Type checking

We can declare the types of variables, but that does not make any difference during normal run-time. We can still assign values of other types to the variable, and it sill only recognizes real type-mismatch in use at run-time.


examples/dart-intro/type_checking.dart
void main() {
    var a = 23;
    print(a);
    a = "hello";
    print(a);

    int b = 42;
    print(b);
    b = "abc";
    print(b);


    String c = "19";
    int d = 23;
    print(c + d);
}

dart type_checking.dart (production mode)

will throw exception on c+d. 

23
hello
42
abc
Unhandled exception:
Illegal argument(s): 23
#0  _StringBase.+ (dart:core-patch/string_patch.dart:89)
#1  main (file:///.../dart/examples/intro/type_checking.dart:15:13)
#2  _startIsolate.isolateStartHandler (dart:isolate-patch/isolate_patch.dart:216)
#3  _RawReceivePortImpl._handleMessage (dart:isolate-patch/isolate_patch.dart:115)

dart --checked type_checking.dart (checked mode)

will throw exception already on b = 'abc';. 

23
hello
42
Unhandled exception:
type 'String' is not a subtype of type 'int' of 'b'.
#0  main (file:///.../dart/examples/intro/type_checking.dart:9:9)
#1  _startIsolate.isolateStartHandler (dart:isolate-patch/isolate_patch.dart:216)
#2  _RawReceivePortImpl._handleMessage (dart:isolate-patch/isolate_patch.dart:115)

IDE

The IDE will put little warning marks both of the above lines, and if we run it in the IDE we'll get an error at the same line where the --checked version go the exception. 


Breaking on exception: type 'String' is not a subtype of type 'int' of 'b'.

Dart is an optionally typed and dynamic language. Variables can be