unsafeBitCast

func unsafeBitCast<T, U>(_: T, to: U.Type)

Returns the bits of the given instance, interpreted as having the specified type.

Only use this function to convert the instance passed as x to a layout-compatible type when the conversion is not possible through other means. Common conversions that are supported by the standard library include the following:

  • To convert an integer value from one type to another, use an initializer or the numericCast(_:) function.
  • To perform a bitwise conversion of an integer value to a different type, use an init(bitPattern:) or init(truncatingBitPattern:) initializer.
  • To convert between a pointer and an integer value with that bit pattern, or vice versa, use the init(bitPattern:) initializer for the destination type.
  • To perform a reference cast, use the casting operators (as, as!, or as?) or the unsafeDowncast(_:to:) function. Do not use unsafeBitCast(_:to:) with class or pointer types; doing so may introduce undefined behavior.

Warning: Calling this function breaks the guarantees of Swift's type system; use with extreme care.

Parameters: x: The instance to cast to type. type: The type to cast x to. type and the type of x must have the same size of memory representation and compatible memory layout. Returns: A new instance of type U, cast from x.

Declaration

  • func unsafeBitCast<T, U>(_ x: T, to type: U.Type) -> U