C# Introduction

What is C#?
C# is pronounced "C-Sharp".

It is an object-oriented programming language created by Microsoft that runs

on the .NET Framework.

C# has roots from the C family, and the language is close to other popular
languages like C++ and Java.

The first version was released in year 2002. The latest version, C# 13, was
released in November 2024.

C# is used for:

• Mobile applications
• Desktop applications
• Web applications
• Web services
• Web sites
• Games
• VR
• Database applications
• And much, much more!

Why Use C#?

• It is one of the most popular programming languages in the world
• It is easy to learn and simple to use
• It has huge community support
• C# is an object-oriented language which gives a clear structure to
programs and allows code to be reused, lowering development costs
• As C# is close to C, C++ and Java, it makes it easy for programmers
to switch to C# or vice versa

Get Started

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This tutorial will teach you the basics of C#.

It is not necessary to have any prior programming experience.

C# Get Started
C# IDE
The easiest way to get started with C# is to use an IDE.

An IDE (Integrated Development Environment) is used to edit and compile

code.

In our tutorial, we will use Visual Studio Community, which is free to

download from https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/vs/community/.

Applications written in C# use the .NET Framework, so it makes sense to use

Visual Studio, as the program, the framework, and the language, are all
created by Microsoft.

C# Install
Once the Visual Studio Installer is downloaded and installed, choose the .NET
workload and click on the Modify/Install button:

After the installation is complete, click on the Launch button to get started
with Visual Studio.

On the start window, choose Create a new project:

Then click on the "Install more tools and features" link:

C# Syntax
In the previous chapter, we created a C# file called Program.cs, and we used
the following code to print "Hello World" to the screen:

2
Program.cs
using System;

namespace HelloWorld

class Program

static void Main(string[] args)

Console.WriteLine("Hello World!");

Result:

Hello World!

Try it Yourself »

Example explained
Line 1: using System means that we can use classes from
the System namespace.

Line 2: A blank line. C# ignores white space. However, multiple lines makes
the code more readable.

Line 3: namespace is used to organize your code, and it is a container for

classes and other namespaces.

Line 4: The curly braces {} marks the beginning and the end of a block of
code.

Line 5: class is a container for data and methods, which brings functionality
to your program. Every line of code that runs in C# must be inside a class. In
our example, we named the class Program.

3
Don't worry if you don't understand how using
System, namespace and class works. Just think of it as something that
(almost) always appears in your program, and that you will learn more about
them in a later chapter.

Line 7: Another thing that always appear in a C# program is

the Main method. Any code inside its curly brackets {} will be executed. You
don't have to understand the keywords before and after Main. You will get to
know them bit by bit while reading this tutorial.

Line 9: Console is a class of the System namespace, which has

a WriteLine() method that is used to output/print text. In our example, it
will output "Hello World!".

If you omit the using System line, you would have to

write System.Console.WriteLine() to print/output text.

Note: Every C# statement ends with a semicolon ;.

Note: C# is case-sensitive; "MyClass" and "myclass" have different meaning.

Note: Unlike Java, the name of the C# file does not have to match the class
name, but they often do (for better organization). When saving the file, save
it using a proper name and add ".cs" to the end of the filename. To run the
example above on your computer, make sure that C# is properly installed:
Go to the Get Started Chapter for how to install C#. The output should be:

Hello World!

C# Output
To output values or print text in C#, you can use the WriteLine() method:

ExampleGet your own C# Server

Console.WriteLine("Hello World!");

You can add as many WriteLine() methods as you want. Note that it will add a
new line for each method:

Example
Console.WriteLine("Hello World!");

Console.WriteLine("I am Learning C#");

Console.WriteLine("It is awesome!");

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You can also output numbers, and perform mathematical calculations:

Example
Console.WriteLine(3 + 3);

The Write Method

There is also a Write() method, which is similar to WriteLine().

The only difference is that it does not insert a new line at the end of the
output:

Example
Console.Write("Hello World! ");

Console.Write("I will print on the same line.");

Note that we add an extra space when needed (after "Hello World!" in the
example above), for better readability.

In this tutorial, we will only use WriteLine() as it makes it easier to read the
output of code.

C# Comments
Comments can be used to explain C# code, and to make it more readable. It
can also be used to prevent execution when testing alternative code.

Single-line Comments
Single-line comments start with two forward slashes (//).

Any text between // and the end of the line is ignored by C# (will not be
executed).

This example uses a single-line comment before a line of code:

ExampleGet your own C# Server

// This is a comment

Console.WriteLine("Hello World!");

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This example uses a single-line comment at the end of a line of code:

Example
Console.WriteLine("Hello World!"); // This is a comment

C# Multi-line Comments
Multi-line comments start with /* and ends with */.

Any text between /* and */ will be ignored by C#.

This example uses a multi-line comment (a comment block) to explain the

code:

Example
/* The code below will print the words Hello World

to the screen, and it is amazing */

Console.WriteLine("Hello World!");

Single or multi-line comments?

It is up to you which you want to use. Normally, we use // for short
comments, and /* */ for longer.

C# Variables
Variables are containers for storing data values.

In C#, there are different types of variables (defined with different

keywords), for example:

• int - stores integers (whole numbers), without decimals, such as 123

or -123
• double - stores floating point numbers, with decimals, such as 19.99
or -19.99
• char - stores single characters, such as 'a' or 'B'. Char values are
surrounded by single quotes
• string - stores text, such as "Hello World". String values are
surrounded by double quotes
• bool - stores values with two states: true or false

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Declaring (Creating) Variables
To create a variable, specify the type and assign it a value:

SyntaxGet your own C# Server

type variableName = value;

Where type is a C# type (such as int or string), and variableName is the

name of the variable (such as x or name). The equal sign is used to assign
values to the variable.

