Cast ActionScript Object to Model - model-view-controller

Question

Is there any "automatic way" to casts an "Object" to a personalized Model Data Type in ActionScript 3?
Example:
package Example{
public class ExampleModel{
private _id:int;
private _randomAttribute:String;
public function ExampleModel(){
_id = 0;
_randomAttribute = "";
}
public function get id():int{
return _id;
}
public function set id(value:int):void{
_id = value;
}
public function get randomAttribute():String{
return _randomAttribute;
}
public function set randomAttribute(value:String):void{
_randomAttribute = value;
}
}
}
Then, in some part of my code, lets assume that I have something like this:
var _obj:Object = new Object();
_obj.id = 1;
obj.randomAttribute = "Hello World";
What I want would be something like:
var _exampleModel:ExampleModel = obj as ExampleModel;
But when I do this, the result on _exampleModel is null.
Any ideas?
Thanks.
EDIT:
According to Manish's answer, all I changed was the type of p var, which allows me to go through every kind of attribute:
public function fromObject(obj:Object):void{
//p:* includes every type of attributes.
for (var p:* in obj)
if (this.hasOwnProperty(p))
// Set private var directly.
this["_" + p] = obj[p];
}
Thanks Manish and rcdmk.
Manish's answer was enough for me and according to rcdmk's comment, the p:String isn't about the Type of data that the loop will go through, it is actually the name of the property, which makes sense because every name is a String.

Answer 1

The only way to automatically "cast" it is the following:
var model:Model = new Model();
var obj:Object = { id: "98123", name: "John Doe" };
for (var p:String in obj) {
if (model.hasOwnProperty(p))
model[p] = obj[p];
}
(Note: Model.id and Model.name are both type String in my example.)
A more proper way to do it, of course, is to pass the plain object to the Model object and let the Model object absorb it.
var model:Model = new Model(obj);
Or:
var model:Model = new Model();
model.fromObject(obj);
Where in the Model code you have:
public function Model(obj:Object = null)
{
if (obj != null)
fromObject(obj);
}
public function fromObject(obj:Object):void
{
for (var p:String in obj)
if (this.hasOwnProperty(p))
// Set private var directly.
this["_" + p] = obj[p];
}
This code can be in your abstract base Model class, and all your specific Model subclasses (e.g. ProductModel, CustomerModel, etc.) can use it automatically.
e.g.
public class ProductModel extends Model
{
public function ProductModel(obj:Object = null)
{
super(obj);
}
}