Double, or String).

Define the type conversion as a CType Function procedure within the class or structure. All conversion procedures must be Public Shared, and each one must specify either Widening or Narrowing.

Defining an operator on a class or structure is also called overloading the operator.

The following example defines conversion operators between a structure called digit and a Byte.

VB

C#

C++

F#

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Public Structure digit
Private dig As Byte
Public Sub New(ByVal b As Byte)
If (b < 0 OrElse b > 9) Then Throw New _
System.ArgumentException("Argument outside range for Byte")
Me.dig = b
End Sub
Public Shared Widening Operator CType(ByVal d As digit) As Byte
Return d.dig
End Operator
Public Shared Narrowing Operator CType(ByVal b As Byte) As digit
Return New digit(b)
End Operator
End Structure

You can test the structure digit with the following code.

VB

C#

C++

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JScript

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Public Sub consumeDigit()
Dim d1 As New digit(4)
Dim d2 As New digit(7)
Dim d3 As digit = CType(CByte(3), digit)
Dim s As String = "Initial 4 generates " & CStr(CType(d1, Byte)) _
& vbCrLf & "Initial 7 generates " & CStr(CType(d2, Byte)) _
& vbCrLf & "Converted 3 generates " & CStr(CType(d3, Byte))
Try
Dim d4 As digit
d4 = CType(CType(d1, Byte) + CType(d2, Byte), digit)
Catch e4 As System.Exception
s &= vbCrLf & "4 + 7 generates " & """" & e4.Message & """"
End Try
Try
Dim d5 As digit = CType(CByte(10), digit)
Catch e5 As System.Exception
s &= vbCrLf & "Initial 10 generates " & """" & e5.Message & """"
End Try
MsgBox(s)
End Sub