To create a variable that should store text, look at the following example:

Example
Create a variable called name of type string and assign it the value "John":

string name = "John";

Console.WriteLine(name);

To create a variable that should store a number, look at the following

example:

Example
Create a variable called myNum of type int and assign it the value 15:

int myNum = 15;

Console.WriteLine(myNum);

You can also declare a variable without assigning the value, and assign the
value later:

Example
int myNum;

myNum = 15;

Console.WriteLine(myNum);

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Note that if you assign a new value to an existing variable, it will overwrite
the previous value:

Example
Change the value of myNum to 20:

int myNum = 15;

myNum = 20; // myNum is now 20

Console.WriteLine(myNum);

Other Types
A demonstration of how to declare variables of other types:

Example
int myNum = 5;

double myDoubleNum = 5.99D;

char myLetter = 'D';

bool myBool = true;

string myText = "Hello";

You will learn more about data types in a later chapter.

C# Constants
Constants
If you don't want others (or yourself) to overwrite existing values, you can
add the const keyword in front of the variable type.

This will declare the variable as "constant", which means unchangeable and
read-only:

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ExampleGet your own C# Server
const int myNum = 15;

myNum = 20; // error

The const keyword is useful when you want a variable to always store the
same value, so that others (or yourself) won't mess up your code. An
example that is often referred to as a constant, is PI (3.14159...).

Note: You cannot declare a constant variable without assigning the value. If
you do, an error will occur: A const field requires a value to be provided.

C# Display Variables
Display Variables
The WriteLine() method is often used to display variable values to the console window.

To combine both text and a variable, use the + character:

ExampleGet your own C# Server

string name = "John";

Console.WriteLine("Hello " + name);

You can also use the + character to add a variable to another variable:

Example
string firstName = "John ";

string lastName = "Doe";

string fullName = firstName + lastName;

Console.WriteLine(fullName);

For numeric values, the + character works as a mathematical operator (notice that we
use int (integer) variables here):

Example
int x = 5;

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int y = 6;

Console.WriteLine(x + y); // Print the value of x + y

From the example above, you can expect:

• x stores the value 5

• y stores the value 6
• Then we use the WriteLine() method to display the value of x + y, which is 11

C# Multiple Variables
Declare Many Variables
To declare more than one variable of the same type, use a comma-
separated list:

ExampleGet your own C# Server

int x = 5, y = 6, z = 50;

Console.WriteLine(x + y + z);

You can also assign the same value to multiple variables in one line:

Example
int x, y, z;

x = y = z = 50;

Console.WriteLine(x + y + z);

C# Identifiers
All C# variables must be identified with unique names.

These unique names are called identifiers.

Identifiers can be short names (like x and y) or more descriptive names

(age, sum, totalVolume).

Note: It is recommended to use descriptive names in order to create

understandable and maintainable code:

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ExampleGet your own C# Server
// Good

int minutesPerHour = 60;

// OK, but not so easy to understand what m actually is

int m = 60;

The general rules for naming variables are:

• Names can contain letters, digits and the underscore character (_)
• Names must begin with a letter or underscore
• Names should start with a lowercase letter, and cannot contain
whitespace
• Names are case-sensitive ("myVar" and "myvar" are different
variables)
• Reserved words (like C# keywords, such as int or double) cannot be
used as names

C# Data Types
As explained in the variables chapter, a variable in C# must be a specified
data type:

ExampleGet your own C# Server

int myNum = 5; // Integer (whole number)

double myDoubleNum = 5.99D; // Floating point number

char myLetter = 'D'; // Character

bool myBool = true; // Boolean

string myText = "Hello"; // String

A data type specifies the size and type of variable values.

It is important to use the correct data type for the corresponding variable; to
avoid errors, to save time and memory, but it will also make your code more
maintainable and readable. The most common data types are:

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Data Type Size Description

Int 4 bytes Stores whole numbers from -2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647

Long 8 bytes Stores whole numbers from -9,223,372,036,854,775,808 to 9,223,372,036,854,775,807

Float 4 bytes Stores fractional numbers. Sufficient for storing

6 to 7 decimal digits

Double 8 bytes Stores fractional numbers. Sufficient for storing 15 decimal digits

Bool 1 byte Stores true or false values

char 2 bytes Stores a single character/letter, surrounded by single quotes

string 2 bytes per Stores a sequence of characters, surrounded by double quotes

character

Numbers
Number types are divided into two groups:

Integer types stores whole numbers, positive or negative (such as 123 or -

456), without decimals. Valid types are int and long. Which type you should
use, depends on the numeric value.

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Floating point types represents numbers with a fractional part, containing
one or more decimals. Valid types are float and double.

Even though there are many numeric types in C#, the most used for
numbers are int (for whole numbers) and double (for floating point
numbers). However, we will describe them all as you continue to read.

Integer Types
Int
The int data type can store whole numbers from -2147483648 to
2147483647. In general, and in our tutorial, the int data type is the
preferred data type when we create variables with a numeric value.

Example
int myNum = 100000;

Console.WriteLine(myNum);

Long
The long data type can store whole numbers from -9223372036854775808
to 9223372036854775807. This is used when int is not large enough to
store the value. Note that you should end the value with an "L":

Example
long myNum = 15000000000L;

Console.WriteLine(myNum);

Floating Point Types

You should use a floating point type whenever you need a number with a
decimal, such as 9.99 or 3.14515.

The float and double data types can store fractional numbers. Note that you
should end the value with an "F" for floats and "D" for doubles:

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Float Example
float myNum = 5.75F;

Console.WriteLine(myNum);

Double Example
double myNum = 19.99D;

Console.WriteLine(myNum);

Use float or double?

The precision of a floating point value indicates how many digits the value
can have after the decimal point. The precision of float is only six or seven
decimal digits, while double variables have a precision of about 15 digits.
Therefore it is safer to use double for most calculations.

