= Numbers JSON numbers are represented using `std::int64_t`, `std::uint64_t`, and `double`. When a <<ref_value>> is constructed from an unsigned integer, its <<ref_kind>> will be `kind::uint64`. Likewise, a <<ref_value>> constructed from a signed integer will have `kind::int64`, or `kind::double_` if constructed from a floating-point type:
When accessing a number contained within a <<ref_value>>, the function used must match the value's <<ref_kind>> exactly; no conversions will be performed. For example if `as_double` is called on a <<ref_value>> that contains a `std::uint64_t`, an exception is thrown. Similarly, the function `if_double` will return `nullptr` and calling `get_double` will result in undefined behavior:
In cases where you know that a <<ref_value>> contains a number but don't know its <<ref_kind>>, `value::to_number` can be used to convert the <<ref_value>> to an arithmetic type:
If the <<ref_value>> does not contain a number, or if the conversion is to an integer type `T` and the number cannot be represented exactly by `T`, the conversion will fail. Otherwise, the result is the number converted to `T` as-if by `static_cast`:
In settings where exceptions cannot be used, an overload of `value::to_number` accepting {ref_error_code} can be used instead with identical semantics to its throwing counterpart:
When parsing a JSON document, the type used to represent a number is not explicitly specified and must be determined from its value. In general, the parser will choose the best type which can accurately store the number as it appears in the document. Integers (i.e. numbers without decimals or exponents) that cannot be represented by `std::uint64_t` and `std::int64_t` will be represented as `double` to preserve their magnitude:
then its type is `double`. Otherwise, if the number is positive and its value is greater than `INT64_MAX`, then its type is `std::uint64_t`. All other numbers are parsed as `std::int64_t`.