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  4. Cannot implicitly convert type 'object' to 'bool'

Cannot implicitly convert type 'object' to 'bool'

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  • T Tichaona J

    I keep getting the below error message when I try and run my code. Error 3 Cannot implicitly convert type 'object' to 'bool'. An explicit conversion exists (are you missing a cast?) When I try run the below code: private void Pause_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e) { if (btnPause.Content = "Pause") <<<<

    T Offline
    T Offline
    tom1443
    wrote on last edited by
    #20

    Ah, bitten by the old "==" typo. Don't feel bad it was my first coding mistake in C 25 years ago. I still occasionally make that error but it usually takes me a whole lot less time to find it.

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    0
    • T Tichaona J

      I keep getting the below error message when I try and run my code. Error 3 Cannot implicitly convert type 'object' to 'bool'. An explicit conversion exists (are you missing a cast?) When I try run the below code: private void Pause_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e) { if (btnPause.Content = "Pause") <<<<

      D Offline
      D Offline
      Devi Ganesan
      wrote on last edited by
      #21

      error in line "if (btnPause.Content = "Pause") " it should be like btnpauser.content == "Pause" hopefully this should fix the error

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      • L Luc Pattyn

        it really should say

        if() expects a boolean and "btnPause.Content" isn't a boolean nor convertible to one

        and it could add

        there is an assignment in your expression; did you intend to test for equality? if so use ==

        Why can't error messages be very specific, after all the parser is specific when it checks things.

        harold aptroot wrote:

        I did not vote "bad answer"

        Neither did I, although I didn't like it much; the user should not change his habits just because the compiler lacks proper error reporting. The suggestion may be OK for C/C++, but doesn't help much for C# code. :)

        Luc Pattyn [Forum Guidelines] [Why QA sucks] [My Articles] Nil Volentibus Arduum

        Please use <PRE> tags for code snippets, they preserve indentation, and improve readability.

        modified on Saturday, August 7, 2010 10:51 AM

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        T Offline
        TNCaver
        wrote on last edited by
        #22

        Here's a radical idea: why not throw out the '==' and '===' confusion and make the compiler use the single '=' as either an assignment or a comparative operator depending on the context, like VB does? Oh yeah, because we don't want C# to be like VB with all the stigma associated with such simpleton languages. Sorry, I forgot.

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        • T TNCaver

          Here's a radical idea: why not throw out the '==' and '===' confusion and make the compiler use the single '=' as either an assignment or a comparative operator depending on the context, like VB does? Oh yeah, because we don't want C# to be like VB with all the stigma associated with such simpleton languages. Sorry, I forgot.

          L Offline
          L Offline
          Luc Pattyn
          wrote on last edited by
          #23

          I don't care much what symbol(s) get used for operators, I started out in Fortran which used .EQ. for equality testing. However if assignment and equality test operators coincide, some semantics get lost, as in a=b==c versus a=b=c; there is only so much context analysis can do. :)

          Luc Pattyn [Forum Guidelines] [Why QA sucks] [My Articles] Nil Volentibus Arduum

          Please use <PRE> tags for code snippets, they preserve indentation, and improve readability.

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          • T Tichaona J

            I keep getting the below error message when I try and run my code. Error 3 Cannot implicitly convert type 'object' to 'bool'. An explicit conversion exists (are you missing a cast?) When I try run the below code: private void Pause_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e) { if (btnPause.Content = "Pause") <<<<

            B Offline
            B Offline
            Bob1000
            wrote on last edited by
            #24

            Silly mistake, but hey CodeProject a bit of downer to place this question on the daily news email. or maybe someone is having a bad day and wants to pass it on.....:)

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            • O Orjan Westin

              Yes, I saw that once I'd replied. It was the changed subject line that threw me off. Sorry, I'm new in the neighbourhood. :)

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              E Offline
              ErrolErrol
              wrote on last edited by
              #25

              Ok, first things first...If this is August 10th, I will gladly eat this post. Why are the messages all dated the 10th? Secondly, being "new in the neighbourhood" sounds like a good reason for everyone to pile on and really "get you" for not plowing through all of the messages!! LOL! :laugh:

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              • T TNCaver

                Here's a radical idea: why not throw out the '==' and '===' confusion and make the compiler use the single '=' as either an assignment or a comparative operator depending on the context, like VB does? Oh yeah, because we don't want C# to be like VB with all the stigma associated with such simpleton languages. Sorry, I forgot.