Scientific Numbers
A floating point number can also be a scientific number with an "e" to
indicate the power of 10:

Example
float f1 = 35e3F;

double d1 = 12E4D;

Console.WriteLine(f1);

Console.WriteLine(d1);

Booleans
A boolean data type is declared with the bool keyword and can only take the
values true or false:

Example
bool isCSharpFun = true;

bool isFishTasty = false;

Console.WriteLine(isCSharpFun); // Outputs True

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Console.WriteLine(isFishTasty); // Outputs False

Boolean values are mostly used for conditional testing, which you will learn more about in a later
chapter.

Characters
The char data type is used to store a single character. The character must be surrounded by single
quotes, like 'A' or 'c':

Example
char myGrade = 'B';

Console.WriteLine(myGrade);

Strings
The string data type is used to store a sequence of characters (text). String values must be
surrounded by double quotes:

Example
string greeting = "Hello World";

Console.WriteLine(greeting);

C# Type Casting
Type casting is when you assign a value of one data type to another type.

In C#, there are two types of casting:

• Implicit Casting (automatically) - converting a smaller type to a

larger type size
char -> int -> long -> float -> double

• Explicit Casting (manually) - converting a larger type to a smaller

size type
double -> float -> long -> int -> char

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Implicit Casting
Implicit casting is done automatically when passing a smaller size type to a
larger size type:

ExampleGet your own C# Server

int myInt = 9;

double myDouble = myInt; // Automatic casting: int to double

Console.WriteLine(myInt); // Outputs 9

Console.WriteLine(myDouble); // Outputs 9

Explicit Casting
Explicit casting must be done manually by placing the type in parentheses in
front of the value:

Example
double myDouble = 9.78;

int myInt = (int) myDouble; // Manual casting: double to int

Console.WriteLine(myDouble); // Outputs 9.78

Console.WriteLine(myInt); // Outputs 9

Type Conversion Methods

It is also possible to convert data types explicitly by using built-in methods,
such
as Convert.ToBoolean, Convert.ToDouble, Convert.ToString, Convert.ToInt32 (int)
and Convert.ToInt64 (long):

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Example
int myInt = 10;

double myDouble = 5.25;

bool myBool = true;

Console.WriteLine(Convert.ToString(myInt)); // convert int to string

Console.WriteLine(Convert.ToDouble(myInt)); // convert int to double

Console.WriteLine(Convert.ToInt32(myDouble)); // convert double to int

Console.WriteLine(Convert.ToString(myBool)); // convert bool to

string

Why Conversion?
Many times, there's no need for type conversion. But sometimes you have
to. Take a look at the next chapter, when working with user input, to see an
example of this.

C# User Input
Get User Input
You have already learned that Console.WriteLine() is used to output (print)
values. Now we will use Console.ReadLine() to get user input.

In the following example, the user can input his or hers username, which is
stored in the variable userName. Then we print the value of userName:

ExampleGet your own C# Server

// Type your username and press enter

Console.WriteLine("Enter username:");

// Create a string variable and get user input from the keyboard and
store it in the variable

string userName = Console.ReadLine();

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// Print the value of the variable (userName), which will display the
input value

Console.WriteLine("Username is: " + userName);

User Input and Numbers

The Console.ReadLine() method returns a string. Therefore, you cannot get
information from another data type, such as int. The following program will
cause an error:

Example
Console.WriteLine("Enter your age:");

int age = Console.ReadLine();

Console.WriteLine("Your age is: " + age);

The error message will be something like this:

Cannot implicitly convert type 'string' to 'int'

Like the error message says, you cannot implicitly convert type 'string' to
'int'.

Luckily, for you, you just learned from the previous chapter (Type Casting),
that you can convert any type explicitly, by using one of
the Convert.To methods:

Example
Console.WriteLine("Enter your age:");

int age = Convert.ToInt32(Console.ReadLine());

Console.WriteLine("Your age is: " + age);

Run example »

Note: If you enter wrong input (e.g. text in a numerical input), you will get
an exception/error message (like System.FormatException: 'Input string was
not in a correct format.').

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 You will learn more about Exceptions and how to handle errors in a later
chapter.

C# Operators
Operators
Operators are used to perform operations on variables and values.

In the example below, we use the + operator to add together two values:

ExampleGet your own C# Server

int x = 100 + 50;

Although the + operator is often used to add together two values, like in the
example above, it can also be used to add together a variable and a value, or
a variable and another variable:

Example
int sum1 = 100 + 50; // 150 (100 + 50)

int sum2 = sum1 + 250; // 400 (150 + 250)

int sum3 = sum2 + sum2; // 800 (400 + 400)

Arithmetic Operators
Arithmetic operators are used to perform common mathematical operations:

Operator Name Description Example

+ Addition Adds together two values x+y

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- Subtraction Subtracts one value from another x-y

* Multiplication Multiplies two values x*y

/ Division Divides one value by another x/y

% Modulus Returns the division remainder x%y

++ Increment Increases the value of a variable by 1 x++

-- Decrement Decreases the value of a variable by 1 x--

C# Assignment Operators
Assignment Operators
Assignment operators are used to assign values to variables.

In the example below, we use the assignment operator (=) to assign the
value 10 to a variable called x:

ExampleGet your own C# Server

int x = 10;

The addition assignment operator (+=) adds a value to a variable:

Example
int x = 10;

x += 5;

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 A list of all assignment operators:

Operator Example Same As

= x=5 x=5

+= x += 3 x=x+3

-= x -= 3 x=x–3

*= x *= 3 x=x*3

/= x /= 3 x=x/3

%= x %= 3 x=x%3

&= x &= 3 x=x&3

|= x |= 3 x=x|3

^= x ^= 3 x=x^3

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>>= x >>= 3 x = x >> 3

<<= x <<= 3 x = x << 3

C# Comparison
Comparison operators are used to compare two values (or variables). This is
important in programming, because it helps us to find answers and make
decisions.

