how is "castOther " object which is of type object gets casted to object bof Account type

[monis raza]

package firing;

import org.apache.commons.lang3.builder.EqualsBuilder;
import org.apache.commons.lang3.builder.HashCodeBuilder;
import org.apache.commons.lang3.builder.ToStringBuilder;

public class Account {
private long balance;
public long getBalance() {
return balance;
}
public void setBalance(long balance) {
this.balance = balance;
}
@Override
public boolean equals(final Object other) {
if (this == other)
return true;
if (!(other instanceof Account))
return false;
Account castOther = (Account) other;
return new EqualsBuilder().append(balance,
castOther.balance).isEquals();
}
@Override
public int hashCode() {
return new HashCodeBuilder(1450207409, -1692382659).append(balance).toHashCode();
}
@Override
public String toString() {
return new ToStringBuilder(this)
.append("balance", balance).toString();
}
}

[Matthew Brown]

A cast (for a reference) doesn't convert the object. It will only work if the object in question is actually an Account object, and all it does is change the type of the reference.

What the cast does is tell the compiler "See that Object reference you've got? Well, it's actually pointing at an Account object. So please treat it as one".

[Campbell Ritchie]

There are a few occasions where the compiler won’t believe you

String s = "123";
Integer i = (Integer)s; // Won't compile.

Otherwise the compiler is much more trusting than we are: it thinks you are telling it the truth, and that you know what you are doing.