                K Offline
                K Offline
                Kenneth Kasajian
                wrote on last edited by
                #26

                You joke, but there's a lot of truth to that. you need the braces { and the weird 'for' syntax, the ++/-- operators and == for equality. it means it's a real programming language. Microsoft could have solved all of the technical problems without C#, by simply releasing .NET with only VB as the language, and it would simply have been the new version of VB, and the rest of us would be dealing with CString and MFC message maps. But now we get to implement IDispoable!

                ken@kasajian.com / www.kasajian.com

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                • L Lost User

                  :(( suitably chastised ...

                  It's time for a new signature.

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                  alton turner
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #27

                  I thought it was a good idea, though I could never do that myself.

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                  • L Lost User

                    Instead of coding:

                    if (btnPause.Content == "Pause")

                    try writing it this way round

                    if ("Pause" == btnPause.Content)

                    then when you inadvertently miss one of the = signs the compiler will give you a much more useful message.

                    It's time for a new signature.

                    J Offline
                    J Offline
                    Jonathan C Dickinson
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #28

                    Yeugh! That looks too much like C++ for my liking. The alternate compiler error is just as confusing; and the alternate code is more confusing to read. The reason they did things the second way in C++ is because:

                    if (btnPause->Content = "Pause") // Compiles with no errors or warnings NPNPNP

                    And:

                    if ("Pause" = btnPause->Content) // Doesn't compile (error)

                    We don't need to resort to such language hacks in C#. Please, for the kittens!

                    He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes. He who does not ask a question remains a fool forever. [Chineese Proverb] Jonathan C Dickinson (C# Software Engineer)

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                    • T TNCaver

                      Here's a radical idea: why not throw out the '==' and '===' confusion and make the compiler use the single '=' as either an assignment or a comparative operator depending on the context, like VB does? Oh yeah, because we don't want C# to be like VB with all the stigma associated with such simpleton languages. Sorry, I forgot.

                      J Offline
                      J Offline
                      Jonathan C Dickinson
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #29

                      Nope. Firstly, there is no === in C#. Secondly the 'inconvenience' of == is outweighed by its benefit. For example:

                      while((line = reader.ReadLine()) != null)

                      This would be more difficult to read (albeit probably less confusing) without the explicit identity equality operator:

                      line = reader.ReadLine();
                      while(line != null)
                      {

                      line = reader.ReadLine();
                      }

                      The second block has absolutely no intent locality (keeping the same ideas in the same place in code).

                      He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes. He who does not ask a question remains a fool forever. [Chineese Proverb] Jonathan C Dickinson (C# Software Engineer)

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                      • C cor2879

                        Personally when performing value comparisons with strings (and many other types) I find I am far less prone to syntax errors if I make myself use the "Equals" method. With strings in particular, it is a good practice to use the static method

                        String.Equals(string a, string b)

                        as this eliminates the possibility of a null reference exception. With this in mind, the boolean in your if statement would look like this:

                        if (String.Equals(btnPause.Content, "Pause"))

                        "We are men of action; lies do not become us."

                        J Offline
                        J Offline
                        Jonathan C Dickinson
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #30

                        You can't get a NRE using the == operator. The .Net runtime essentially does this:

                         if (Object.ReferenceEquals(a, null) && Object.ReferenceEquals(b, null)) return true;
                        

                        else if (Object.ReferenceEquals(a, null) || Object.ReferenceEquals(b, null)) return false;
                        else return a.Equals(b);

                        Unless you override the == operator (in which case you should do this in the header). The String.Equals is better because you would be more inclined to use the StringComparison enum[^] - but that is only the case for Strings.