The return value of a comparison is either True or False. These values are
known as Boolean values, and you will learn more about them in
the Booleans and If..Else chapter.

In the following example, we use the greater than operator (>) to find out
if 5 is greater than 3:

ExampleGet your own C# Server

int x = 5;

int y = 3;

Console.WriteLine(x > y); // returns True because 5 is greater than 3

A list of all comparison operators:

Operator Name Example

== Equal to x == y

!= Not equal x != y

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 > Greater than x>y

< Less than x<y

>= Greater than or equal to x >= y

<= Less than or equal to x <= y

C# Logical Operators
Logical Operators
As with comparison operators, you can also test for True or False values
with logical operators.

Logical operators are used to determine the logic between variables or

Operator Name Description Example

&& Logical and Returns True if both statements are true x < 5 && x < 10

|| Logical or Returns True if one of the statements is true x < 5 || x < 4

! Logical not Reverse the result, returns False if the result is !(x < 5 && x < 10)
true

values:

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You will learn more about comparison and logical operators in
the Booleans and If...Else chapters.

C# Math
The C# Math class has many methods that allows you to perform
mathematical tasks on numbers.

Math.Max(x,y)
The Math.Max(x,y) method can be used to find the highest value of x and y:

ExampleGet your own C# Server

Math.Max(5, 10);

Math.Min(x,y)
The Math.Min(x,y) method can be used to find the lowest value of
of x and y:

Example
Math.Min(5, 10);

Math.Sqrt(x)
The Math.Sqrt(x) method returns the square root of x:

Example
Math.Sqrt(64);

Math.Abs(x)
The Math.Abs(x) method returns the absolute (positive) value of x:

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Example
Math.Abs(-4.7);

Math.Round()
Math.Round() rounds a number to the nearest whole number:

Example
Math.Round(9.99);

C# Strings
Strings are used for storing text.

A string variable contains a collection of characters surrounded by double

quotes:

ExampleGet your own C# Server

Create a variable of type string and assign it a value:

string greeting = "Hello";

A string variable can contain many words, if you want:

Example
string greeting2 = "Nice to meet you!";

String Length
A string in C# is actually an object, which contain properties and methods
that can perform certain operations on strings. For example, the length of a
string can be found with the Length property:

Example
string txt = "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ";

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Console.WriteLine("The length of the txt string is: " + txt.Length);

Other Methods
There are many string methods available, for
example ToUpper() and ToLower(), which returns a copy of the string converted
to uppercase or lowercase:

Example
string txt = "Hello World";

Console.WriteLine(txt.ToUpper()); // Outputs "HELLO WORLD"

Console.WriteLine(txt.ToLower()); // Outputs "hello world"

C# String Concatenation
String Concatenation
The + operator can be used between strings to combine them. This is
called concatenation:

ExampleGet your own C# Server

string firstName = "John ";

string lastName = "Doe";

string name = firstName + lastName;

Console.WriteLine(name);

Note that we have added a space after "John" to create a space between
firstName and lastName on print.

You can also use the string.Concat() method to concatenate two strings:

Example
string firstName = "John ";

string lastName = "Doe";

string name = string.Concat(firstName, lastName);

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Console.WriteLine(name);

Adding Numbers and Strings

WARNING!

C# uses the + operator for both addition and concatenation.

Remember: Numbers are added. Strings are concatenated.

If you add two numbers, the result will be a number:

Example
int x = 10;

int y = 20;

int z = x + y; // z will be 30 (an integer/number)

If you add two strings, the result will be a string concatenation:

Example
string x = "10";

string y = "20";

string z = x + y; // z will be 1020 (a string)

C# String Interpolation
String Interpolation
Another option of string concatenation, is string interpolation, which
substitutes values of variables into placeholders in a string. Note that you do
not have to worry about spaces, like with concatenation:

ExampleGet your own C# Server

string firstName = "John";

string lastName = "Doe";

string name = $"My full name is: {firstName} {lastName}";

27
Console.WriteLine(name);

Also note that you have to use the dollar sign ($) when using the string
interpolation method.

String interpolation was introduced in C# version 6.

C# Access Strings
Access Strings
You can access the characters in a string by referring to its index number
inside square brackets [].

This example prints the first character in myString:

ExampleGet your own C# Server

string myString = "Hello";

Console.WriteLine(myString[0]); // Outputs "H"

Note: String indexes start with 0: [0] is the first character. [1] is the second
character, etc.

This example prints the second character (1) in myString:

Example
string myString = "Hello";

Console.WriteLine(myString[1]); // Outputs "e"

You can also find the index position of a specific character in a string, by
using the IndexOf() method:

Example
string myString = "Hello";

Console.WriteLine(myString.IndexOf("e")); // Outputs "1"

Another useful method is Substring(), which extracts the characters from a

string, starting from the specified character position/index, and returns a

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new string. This method is often used together with IndexOf() to get the
specific character position:

Example
// Full name

string name = "John Doe";

// Location of the letter D

int charPos = name.IndexOf("D");

// Get last name

string lastName = name.Substring(charPos);

// Print the result

Console.WriteLine(lastName);

C# Special Characters
Strings - Special Characters
Because strings must be written within quotes, C# will misunderstand this
string, and generate an error:

string txt = "We are the so-called "Vikings" from the north.";

The solution to avoid this problem, is to use the backslash escape

character.

