What exactly is or was the purpose of C++ function-style casts?

Question

I am talking about \"type(value)\"-style casts. The books I have read pass over them quickly, saying only that they are semantically equivalent to C-style casts, \"(type) va

Answer 1

C-style casts should not be used.

Function-style casts should be used, especially when the target type is a class name (or class template specialization). They fit the pattern of apparent constructor calls in the case with one argument.

MyClass( expr );   // Creates temporary, initialized like MyClass obj( expr );
MyClass( e1, e2 ); // Similar, and no other way to write this.
int( expr );       // Function-style cast.