Question

What is the difference between

(type)value

and

type(value)

in C++?

Answer 1

There is no difference; per the standard (§5.2.3):

A simple-type-specifier (7.1.5) followed by a parenthesized expression-list constructs a value of the specified type given the expression list. If the expression list is a single expression, the type conversion expression is equivalent (in definedness, and if defined in meaning) to the corresponding cast expression (5.4).

Since the question specified the difference between type(value) and (type)value, there is absolutely no difference.

If and only if you’re dealing with a comma-separated list of values can there be a difference. In this case:

If the expression list specifies more than a single value, the type shall be a class with a suitably declared constructor (8.5, 12.1), and the expression T(x1, x2, …) is equivalent in effect to the declaration T t(x1, x2, …); for some invented temporary variable t, with the result being the value of t as an rvalue.

As Troubadour pointed out, there are a certain names of types for which the type(value) version simply won’t compile. For example:

char *a = (char *)string;

will compile, but:

char *a = char *(string);

will not. The same type with a different name (e.g., created with a typedef) can work though:

typedef char *char_ptr;

char *a = char_ptr(string);