C# Tutorial

C#
Tutorial
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# 8, was
released in September 2019.
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 language in the world
 It is easy to learn and simple to use
 It has a 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
This tutorial will teach you the basics of C#.
It is not necessary to have any prior programming experience.
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" button:
Choose "Console App (.NET Core)" from the list and click on the Next button:
Enter a name for your project, and click on the Create button:
Visual Studio will automatically generate some code for your project:
The code should look something like this:
Program.cs
using System;
namespace HelloWorld
class Program
static void Main(string[] args)
Console.WriteLine("Hello World!");
}
}
Try it Yourself »
Don't worry if you don't understand the code above - we will discuss it in detail
in later chapters. For now, focus on how to run the code.
Run the program by pressing the F5 button on your keyboard (or click on

"Debug" -> "Start Debugging"). This will compile and execute your code. The
result will look something to this:
Hello World!
C:\Users\Username\source\repos\HelloWorld\HelloWorld\bin\Debug\
netcoreapp3.0\HelloWorld.exe (process 13784) exited with code 0.
To automatically close the console when debugging stops, enable
Tools->Options->Debugging->Automatically close the console when
debugging stops.
Press any key to close this window . . .
Congratulations! You have now written and executed your first C# program.
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:
Program.cs
using System;
namespace HelloWorld
class Program
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 a 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.
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" has 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!
WriteLine or Write
The most common method to output something in C# is WriteLine(), but you can
also use Write().
The difference is that WriteLine() prints the output on a new line each time,

while Write() prints on the same line (note that you should remember to add
spaces when needed, for better readability):
Example
Console.WriteLine("I will print on a new line.");
Console.Write("Hello World! ");
Console.Write("I will print on the same line.");
Result:
Hello World!
I will print on a new line.
Hello World! I will print on the same line.
Try it Yourself »
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:

Example
// This is a comment
Try it Yourself »
This example uses a single-line comment at the end of a line of code:
Example
Console.WriteLine("Hello World!"); // This is a comment
Try it Yourself »
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 */
Try it Yourself »
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
Declaring (Creating) Variables
To create a variable, you must specify the type and assign it a value:
Syntax
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);
Try it Yourself »
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);
Try it Yourself »
You can also declare a variable without assigning the value, and assign the
value later:
Example
int myNum;
myNum = 15;
Try it Yourself »
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
Try it Yourself »
Constants
However, you can add the const keyword if you don't want others (or yourself)
to overwrite existing values (this will declare the variable as "constant", which
means unchangeable and read-only):
Example
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.
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 the next chapter.
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:
Example
string name = "John";
Console.WriteLine("Hello " + name);

Try it Yourself »
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);
Try it Yourself »
For numeric values, the + character works as a mathematical operator (notice

that we use int (integer) variables here):
Example
int x = 5;
int y = 6;
Console.WriteLine(x + y); // Print the value of x + y

Try it Yourself »
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
Declare Many Variables

To declare more than one variable of the same type, use a comma-separated
list:
Example
int x = 5, y = 6, z = 50;
Console.WriteLine(x + y + z);
Try it Yourself »
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:
Example
// Good
int minutesPerHour = 60;
// OK, but not so easy to understand what m actually is

int m = 60;
Try it Yourself »
The general rules for constructing names for variables (unique identifiers) are:
 Names can contain letters, digits and the underscore character (_)
 Names must begin with a letter
 Names should start with a lowercase letter and it 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:
Example
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
Try it Yourself »
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:
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 bit 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.
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;
Try it Yourself »
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;
Try it Yourself »
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.
Float
The float data type can store fractional numbers from 3.4e−038 to 3.4e+038.
Note that you should end the value with an "F":
Example
float myNum = 5.75F;
Try it Yourself »
Double
The double data type can store fractional numbers from 1.7e−308 to 1.7e+308.
Note that you can end the value with a "D" (although not required):
Example
double myNum = 19.99D;
Try it Yourself »
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);
Try it Yourself »
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
Console.WriteLine(isFishTasty); // Outputs False

Try it Yourself »
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);
Try it Yourself »
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);
Try it Yourself »
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
Implicit Casting
Implicit casting is done automatically when passing a smaller size type to a
larger size type:
Example
int myInt = 9;
double myDouble = myInt; // Automatic casting: int to double
Console.WriteLine(myInt); // Outputs 9
Console.WriteLine(myDouble); // Outputs 9
Try it Yourself »
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
Try it Yourself »
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):
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
Try it Yourself »
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.
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:
Example
// 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();
// Print the value of the variable (userName), which will display the
input value
Console.WriteLine("Username is: " + userName);
Run example »
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.').
You will learn more about Exceptions and how to handle errors in a later

chapter.
C# Operators
Operators are used to perform operations on variables and values.
In the example below, we use the + operator to add together two values:
Example
int x = 100 + 50;
Try it Yourself »
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)

Try it Yourself »
Arithmetic Operators
Arithmetic operators are used to perform common mathematical operations:
Operator Name Description Example Try it
+ Addition Adds together two values x+y Try it »
- Subtraction Subtracts one value from another x-y Try it »
* Multiplication Multiplies two values x*y Try it »

