For reference types, the equivalent of VB's Nothing is C#'s null . For value types, it's the default value - 0 , false , etc. [Author: Jon Skeet]

No. While Generic types do have a similar syntax to C++ templates, they are instantiated at runtime as opposed to compile time, and they can be reflected on via meta-data. Also, in Generics, member access on the type paramater is verified based on...

As you most likely know by now, the Add References dialog of Visual Studio .NET does not list each and every assembly on your machine, does not directly map to the Global Assembly Cache and does not list your custom assemblies. Typically this limitation...

Use the using directive to create an alias for a long namespace or class name. You can then use it anywhere you normally would have used that class or namespace. The using alias has a scope within the namespace you declare it in. Sample code: ...

All constants declarations are implicitly static, and the C# specification states that the (redundant) inclusion of the static modifier is prohibited. I believe this is to avoid the confusion which could occur if a reader were to see two constants...

Q: Why can't I do the following: namespace Bug { class Class1 { [ STAThread ] static void Main ( string [] args ) { for ( int i = 0; i < 100; i ++ ) { } int i = 0; } } } the compiler gives me an error...

No, C# doesn't have an equivalent of VB.NET's MyClass keyword. If you want to guarantee not to call an overridden version of a method, you need to make it non-virtual in the first place. [Author: Jon Skeet]

By Jeremy Meng Visual Studio Async CTP (SP1 Refresh) is available now! You are welcome to download and try it out! Thanks to the new Async feature coming in Visual Basic and C# it has never been so easy to write asynchronous code. With the newly...

by Alan Berman The new Async feature in Visual Studio makes it easy to code asynchronous method calls. To make synchronous code asynchronous, you can simply call an asynchronous method instead of a synchronous method and add a few keywords to the code...

Q: Why can't I have static and instance methods with the same name? class Test { static void Process(); void Process(); void AmbiguousCaller() { Process(); } } there's no ambiguity, since the first can only be called through the type...

Q: Why must attribute properties be read/write in C#? In the C# language, when you define an attribute class, you can define both constructor arguments and properties. For example: class MyAttribute: Attribute { string name; int number; public...

Q: Why does C#'s iterators feature spit out a class definition instead of a struct definition? The iterators feature in C# generates classes that implement the enumerators required. This is detailed in the C# Specification . Why doesn't it use structs...

Checked exceptions are a very hotly debated topic in some circles, particularly for experienced Java developers moving to, or additionally learning, C#. Here are some resources that discuss the issue in depth: The Trouble With Checked Exceptions...

All .NET assemblies contain vivid type information which describes the structure of every internal and external type (this can be verified by loading an assembly into ildasm.exe and clicking the ctrl-m keystroke). On a related note, many methods in the...

Let’s start with the basics and maybe repeat some information that many of you already know. One of the most important concepts in LINQ performance and optimization is, of course, deferred execution. It simply means that when you declare a variable and...

Q: Why doesn't C# warn on unused methods? A: This is something that the C# compiler could do, subject to a few caveats: Virtual functions would have to be excluded Interface implementations wouldn have to be excluded You would get false...

by Brian Rasmussen In this post we take a look at how the Roslyn Scripting API can enable applications to evaluate code at runtime. While this has been possible since the dawn of .NET through the use of Reflection, Lightweight Code Generation, CodeDom...

If you need to tell C# that you want it to treat a literal as a particular type of number, you may do so by adding a number type suffix at the end of the literal you provide. For example: 1u; // An unsigned int 1l; // A signed long 1ul;...

You are already aware that the C# using keyword allows you to supply hints to the compiler regarding the fully qualified name of the types within a given *.cs file. However, what you may not know is that the using keyword also allows you to build aliases...

By Kevin Pilch-Bisson As promised back when we released the Roslyn CTP, here is the first of a series of blog posts that help explain the various parts of the Roslyn API. If you don’t have the Roslyn CTP, you can get it from our MSDN page , and install...

Put simply, an event gives more limited access than a delegate. If an event is made public, code in other classes can only add or remove handlers for that event; they can't necessarily fire it, find out all the handlers for it, or remove handlers...

There's been a lot of posts on using the Roslyn CTP APIs for syntax trees, semantic binding, and IDE smart editor features. The Roslyn CTP also introduces a set of features for C# we refer to as "Interactive". These features won't be new to VB, but we...

By Emily Gibson New! C# 2010 Soup to Nuts Series Explore this webcast series on Visual C# 2010 presented by Developer Evangelist, Bill Steele. Learn about class libraries, operator basics, branching and looping, and more as Bill dives deep into this fantastic...

Learn about the upcoming changes to the Help Viewer planned for Visual Studio 2010 SP1.  Paul O’Rear, a Program Manager on the Library Experience team, describes the changes planned and demonstrates the new functionality of the viewer in an early...

By default, all parameters are passed by value in C#. Parameters are only passed by reference if you explicitly include an out or ref modifier. However, you need to be aware that when the type of the parameter is a reference type, you're passing...