Your Ultimate Guidebook to Amazing Features in C# 8.0

08May, 2019

C# is pronounced as “sea sharp”. Today, it is one of the most prevalent programming languages used by developers across the globe. It came into emergence in the year 2000 by Microsoft. The amazing part is, it is an object -oriented programming language. Result? It is organized around objects rather than actions and data instead of logic. C# brings together the lethal combination of computing power of C++ with Visual Basic’s effortless programming. Did you know? C# has features which are similar to Java. It is designed to work on a Microsoft platform while employing the .Net framework.

C# 8 is about to get released in a couple of month’s time. It can be used to develop web, desktop, and mobile apps. You may even use them to write code that can run effortlessly on all major operating systems. The times are quite exciting for C# developers. But, if the current time is exciting, you can imagine what the future holds for this technology?

Is it possible for us to have a glimpse of the things that lie ahead for this programming language? We have tried to answer this question in the forthcoming sections by looking at the amazing features that are going to make C# 8.0 a lethal programming language for the future. We promise after reading this write-up, you will understand exactly the things that the new updated C# 8.0 can offer to a prominent C# development company.

So, without much ado, let’s get started with the proposed features which might be present in C# 8.0.

Extension everything

This is perhaps the least controversial of the features that are proposed in a future update of C#. As a C# developer, you might be aware of the extension methods which came into existence in the year 2007. While there is a particular section of developers who believe that this feature can be misused others are of the opinion that if we use it wisely it can be a great value addition to the existing C# developer’s toolkit. They are also quite essential for LINQ.

If you are like us, there would be a burning question in your mind: Who single out only extension methods? Extension properties are also on the radar of C# developers for a very long time. But, the long wait is about to end.

According to an interview conducted with Mads Torgersen, the program manager for C # design team, a new syntax has been proposed for extensions method that will also enable “extension other things”.

Let’s now look at an example of an extension method employing prevailing syntax:

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public static class IntExtensions

{

  public static bool Even(this int value)

  {

       return value % 2 == 0;

  }

}

There is no surprise here. In the original syntax, developers use an extension method which uses “this” keyword before the first parameter.

In the original syntax, an extension method is simply a static method in a static class, with the “this” keyword before the first parameter. The problem, this syntax does not resolve the concern. “Extension everything” can act as a savior in this situation.

Let’s now look at the new type of declaration known as “extension”.

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public extension IntExtension extends int

{

   public bool Even => this % 2 == 0;

}

From the code given in the example you can comprehend the fact that the C # team is yet to settle on a syntax.

The above example depicts the creation of an extension class that extends “int.” The next thing is to declare a property as usually done, and the process is over.

Now, the caller code will be able to exploit the property normally:

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int x = int.Parse(Console.Readline());

if (x.Even)

{

   Console.WriteLine(“You’ve typed an even number.”);

}

This new feature will aid in supporting properties, operators, static members, and methods at least in the beginning. The events and constructors will come at a later time.

It won’t be possible for you to integrate extra space to the original instance. That is, creating a private field in the extension class.

Default implementation on interfaces

The very first thing that came to our mind when we heard about the default implementation on interfaces was whether there was any update on record types / immutable objects. The other important question was: What exactly were we going to get when it comes to “implementation on interfaces”?

When we saw the function things got clear. Let us now look at the way to add method implementations on interfaces with the help of an example.

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interface IDisplayService

{

  void DisplayMessage(string message) { WriteLine(message); }

}

The great thing is, in C# 8.0, the above code is perfectly legal. The positive news is, you will not require a class implementing the interface to use this method. If for some reason, implementation of the interface decides that the default implementation does not meet the requirements, then it can even provide its own implementation.

On top of this, you will also be able to integrate bodies for indexers, event accessors, and properties. It is even possible for you to use static members like properties, indexers, and methods. But, the only loophole is, instance state will be disallowed in interfaces. Still, you will be able to employ static fields but not instance fields. Due to this very reason, auto-implement properties will also not be allowed as they automatically declare a hidden backing field.

As far as the use cases are concerned, you would be able to safely evolve an interface. It would be possible for you to integrate new methods as long as you provide a default implementation which would discourage the existing clients of the interface from implementing it.

Currently, you can resolve this problem with the help of an extension method. But, this approach is quite limited in scope. Reason? It is not possible to get a specialized version of the method for one of the implementations. This is where default implementation can be extremely useful.

Earlier C# use to find it difficult to wrap Android / iOS APIs to use them effectively. But, that problem can be resolved with the help of C # 8.0.

The Final Countdown

C# 8.0 will open the doors for efficient programming in the near future. In order to take maximum advantage of it, take the services of the best c# development company and exploit the features of this amazing programming language to the maximum potential.

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