If you assign a data type to a part, it is usually best to access the part's data using the object attribute, instead of the string attribute. The advantage of using the object attribute is that it returns the contents of the part after data validation and editing has been done, so you are sure that any formatting errors are caught. The object attribute holds an actual object or instance of the data type, not just a string formatted to look a certain way.

Use the string attribute in connections where the target part can perform the validation you need. For example, if you connect the string attribute of a Text part whose data type is not specified to a Text part whose data type is Integer, the integer part will convert the string to an integer.