The backslash (\) escape character turns special characters into string
characters:

Escape character Result Description

29
 \' ' Single quote

\" " Double quote

\\ \ Backslash

The sequence \" inserts a double quote in a string:

ExampleGet your own C# Server

string txt = "We are the so-called \"Vikings\" from the north.";

The sequence \' inserts a single quote in a string:

Example
string txt = "It\'s alright.";

The sequence \\ inserts a single backslash in a string:

Example
string txt = "The character \\ is called backslash.";

Other useful escape characters in C# are:

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C# Booleans

Code Result

\n New Line

\t Tab

\b Backspace

C# Booleans
Very often, in programming, you will need a data type that can only have
one of two values, like:

• YES / NO
• ON / OFF
• TRUE / FALSE

For this, C# has a bool data type, which can take the values true or false.

Boolean Values
A boolean type is declared with the bool keyword and can only take the
values true or false:

ExampleGet your own C# Server

bool isCSharpFun = true;

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bool isFishTasty = false;

Console.WriteLine(isCSharpFun); // Outputs True

Console.WriteLine(isFishTasty); // Outputs False

However, it is more common to return boolean values from boolean

expressions, for conditional testing (see below).

Boolean Expression
A Boolean expression returns a boolean value: True or False, by comparing
values/variables.

This is useful to build logic, and find answers.

For example, you can use a comparison operator, such as the greater
than (>) operator to find out if an expression (or a variable) is true:

Example
int x = 10;

int y = 9;

Console.WriteLine(x > y); // returns True, because 10 is higher than 9

Or even easier:

Example
Console.WriteLine(10 > 9); // returns True, because 10 is higher than 9

In the examples below, we use the equal to (==) operator to evaluate an

expression:

Example
int x = 10;

Console.WriteLine(x == 10); // returns True, because the value of x is

equal to 10

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Example
Console.WriteLine(10 == 15); // returns False, because 10 is not equal
to 15

Real Life Example

Let's think of a "real life example" where we need to find out if a person is
old enough to vote.

In the example below, we use the >= comparison operator to find out if the
age (25) is greater than OR equal to the voting age limit, which is set to 18:

Example
int myAge = 25;

int votingAge = 18;

Console.WriteLine(myAge >= votingAge);:

Example
Output "Old enough to vote!" if myAge is greater than or equal to 18.
Otherwise output "Not old enough to vote.":

int myAge = 25;

int votingAge = 18;

if (myAge >= votingAge)

Console.WriteLine("Old enough to vote!");

else

Console.WriteLine("Not old enough to vote.");

33
The boolean value of an expression is the basis for all C# comparisons and
conditions.

You will learn more about conditions (if...else) in the next chapter.

C# If ... Else
C# Conditions and If Statements
C# supports the usual logical conditions from mathematics:

• Less than: a < b

• Less than or equal to: a <= b
• Greater than: a > b
• Greater than or equal to: a >= b
• Equal to a == b
• Not Equal to: a != b

You can use these conditions to perform different actions for different
decisions.

C# has the following conditional statements:

• Use if to specify a block of code to be executed, if a specified

condition is true
• Use else to specify a block of code to be executed, if the same
condition is false
• Use else if to specify a new condition to test, if the first condition is
false
• Use switch to specify many alternative blocks of code to be executed

The if Statement
Use the if statement to specify a block of C# code to be executed if a
condition is True.

SyntaxGet your own C# Server

if (condition)

// block of code to be executed if the condition is True

34
}

Note that if is in lowercase letters. Uppercase letters (If or IF) will generate
an error.

In the example below, we test two values to find out if 20 is greater than 18.
If the condition is True, print some text:

Example
if (20 > 18)

Console.WriteLine("20 is greater than 18");

We can also test variables:

Example
int x = 20;

int y = 18;

if (x > y)

Console.WriteLine("x is greater than y");

Example explained

In the example above we use two variables, x and y, to test whether x is

greater than y (using the > operator). As x is 20, and y is 18, and we know
that 20 is greater than 18, we print to the screen that "x is greater than y".

C# The else Statement

The else Statement
Use the else statement to specify a block of code to be executed if the
condition is False.

35
SyntaxGet your own C# Server
if (condition)

// block of code to be executed if the condition is True

else

// block of code to be executed if the condition is False

Example
int time = 20;

if (time < 18)

Console.WriteLine("Good day.");

else

Console.WriteLine("Good evening.");

// Outputs "Good evening."

Example explained

In the example above, time (20) is greater than 18, so the condition is False.
Because of this, we move on to the else condition and print to the screen
"Good evening". If the time was less than 18, the program would print "Good
day".

36
C# The else if Statement
The else if Statement
Use the else if statement to specify a new condition if the first condition
is False.

SyntaxGet your own C# Server

if (condition1)

// block of code to be executed if condition1 is True

else if (condition2)

// block of code to be executed if the condition1 is false and

condition2 is True

else

// block of code to be executed if the condition1 is false and

condition2 is False

Example
int time = 22;

if (time < 10)

Console.WriteLine("Good morning.");

else if (time < 20)

37
{

Console.WriteLine("Good day.");

else

Console.WriteLine("Good evening.");

// Outputs "Good evening."

Example explained

In the example above, time (22) is greater than 10, so the first
condition is False. The next condition, in the else if statement, is also False,
so we move on to the else condition since condition1 and condition2 is
both False - and print to the screen "Good evening".

However, if the time was 14, our program would print "Good day."

C# Short Hand If...Else

Short Hand If...Else (Ternary Operator)
There is also a short-hand if else, which is known as the ternary
operator because it consists of three operands. It can be used to replace
multiple lines of code with a single line. It is often used to replace simple if
else statements:

SyntaxGet your own C# Server

variable = (condition) ? expressionTrue : expressionFalse;

Instead of writing:

38
Example
int time = 20;

if (time < 18)

Console.WriteLine("Good day.");

else

Console.WriteLine("Good evening.");

Try it Yourself »

You can simply write:

Example
int time = 20;

string result = (time < 18) ? "Good day." : "Good evening.";

Console.WriteLine(result);

C# Switch
C# Switch Statements
Use the switch statement to select one of many code blocks to be executed.