                        He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes. He who does not ask a question remains a fool forever. [Chineese Proverb] Jonathan C Dickinson (C# Software Engineer)

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                        • J Jonathan C Dickinson

                          Nope. Firstly, there is no === in C#. Secondly the 'inconvenience' of == is outweighed by its benefit. For example:

                          while((line = reader.ReadLine()) != null)

                          This would be more difficult to read (albeit probably less confusing) without the explicit identity equality operator:

                          line = reader.ReadLine();
                          while(line != null)
                          {

                          line = reader.ReadLine();
                          }

                          The second block has absolutely no intent locality (keeping the same ideas in the same place in code).

                          He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes. He who does not ask a question remains a fool forever. [Chineese Proverb] Jonathan C Dickinson (C# Software Engineer)

                          L Offline
                          L Offline
                          Lost User
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #31

                          Jonathan C Dickinson wrote:

                          This would be more difficult to read (albeit probably less confusing) without the explicit identity equality operator:

                          Except your example uses the inequality operator. :doh:

                          It's time for a new signature.

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                          • L Lost User

                            Jonathan C Dickinson wrote:

                            This would be more difficult to read (albeit probably less confusing) without the explicit identity equality operator:

                            Except your example uses the inequality operator. :doh:

                            It's time for a new signature.

                            J Offline
                            J Offline
                            Jonathan C Dickinson
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #32

                            I was talking hypothetically, i.e. if '=' was the identity equality operator; expressions like the one I used wouldn't work.

                            while((line == reader.ReadLine()) != null) { } // This is what I was talking about.

                            He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes. He who does not ask a question remains a fool forever. [Chineese Proverb] Jonathan C Dickinson (C# Software Engineer)

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                            • J Jonathan C Dickinson

                              I was talking hypothetically, i.e. if '=' was the identity equality operator; expressions like the one I used wouldn't work.

                              while((line == reader.ReadLine()) != null) { } // This is what I was talking about.

                              He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes. He who does not ask a question remains a fool forever. [Chineese Proverb] Jonathan C Dickinson (C# Software Engineer)

                              L Offline
                              L Offline
                              Lost User
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #33

                              Jonathan C Dickinson wrote:

                              if '=' was the identity equality operator; expressions like the one I used wouldn't work.

                              I don't see that that follows, since the compiler would still recognise != as the not equals operator.

                              It's time for a new signature.

                              J 1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • L Lost User

                                Jonathan C Dickinson wrote:

                                if '=' was the identity equality operator; expressions like the one I used wouldn't work.

                                I don't see that that follows, since the compiler would still recognise != as the not equals operator.

                                It's time for a new signature.

                                J Offline
                                J Offline
                                Jonathan C Dickinson
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #34

                                Hurm... The example doesn't need a == operator because it is demonstrating what is possible when a = and a == are distinct. With == around; = becomes more versatile. Because = is more versatile the example I gave is possible. If there was only = (and no ==) the example I gave simply wouldn't work (you would get an warning saying that a boolean is never null). I think the mathematical term for this kind of 'proof' is proof by contradiction. The compiler would recognize != as the not equals operator, BUT it would recognize the = as identity equality and not assignment. Thus the AST would look (where the VB-route is taken) something like this: WHILESTMT(BOOLEXPR(BOOLEXPR("line", Operator.IdentityEquality, "reader.ReadLine"), Operator.IdentityInequality, NULL)) As opposed to (and why my example works): WHILESTMT(BOOLEXPR(BOOLEXPR("line", **_Operator.Assign_**, "reader.ReadLine"), Operator.IdentityInequality, NULL)) More simply, the following expression results in a boolean type (and boolean value) in VB: a = b In C# is results in the type of 'a' (and the value contained by 'a'). Which is why these statements are possible: int0 = int1 = int2 = int3 = int4 = 0; // Set all to 0.

