Sometimes, converting a data value from one type to another is needed in programming, so here we see how to do that in Red. We also get more insight into how all Red types are connected together.
More about types
Converting types
A type determines the operations you can perform on its values; for example, adding strings doesn't exist in Red:
;-- see Chapter03/converting-types.red:
"12" + "34"
*** Script Error: + does not allow string! for its value1 argument
*** Where: +
If what we really meant was adding two integers, then we must first convert the strings to integers with to-integer:
(to-integer "12") + (to-integer "34") ; == 46
What happens if you remove the first pair of parentheses...