Compiler Error CS0075
To cast a negative value, you must enclose the value in parentheses
If you are casting using a keyword that identifies a predefined type, then you do not need parentheses. Otherwise, you must put the parentheses because (x) –y will not be considered a cast expression. From the C# Specification, Section 7.6.6:
From the disambiguation rule it follows that, if x and y are identifiers, (x)y, (x)(y), and (x)(-y) are cast-expressions, but (x)-y is not, even if x identifies a type. However, if x is a keyword that identifies a predefined type (such as int), then all four forms are cast-expressions (because such a keyword could not possibly be an expression by itself).
The following code generates CS0075:
// CS0075
namespace MyNamespace
{
enum MyEnum { }
public class MyClass
{
public static void Main()
{
// To fix the error, place the negative
// values below in parentheses
int i = (System.Int32) - 4; //CS0075
MyEnum e = (MyEnum) - 1; //CS0075
System.Console.WriteLine(i); //to avoid warning
System.Console.WriteLine(e); //to avoid warning
}
}
}