Programming C#, Third Edition

Variables and Constants

A variable is a storage location with a type. In the preceding examples, both x and y are variables. Variables can have values assigned to them, and those values can be changed programmatically.

WriteLine( )

The .NET Framework provides a useful method for writing output to the screen. The details of this method, System.Console.WriteLine( ) , will become clearer as we progress through the book, but the fundamentals are straightforward. Call the method as shown in Example 3-1, passing in a string that you want printed to the console (the screen) and, optionally, parameters that will be substituted. In the following example:

System.Console.WriteLine("After assignment, myInt: {0}", myInt);

the string "After assignment, myInt:" is printed as is, followed by the value in the variable myInt. The location of the substitution parameter {0} specifies where the value of the first output variable, myInt, will be displayed—in this case at the end of the string. We see a great deal more about WriteLine( ) in coming chapters.

Create a variable by declaring its type and then giving it a name. You can initialize the variable when you declare it, and you can assign a new value to that variable at any time, changing the value held in the variable. This is illustrated in Example 3-1.

Example 3-1. Initializing and assigning a value to a variable

class Values
{
   static void Main( )
   {
      
      int myInt = 7;
      System.Console.WriteLine("Initialized, myInt: {0}", 
         myInt); 
      
      myInt = 5; System.Console.WriteLine("After ...