InfoQ Homepage C# Content on InfoQ
-
C# Futures: Null Check Operator
In the June 24th C# Language Design Meeting, Microsoft made a subtle change to the parameter null checking syntax. By changing it from “Type parameterName!” to “Type parameterName!!” they effectively introduced a new ‘null check operator’.
-
C# 9: Type Inference for the New Keyword
In many situations, there is only one possible type allowed in a given place. And yet C# still requires you to explicitly list the type. Now that the Target-typed `new` expression proposal has been adopted into C# 9, such boilerplate code will no longer be necessary.
-
C# 9: Simplified Parameter Null Validation
Simplified parameter null validation has been promoted to a C# 9 feature. This narrowly tailored feature reduces the amount of code needed to validate non-null parameters to a single character in the function signature.
-
C# 9: Partial Method Enhancements for Source Generators
Source Generators in C# 9 will allow compiler-extensions to inspect code and then inject additional source code at compile-time. This injected code is then incorporated into the very same assembly that was being compiled. In order to facilitate this capability, Microsoft is removing most of the restrictions on Partial Methods.
-
C# 9: towards First Class Support for Scripting
One of the defining characteristics of “scripting” languages is they don’t need any boilerplate. The very first line of a file can be the declarations and statements you would normally see inside a function. In the updated Top-level statements proposal, this capability is planned for C# 9.
-
Source Generators Will Enable Compile-Time Metaprogramming in C# 9
Source generators are a new feature of the C# compiler that enables inspecting user code using compiler-generated metadata and generating additional source files to be compiled along with the rest of the program.
-
C# Static Analysis Tool Roslynator.Analyzers Now Has over 500 Ways to Improve Code
The new version 2.3.1 of the Roslynator.Analyzers package brings the number of analyzers, refactorings and fixes to over 500. Roslynator uses the open-source Roslyn .NET Compiler Platform to perform static analysis on your C# code. This analysis drives your IDE to display hints and actions to improve your code.
-
C# Futures: Primary Constructors
We last mentioned primary constructors in 2014 when it was removed from the candidate list for C# 6 and VB 12. Late last year, Primary Constructors reappeared as a candidate for C# 9.
-
C# Futures: Covariant Return Types
A frequent API design problem is the inability to use a more specific return type when overriding a method. Proposal 49, which is now a C# 9 candidate, seeks to correct this issue.
-
C# Futures: Simplified Parameter Null Validation
At first glance, proposal #2145 seems like a logical extension to C# 8’s Nullable Reference Types feature. The basic idea is developers would no longer need to explicitly add argument null checks to methods that accept non-nullable parameters. However, this has become quite contentious.
-
C# 9 Proposals: Module Initializers
The module initializer proposal has been promoted to C# 9 candidacy. This would act like a static constructor in C#, but rather than applying to one class it applies to the entire assembly.
-
Stateful Programming Models in Serverless Functions: Chris Gillum at QCon San Francisco
Chris Gillum, principal engineering manager at Microsoft, presented at QCon San Francisco on Serverless Programming Models in Azure Functions. In his presentation, he discussed two stateful programming models, workflow and actors on Azure Functions - Microsoft’s implementation of serverless compute.
-
A Proposal for IDisposable and Static Analysis: DisposeUnused Attribute
When .NET was first created, there was uncertainty about how IDisposable should be used. As a result, IDisposable was applied in an overly aggressive fashion with many categories of classes requiring empty Dispose methods. This has led to problems with static analysis tools that cannot separate real cases of missing Dispose calls from false positives.
-
Microsoft Releases C# 8.0
Last week Microsoft announced the official availability of C# 8.0 as part of the .NET Core 3.0 release, simultaneously at .NET Conf 2019 and on their development blog. The new language features include nullable reference types, asynchronous streams, default interface members, and new code patterns. All new features are supported in Visual Studio 2019.
-
Preview of C# 8.x
Even though C# 8.0 is still months away, planning has begun for C# 8.x. Some of these features are new, while others were previously considered for C# 8.