C# is a general-purpose programming language that can be used to develop desktop apps, mobile applications and even games. Its versatility is one of its most attractive features, and it’s a great choice for beginners and experts alike.

It is often used to create workflow application software, and it’s also popular for games (like Rimworld) built on the Unity game engine. It can run on virtually any modern device and console thanks to cross-platform tech like Xamarin.

Object-oriented programming

The object-oriented programming language C# offers several features that are useful for developers. These include expression statements, class creation with initialization, and method invocation. These statements are used to create, read, and modify objects in a program. They can also be combined with other statements to perform complex operations.

The basic idea of object-oriented programming is to use objects to represent real-world things like cars or people. These objects have a state and behavior that reflect the properties and activities of the real-world thing. The object conceals its behavior through methods and keeps information in attributes. In addition, the object’s behavior can vary depending on the circumstances in which it is invoked. This is called method overloading.

Using object-oriented programming, you can break complex programs into smaller components that are easier to maintain. Moreover, you can upgrade a component without having to update the entire codebase. This makes it easy to fix bugs and improve performance. Additionally, the code in object-oriented software is more readable and understandable, which reduces maintenance costs.

Class-based programming

C# is a class-based programming language that supports object-oriented paradigms. It provides a clear separation between data structures that carry information and functions that operate on the data. This makes it easier to maintain and reuse code. It also helps to keep the data and functionality separate, which reduces the potential for unwanted side effects during maintenance.

A class is a user-defined blueprint or prototype from which objects are created. It combines fields, properties, and methods into a single unit. It can also implement interfaces, and support polymorphism and inheritance.

Inheritance is the process by which a class can take on the behavior of its parent class. This is possible because classes can be derived from other classes. The parent class can be either an abstract or concrete class.

A class may also be declared as non-subclassable or sealed, which restricts further derivation. This allows developers to design hierarchies of classes where at some level further derivation is prohibited. In these cases, only the class’s public interface can be accessed by other classes. An instance of a class can be created by declaring it with the class keyword followed by the name of the class.

Interface-based programming

Like classes, interfaces can contain methods, properties, events and indexers. They can also have static members. However, they cannot have any access modifiers (public, internal, virtual or override). An interface member must be accessed with a fully-qualified name, which includes the interface name followed by a dot and the member name.

The benefit of using interfaces is that they provide a clear specification of the behavior that classes must implement, making code more manageable and readable. They also promote loose coupling between classes, making it easier to test and maintain your code.

An interface can also define a contract between multiple classes that share a common set of behaviors. This is useful when you want to prevent class collisions, such as when a base class provides its own implementation of a method that other classes also use. A class that inherits from a base class can implement the same methods as the parent, but an interface can only include abstract members. Therefore, if you need to add non-abstract members, an abstract class is a better choice.

Type-safe programming

C# is a type-safe programming language, meaning that the compiler validates types at compile time. This eliminates a large class of errors and helps to make programs more robust. It also allows tools such as IntelliSense to help developers write code.

C# also features support for multiple programming paradigms, including object-oriented, functional, and generic. Its unified type system ensures that all types share a common set of operations. For example, a value type variable is an encapsulated unit of data, while a reference type variable stores a reference to that data.

In addition, C#’s type safety ensures that variables can only be accessed and operated on in a predictable manner. For example, if a variable is declared as integer, the program will only allow it to access memory slots that are meant for integers. If you attempt to operate on a variable of a different type, the compiler will throw an exception. The C# language also features a garbage collector that automatically reclaims unused objects and frees memory. This prevents memory leaks. Moreover, it supports lambda expressions and Language Integrated Query (LINQ), which allow you to work with data from a database.

Memory management

C# is a statically-typed programming language that makes it easier to detect errors in the code. This feature can save hours of labor and prevent frustration when trying to meet deadlines. It also eliminates the need to re-read code for small errors that are easy to miss and can be incredibly frustrating to fix.

This language supports several object-oriented features, including data encapsulation and inheritance. It also has an extensible syntax, which allows for recursive functions and iterators. Moreover, it has a strong type system that provides garbage collection and type safety. The unified type system enables the use of nullable types, anonymous methods, and lambda expressions, which make it more versatile and powerful.

Source code written in C# is compiled into an intermediate language (IL) and stored in an assembly, which has the extension.dll. The IL is interpreted and executed by a runtime called the Common Language Runtime (CLR). This runtime runs on Windows, Linux, MacOS, Android, iOS, and PlayStation. It supports just-in-time compilation from IL, which increases application portability. However, it can introduce performance overhead when compared with languages that perform ahead-of-time compilation to native machine code.