@staticmethod
def _cast_to_float(value):
    """
        Cast ``value`` to a float if possible.

        Parameters
        ----------
        value : str
            string to cast

        Returns
        -------
        value : float or str
            A float if it can be casted so otherwise the initial string.
        """
    try:
        return float(value)
    except (ValueError, TypeError):
        return value
