C# 6.0 Cookbook, 4th Edition

Chapter 1. Classes and Generics

1.0 Introduction

The recipes in this chapter cover the foundation of the C# language. Topics include classes and structures, how they are used, how they are different, and when you would use one over the other. Building on this, we will construct classes that have inherent functionality such as being sortable, searchable, disposable, and cloneable. In addition, we will dive into topics such as union types, field initialization, lambdas, partial methods, single and multicast delegates, closures, functors, and more. This chapter also contains a recipe on parsing command-line parameters, which is always a favorite.

Before diving into the recipes, let’s review some key information about the object-oriented capabilities of classes, structures, and generics. Classes are much more flexible than structures. Like classes, structures can implement interfaces, but unlike classes, they cannot inherit from a class or a structure. This limitation precludes creating structure hierarchies, as you can do with classes. Polymorphism, as implemented through an abstract base class, is also prohibited when you are using a structure, since a structure cannot inherit from another class with the exception of boxing to Object, ValueType, or Enum.

Structures, like any other value type, implicitly inherit from System.ValueType. At first glance, a structure is similar to a class, but it is actually very different. Knowing when to use a structure over a class will help you ...