SyntaxGet your own C# Server

switch(expression)

case x:

// code block

39
 break;

case y:

// code block

break;

default:

// code block

break;

This is how it works:

• The switch expression is evaluated once

• The value of the expression is compared with the values of each case
• If there is a match, the associated block of code is executed
• The break and default keywords will be described later in this chapter

The example below uses the weekday number to calculate the weekday
name:

Example
int day = 4;

switch (day)

case 1:

Console.WriteLine("Monday");

break;

case 2:

Console.WriteLine("Tuesday");

break;

case 3:

Console.WriteLine("Wednesday");

break;

40
 case 4:

Console.WriteLine("Thursday");

break;

case 5:

Console.WriteLine("Friday");

break;

case 6:

Console.WriteLine("Saturday");

break;

case 7:

Console.WriteLine("Sunday");

break;

// Outputs "Thursday" (day 4)

The break Keyword

When C# reaches a break keyword, it breaks out of the switch block.

This will stop the execution of more code and case testing inside the block.

When a match is found, and the job is done, it's time for a break. There is no
need for more testing.

A break can save a lot of execution time because it "ignores" the execution of
all the rest of the code in the switch block.

ADVERTISEMENT

The default Keyword

41
The default keyword is optional and specifies some code to run if there is no
case match:

Example
int day = 4;

switch (day)

case 6:

Console.WriteLine("Today is Saturday.");

break;

case 7:

Console.WriteLine("Today is Sunday.");

break;

default:

Console.WriteLine("Looking forward to the Weekend.");

break;

// Outputs "Looking forward to the Weekend."

C# While Loop
Loops
Loops can execute a block of code as long as a specified condition is reached.

Loops are handy because they save time, reduce errors, and they make code
more readable.

42
C# While Loop
The while loop loops through a block of code as long as a specified condition
is True:

SyntaxGet your own C# Server

while (condition)

// code block to be executed

In the example below, the code in the loop will run, over and over again, as
long as a variable (i) is less than 5:

Example
int i = 0;

while (i < 5)

Console.WriteLine(i);

i++;

Note: Do not forget to increase the variable used in the condition, otherwise
the loop will never end!

The Do/While Loop

The do/while loop is a variant of the while loop. This loop will execute the code
block once, before checking if the condition is true, then it will repeat the
loop as long as the condition is true.

43
Syntax
do

// code block to be executed

while (condition);

The example below uses a do/while loop. The loop will always be executed at
least once, even if the condition is false, because the code block is executed
before the condition is tested:

Example
int i = 0;
do

Console.WriteLine(i);

i++;

while (i < 5);

Do not forget to increase the variable used in the condition, otherwise the
loop will never end!

C# For Loop
When you know exactly how many times you want to loop through a block of
code, use the for loop instead of a while loop:

Syntax
for (statement 1; statement 2; statement 3)

// code block to be executed

44
Statement 1 is executed (one time) before the execution of the code block.

Statement 2 defines the condition for executing the code block.

Statement 3 is executed (every time) after the code block has been
executed.

The example below will print the numbers 0 to 4:

Example
for (int i = 0; i < 5; i++)

Console.WriteLine(i);

Example explained

Statement 1 sets a variable before the loop starts (int i = 0).

Statement 2 defines the condition for the loop to run (i must be less than 5).
If the condition is true, the loop will start over again, if it is false, the loop
will end.

Statement 3 increases a value (i++) each time the code block in the loop has
been executed.

Another Example
This example will only print even values between 0 and 10:

Example
for (int i = 0; i <= 10; i = i + 2)

Console.WriteLine(i);

45
Nested Loops
It is also possible to place a loop inside another loop. This is called a nested
loop.

The "inner loop" will be executed one time for each iteration of the "outer
loop":

Example
// Outer loop

for (int i = 1; i <= 2; ++i)

Console.WriteLine("Outer: " + i); // Executes 2 times

// Inner loop

for (int j = 1; j <= 3; j++)

Console.WriteLine(" Inner: " + j); // Executes 6 times (2 * 3)

C# Break and Continue

C# Break
You have already seen the break statement used in an earlier chapter of this
tutorial. It was used to "jump out" of a switch statement.

The break statement can also be used to jump out of a loop.

This example jumps out of the loop when i is equal to 4:

46
ExampleGet your own C# Server
for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++)

if (i == 4)

break;

Console.WriteLine(i);

C# Continue
The continue statement breaks one iteration (in the loop), if a specified
condition occurs, and continues with the next iteration in the loop.

This example skips the value of 4:

Example
for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++)

if (i == 4)

continue;

Console.WriteLine(i);

47
Break and Continue in While Loop
You can also use break and continue in while loops:

Break Example
int i = 0;

while (i < 10)

Console.WriteLine(i);

i++;

if (i == 4)

break;

Continue Example
int i = 0;

while (i < 10)

if (i == 4)

i++;

continue;

Console.WriteLine(i);

48
 i++;

C# Arrays
Create an Array
Arrays are used to store multiple values in a single variable, instead of
declaring separate variables for each value.

To declare an array, define the variable type with square brackets:

string[] cars;

We have now declared a variable that holds an array of strings.

To insert values to it, we can use an array literal - place the values in a
comma-separated list, inside curly braces:

string[] cars = {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford", "Mazda"};

To create an array of integers, you could write:

int[] myNum = {10, 20, 30, 40};

Access the Elements of an Array

You access an array element by referring to the index number.

