The convert function can also be used explicitly in the code as convert(Int64, 7.0), which returns 7.
In general, convert(Type, x) will attempt to put the x value in an instance of Type. In most cases, type(x) will also do the trick, as in Int64(7.0), returning 7.
The conversion, however, doesn't always work:
- When precision is lost—Int64(7.01)returns an ERROR: InexactError() error message
- When the target type is incompatible with the source value—convert(Int64, "CV") returns an ERROR: MethodError: Cannot `convert` an object of type String to an object of type Int64 error message
This last error message really shows us how multiple dispatch works; the types of the input arguments are matched against the methods ...
