Is there a try Convert.ToInt32… avoiding exceptions

Question

I\'d like to know if there is a \"safe\" way to convert an object to an int, avoiding exceptions.

I\'m looking for something like public static bo

Answer 1

I would use a mixture of what you are already doing;

• Check if the object is null - return false and the value 0;
• Attempt to convert directly - if successful, return true and the converted value
• Attempt to parse value.ToString() - if successfull, return true and the parsed value
• Any other case - Return false and the value 0, as object is not convertible/parsible

The resulting code:

public static bool TryToInt32(object value, out int result)
{
    result = 0;
    if (value == null)
    {
        return false;
    }

    //Try to convert directly
    try
    {
        result = Convert.ToInt32(value);
        return true;
    }
    catch
    {
        //Could not convert, moving on
    }

    //Try to parse string-representation
    if (Int32.TryParse(value.ToString(), out result))
    {
        return true;
    }

    //If parsing also failed, object cannot be converted or paresed
    return false;
}