This statement accesses the value of the first element in cars:

ExampleGet your own C# Server

string[] cars = {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford", "Mazda"};

Console.WriteLine(cars[0]);

// Outputs Volvo

49
Note: Array indexes start with 0: [0] is the first element. [1] is the second
element, etc.

Change an Array Element

To change the value of a specific element, refer to the index number:

Example
cars[0] = "Opel";

Example
string[] cars = {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford", "Mazda"};

cars[0] = "Opel";

Console.WriteLine(cars[0]);

// Now outputs Opel instead of Volvo

Array Length
To find out how many elements an array has, use the Length property:

Example
string[] cars = {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford", "Mazda"};

Console.WriteLine(cars.Length);

// Outputs 4

Other Ways to Create an Array

If you are familiar with C#, you might have seen arrays created with
the new keyword, and perhaps you have seen arrays with a specified size as
well. In C#, there are different ways to create an array:

// Create an array of four elements, and add values later

string[] cars = new string[4];

50
// Create an array of four elements and add values right away

string[] cars = new string[4] {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford", "Mazda"};

// Create an array of four elements without specifying the size

string[] cars = new string[] {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford", "Mazda"};

// Create an array of four elements, omitting the new keyword, and

without specifying the size

string[] cars = {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford", "Mazda"};

It is up to you which option you choose. In our tutorial, we will often use the
last option, as it is faster and easier to read.

However, you should note that if you declare an array and initialize it later,
you have to use the new keyword:

// Declare an array

string[] cars;

// Add values, using new

cars = new string[] {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford"};

// Add values without using new (this will cause an error)

cars = {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford"};

C# Loop Through Arrays

Loop Through an Array
You can loop through the array elements with the for loop, and use the Length property to
specify how many times the loop should run.

The following example outputs all elements in the cars array:

51
ExampleGet your own C# Server
string[] cars = {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford", "Mazda"};

for (int i = 0; i < cars.Length; i++)

Console.WriteLine(cars[i]);

The foreach Loop

There is also a foreach loop, which is used exclusively to loop through elements in an array:

Syntax
foreach (type variableName in arrayName)

// code block to be executed

The following example outputs all elements in the cars array, using a foreach loop:

Example
string[] cars = {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford", "Mazda"};

foreach (string i in cars)

Console.WriteLine(i);

The example above can be read like this: for each string element (called i - as in index) in cars,
print out the value of i.

52
If you compare the for loop and foreach loop, you will see that the foreach method is easier to
write, it does not require a counter (using the Length property), and it is more readable.

C# Sort Arrays
Sort an Array
There are many array methods available, for example Sort(), which sorts an
array alphabetically or in an ascending order:

ExampleGet your own C# Server

// Sort a string

string[] cars = {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford", "Mazda"};

Array.Sort(cars);

foreach (string i in cars)

Console.WriteLine(i);

// Sort an int

int[] myNumbers = {5, 1, 8, 9};

Array.Sort(myNumbers);

foreach (int i in myNumbers)

Console.WriteLine(i);

53
System.Linq Namespace
Other useful array methods, such as Min, Max, and Sum, can be found in
the System.Linq namespace:

Example
using System;

using System.Linq;

namespace MyApplication

class Program

static void Main(string[] args)

int[] myNumbers = {5, 1, 8, 9};

Console.WriteLine(myNumbers.Max()); // returns the largest value

Console.WriteLine(myNumbers.Min()); // returns the smallest

value

Console.WriteLine(myNumbers.Sum()); // returns the sum of

elements

54
C# Multidimensional Arrays
Multidimensional Arrays
In the previous chapter, you learned about arrays, which is also known
as single dimension arrays. These are great, and something you will use a
lot while programming in C#. However, if you want to store data as a tabular
form, like a table with rows and columns, you need to get familiar
with multidimensional arrays.

A multidimensional array is basically an array of arrays.

Arrays can have any number of dimensions. The most common are two-
dimensional arrays (2D).

Two-Dimensional Arrays
To create a 2D array, add each array within its own set of curly braces, and
insert a comma (,) inside the square brackets:

ExampleGet your own C# Server

int[,] numbers = { {1, 4, 2}, {3, 6, 8} };

Good to know: The single comma [,] specifies that the array is two-
dimensional. A three-dimensional array would have two commas: int[,,].

numbers is now an array with two arrays as its elements. The first array
element contains three elements: 1, 4 and 2, while the second array element
contains 3, 6 and 8. To visualize it, think of the array as a table with rows
and columns:

55
Access Elements of a 2D Array
To access an element of a two-dimensional array, you must specify two
indexes: one for the array, and one for the element inside that array. Or
better yet, with the table visualization in mind; one for the row and one for
the column (see example below).

This statement accesses the value of the element in the first row
(0) and third column (2) of the numbers array:

Example
int[,] numbers = { {1, 4, 2}, {3, 6, 8} };

Console.WriteLine(numbers[0, 2]); // Outputs 2

Remember that: Array indexes start with 0: [0] is the first element. [1] is
the second element, etc.

Change Elements of a 2D Array

You can also change the value of an element.

The following example will change the value of the element in the first row
(0) and first column (0):

Example
int[,] numbers = { {1, 4, 2}, {3, 6, 8} };

numbers[0, 0] = 5; // Change value to 5

Console.WriteLine(numbers[0, 0]); // Outputs 5 instead of 1

Loop Through a 2D Array

You can easily loop through the elements of a two-dimensional array with
a foreach loop:

56
Example
int[,] numbers = { {1, 4, 2}, {3, 6, 8} };

foreach (int i in numbers)

Console.WriteLine(i);

You can also use a for loop. For multidimensional arrays, you need one loop
for each of the array's dimensions.

Also note that we have to use GetLength() instead of Length to specify how
many times the loop should run:

Example
int[,] numbers = { {1, 4, 2}, {3, 6, 8} };

for (int i = 0; i < numbers.GetLength(0); i++)

for (int j = 0; j < numbers.GetLength(1); j++)

Console.WriteLine(numbers[i, j]);

C# Methods
A method is a block of code which only runs when it is called.

