Use reinterpret_cast<> operator for unsafe, non-portable casts

Use reinterpret_cast<> operator for unsafe, non-portable casts

If your code contains unsafe type casts, such as casting an int to a pointer (which is not considered a standard conversion as opposed to casting an int to a float) or converting a pointer-to-function into void *, you should use the reinterpret_cast<> operator:

 void * = (void *) 0x00ff; //C-style cast; should not be used in C++ code 

Operator reinterpret_cast<> has the following form:

 reinterpret_cast (from)

For example:

 void *p = reiterpret_cast (0x00fff); //correct form

You should choose the C++ cast operators over C-style cast for the following reasons:

  1. C-style cast is a deprecated feature and hence is not guaranteed to be supported in future versions of the C++ language.
  2. When using reinterpret_cast<> for unsafe casts (for example, casts of one type to another non-related type), you make your intention more explicit to both the human reader and the compiler.
  3. When porting software to different platforms, the reinterpret_cast<> statements will most likely have to be modified, so marking them in advance will make the migration task easier.
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