                                He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes. He who does not ask a question remains a fool forever. [Chineese Proverb] Jonathan C Dickinson (C# Software Engineer)

                                L 1 Reply Last reply
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                                • J Jonathan C Dickinson

                                  Hurm... The example doesn't need a == operator because it is demonstrating what is possible when a = and a == are distinct. With == around; = becomes more versatile. Because = is more versatile the example I gave is possible. If there was only = (and no ==) the example I gave simply wouldn't work (you would get an warning saying that a boolean is never null). I think the mathematical term for this kind of 'proof' is proof by contradiction. The compiler would recognize != as the not equals operator, BUT it would recognize the = as identity equality and not assignment. Thus the AST would look (where the VB-route is taken) something like this: WHILESTMT(BOOLEXPR(BOOLEXPR("line", Operator.IdentityEquality, "reader.ReadLine"), Operator.IdentityInequality, NULL)) As opposed to (and why my example works): WHILESTMT(BOOLEXPR(BOOLEXPR("line", **_Operator.Assign_**, "reader.ReadLine"), Operator.IdentityInequality, NULL)) More simply, the following expression results in a boolean type (and boolean value) in VB: a = b In C# is results in the type of 'a' (and the value contained by 'a'). Which is why these statements are possible: int0 = int1 = int2 = int3 = int4 = 0; // Set all to 0.

                                  He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes. He who does not ask a question remains a fool forever. [Chineese Proverb] Jonathan C Dickinson (C# Software Engineer)

                                  L Offline
                                  L Offline
                                  Lost User
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #35

                                  :confused:

                                  It's time for a new signature.

                                  J 1 Reply Last reply
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                                  • J Jonathan C Dickinson

                                    You can't get a NRE using the == operator. The .Net runtime essentially does this:

                                     if (Object.ReferenceEquals(a, null) && Object.ReferenceEquals(b, null)) return true;
                                    

                                    else if (Object.ReferenceEquals(a, null) || Object.ReferenceEquals(b, null)) return false;
                                    else return a.Equals(b);

                                    Unless you override the == operator (in which case you should do this in the header). The String.Equals is better because you would be more inclined to use the StringComparison enum[^] - but that is only the case for Strings.

                                    He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes. He who does not ask a question remains a fool forever. [Chineese Proverb] Jonathan C Dickinson (C# Software Engineer)

                                    C Offline
                                    C Offline
                                    cor2879
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #36

                                    Jonathan, I can see why my language may have been confusing. I was not meaning to imply that using the == operator would result in a NullReferenceException. My first statement was that the "Equals" method should be used to make the comparison, and I then went on to state that the static method should be preferred for strings (rather than the instance method) since using the instance method could result in a NullReferenceException while using the static method will not. Looking back at my post, however, I can see why one might think I was implying something different, which was not my intent. Regardless, thanks.

                                    "We are men of action; lies do not become us."

                                    1 Reply Last reply
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                                    • E ErrolErrol

                                      Ok, first things first...If this is August 10th, I will gladly eat this post. Why are the messages all dated the 10th? Secondly, being "new in the neighbourhood" sounds like a good reason for everyone to pile on and really "get you" for not plowing through all of the messages!! LOL! :laugh:

                                      O Offline
                                      O Offline
                                      Orjan Westin
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #37

                                      The messages are dated [date] [month] [year], so they're all posted in 2010, or '10 for short. And it's August 10th now... As for piling on, I'd expect to be shouted at for factual errors, or bad advice (like saying "Use Emacs" ;-) but not so much for being a newbie. And should that happen, well, I've been online long enough to grow a reasonably thick skin.

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                                      • L Lost User

                                        :confused:

                                        It's time for a new signature.

                                        J Offline
                                        J Offline
                                        Jonathan C Dickinson
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #38

                                        *shrug* :)

                                        He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes. He who does not ask a question remains a fool forever. [Chineese Proverb] Jonathan C Dickinson (C# Software Engineer)

                                        1 Reply Last reply
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                                        • L Lost User

                                          Instead of coding:

                                          if (btnPause.Content == "Pause")

                                          try writing it this way round

                                          if ("Pause" == btnPause.Content)

                                          then when you inadvertently miss one of the = signs the compiler will give you a much more useful message.

                                          It's time for a new signature.

                                          S Offline
                                          S Offline
                                          Stefan_Lang
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #39

                                          The point isn't that the compiler gives a more useful message (as has been pointed out), the point is it will give an error message even if the type in question in fact has a conversion-to-bool operator! Whether or not you cannot figure out what the actual cause of the resulting message is, is an entirely different question. I'd suppose everyone intelligent enough to put literals on the left hand side of a comparison will recognise what it means when the compiler states he wants an lvalue! At least I am ;)

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