You can pass data, known as parameters, into a method.

Methods are used to perform certain actions, and they are also known
as functions.

57
Why use methods? To reuse code: define the code once, and use it many
times.

Create a Method
A method is defined with the name of the method, followed by
parentheses (). C# provides some pre-defined methods, which you already
are familiar with, such as Main(), but you can also create your own methods
to perform certain actions:

ExampleGet your own C# Server

Create a method inside the Program class:

class Program

static void MyMethod()

// code to be executed

Example Explained

• MyMethod() is the name of the method

• static means that the method belongs to the Program class and not
an object of the Program class. You will learn more about objects and
how to access methods through objects later in this tutorial.
• void means that this method does not have a return value. You will
learn more about return values later in this chapter

Note: In C#, it is good practice to start with an uppercase letter when

naming methods, as it makes the code easier to read.

Call a Method
To call (execute) a method, write the method's name followed by two
parentheses () and a semicolon;

58
In the following example, MyMethod() is used to print a text (the action),
when it is called:

Example
Inside Main(), call the myMethod() method:

static void MyMethod()

Console.WriteLine("I just got executed!");

static void Main(string[] args)

MyMethod();

// Outputs "I just got executed!"

A method can be called multiple times:

Example
static void MyMethod()

Console.WriteLine("I just got executed!");

static void Main(string[] args)

MyMethod();

59
 MyMethod();

MyMethod();

// I just got executed!

// I just got executed!

// I just got executed!

C# Method Parameters
Parameters and Arguments
Information can be passed to methods as parameter. Parameters act as
variables inside the method.

They are specified after the method name, inside the parentheses. You can
add as many parameters as you want, just separate them with a comma.

The following example has a method that takes a string called fname as
parameter. When the method is called, we pass along a first name, which is
used inside the method to print the full name:

ExampleGet your own C# Server

static void MyMethod(string fname)

Console.WriteLine(fname + " Refsnes");

static void Main(string[] args)

60
 MyMethod("Liam");

MyMethod("Jenny");

MyMethod("Anja");

// Liam Refsnes

// Jenny Refsnes

// Anja Refsnes

When a parameter is passed to the method, it is called an argument. So,

from the example above: fname is a parameter,
while Liam, Jenny and Anja are arguments.

Multiple Parameters
You can have as many parameters as you like, just separate them with
commas:

Example
static void MyMethod(string fname, int age)

Console.WriteLine(fname + " is " + age);

static void Main(string[] args)

61
{

MyMethod("Liam", 5);

MyMethod("Jenny", 8);

MyMethod("Anja", 31);

// Liam is 5

// Jenny is 8

// Anja is 31

Note that when you are working with multiple parameters, the method call
must have the same number of arguments as there are parameters, and the
arguments must be passed in the same order.

C# Default Parameter Value

Default Parameter Value
You can also use a default parameter value, by using the equals sign (=).

If we call the method without an argument, it uses the default value

("Norway"):

ExampleGet your own C# Server

static void MyMethod(string country = "Norway")

Console.WriteLine(country);

static void Main(string[] args)

62
 MyMethod("Sweden");

MyMethod("India");

MyMethod();

MyMethod("USA");

// Sweden

// India

// Norway

// USA

A parameter with a default value, is often known as an "optional

parameter". From the example above, country is an optional parameter
and "Norway" is the default value.

C# Return Values
Return Values
In the previous page, we used the void keyword in all examples, which
indicates that the method should not return a value.

If you want the method to return a value, you can use a primitive data type
(such as int or double) instead of void, and use the return keyword inside the
method:

ExampleGet your own C# Server

static int MyMethod(int x)

return 5 + x;

63
static void Main(string[] args)

Console.WriteLine(MyMethod(3));

// Outputs 8 (5 + 3)

This example returns the sum of a method's two parameters:

Example
static int MyMethod(int x, int y)

return x + y;

static void Main(string[] args)

Console.WriteLine(MyMethod(5, 3));

// Outputs 8 (5 + 3)

64
You can also store the result in a variable (recommended, as it is easier to
read and maintain):

Example
static int MyMethod(int x, int y)

return x + y;

static void Main(string[] args)

int z = MyMethod(5, 3);

Console.WriteLine(z);

// Outputs 8 (5 + 3)

C# Named Arguments
Named Arguments
It is also possible to send arguments with the key: value syntax.

That way, the order of the arguments does not matter:

ExampleGet your own C# Server

static void MyMethod(string child1, string child2, string child3)

Console.WriteLine("The youngest child is: " + child3);

65
static void Main(string[] args)

MyMethod(child3: "John", child1: "Liam", child2: "Liam");

// The youngest child is: John

FOR

C# Method Overloading
Method Overloading
With method overloading, multiple methods can have the same name with
different parameters:

ExampleGet your own C# Server

int MyMethod(int x)

float MyMethod(float x)

double MyMethod(double x, double y)

Consider the following example, which have two methods that add numbers
of different type:

Example
static int PlusMethodInt(int x, int y)

return x + y;

66
static double PlusMethodDouble(double x, double y)

return x + y;

static void Main(string[] args)

int myNum1 = PlusMethodInt(8, 5);

double myNum2 = PlusMethodDouble(4.3, 6.26);

Console.WriteLine("Int: " + myNum1);

Console.WriteLine("Double: " + myNum2);

Instead of defining two methods that should do the same thing, it is better to
overload one.

In the example below, we overload the PlusMethod method to work for

both int and double:

Example
static int PlusMethod(int x, int y)

return x + y;

static double PlusMethod(double x, double y)

return x + y;

67
static void Main(string[] args)

int myNum1 = PlusMethod(8, 5);

double myNum2 = PlusMethod(4.3, 6.26);

Console.WriteLine("Int: " + myNum1);

Console.WriteLine("Double: " + myNum2);

68