/ Division Divides one value by another x/y Try it »
% Modulus Returns the division remainder x%y Try it »
++ Increment Increases the value of a variable by 1 x++ Try it »
-- Decrement Decreases the value of a variable by 1 x-- Try it »
Addition
Subtraction
Multiplication
Division
Modulus
Increment
Decrement
C# 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:
Example
int x = 10;
Try it Yourself »
The addition assignment operator (+=) adds a value to a variable:
Example
int x = 10;
x += 5;
Try it Yourself »
A list of all assignment operators:
Operator Example Same As Try it
= x=5 x=5 Try it »
+= x += 3 x=x+3 Try it »
-= x -= 3 x=x-3 Try it »
*= x *= 3 x=x*3 Try it »
/= x /= 3 x=x/3 Try it »
%= x %= 3 x=x%3 Try it »
&= x &= 3 x=x&3 Try it »
|= x |= 3 x=x|3 Try it »
^= x ^= 3 x=x^3 Try it »
>>= x >>= 3 x = x >> 3 Try it »
<<= x <<= 3 x = x << 3 Try it »

C# Comparison Operators
Comparison operators are used to compare two values:
Operator Name Example Try it
== Equal to x == y Try it »
!= Not equal x != y Try it »
> Greater than x>y Try it »
< Less than x<y Try it »
>= Greater than or equal to x >= y Try it »
<= Less than or equal to x <= y Try it »

C# Logical Operators
Logical operators are used to determine the logic between variables or values:
Operator Name Description Example Try it
&& Logical and Returns true if both statements are true x < 5 && x < 10 Try it »
|| Logical or Returns true if one of the statements is true x < 5 || x < 4 Try it »
! Logical not Reverse the result, returns false if the result is !(x < 5 && x < 10) Try it »
true
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:
Example
Math.Max(5, 10);
Try it Yourself »
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);
Try it Yourself »
Math.Sqrt(x)
The Math.Sqrt(x) method returns the square root of x:
Example
Math.Sqrt(64);
Try it Yourself »
Math.Abs(x)
The Math.Abs(x) method returns the absolute (positive) value of x:
Example
Math.Abs(-4.7);
Try it Yourself »
Math.Round()
Math.Round() rounds a number to the nearest whole number:
Example
Math.Round(9.99);
Try it Yourself »
C# Strings
Strings are used for storing text.
A string variable contains a collection of characters surrounded by double

quotes:
Example
Create a variable of type string and assign it a value:
string greeting = "Hello";

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

Run example »
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"

Run example »
String Concatenation
The + operator can be used between strings to combine them. This is
called concatenation:
Example
string name = firstName + lastName;
Run example »
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 name = string.Concat(firstName, lastName);
Run example »
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:
Example
string firstName = "John";
string name = $"My full name is: {firstName} {lastName}";
Run example »
Also note that you have to use the dollar sign ($) when using the string
interpolation method.
String interpolation was introduced in C# version 6.
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:
Example
string myString = "Hello";
Console.WriteLine(myString[0]); // Outputs "H"

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

Run example »
You can also find the index position of a specific character in a string, by using
the IndexOf() method:
Example
Console.WriteLine(myString.IndexOf("e")); // Outputs "1"

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

string, starting from the specified character position/index, and returns a 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);
Run example »
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
\' ' Single quote

\" " Double quote
\\ \ Backslash
The sequence \" inserts a double quote in a string:
Example
string txt = "We are the so-called \"Vikings\" from the north.";
Try it Yourself »
The sequence \' inserts a single quote in a string:

Example
string txt = "It\'s alright.";
Try it Yourself »
The sequence \\ inserts a single backslash in a string:
Example
string txt = "The character \\ is called backslash.";
Try it Yourself »
Other useful escape characters in C# are:
Code Result Try it
\n New Line Try it »
\t Tab Try it »
\b Backspace Try it »
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)

Run example »
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# 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:
Example
bool isCSharpFun = true;
bool isFishTasty = false;
Console.WriteLine(isCSharpFun); // Outputs True
Console.WriteLine(isFishTasty); // Outputs False
Try it Yourself »
However, it is more common to return boolean values from boolean

expressions, for conditional testing (see below).
Boolean Expression
A Boolean expression is a C# expression that returns a Boolean
value: True or False.
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
Try it Yourself »
Or even easier:
Example
Console.WriteLine(10 > 9); // returns True, because 10 is higher than 9
Try it Yourself »
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
Try it Yourself »
Example
Console.WriteLine(10 == 15); // returns False, because 10 is not equal to
15
Try it Yourself »
The boolean value of an expression is the basis for all C# comparisons and
conditions.
You will learn more about conditions 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.
Syntax
if (condition)
{
// block of code to be executed if the condition is True
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");
Try it Yourself »
We can also test variables:

Example
int x = 20;
int y = 18;
if (x > y)
Console.WriteLine("x is greater than y");
Try it Yourself »
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".
The else Statement
Use the else statement to specify a block of code to be executed if the condition
is False.
Syntax
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."

Try it Yourself »
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".
The else if Statement

Use the else if statement to specify a new condition if the first condition
is False.
Syntax
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)
else
// Outputs "Good evening."

Try it Yourself »
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."
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:
Syntax
variable = (condition) ? expressionTrue : expressionFalse;
Instead of writing:
Example
int time = 20;
if (time < 18)
else
Try it Yourself »
You can simply write:

Example
int time = 20;
string result = (time < 18) ? "Good day." : "Good evening.";
Console.WriteLine(result);
Try it Yourself »
C# Switch Statements
Use the switch statement to select one of many code blocks to be executed.
Syntax
switch(expression)
case x:
// code block
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;
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)
Try it Yourself »
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.
The default Keyword

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.
C# While Loop
The while loop loops through a block of code as long as a specified condition
is True:
Syntax
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++;
}
Try it Yourself »
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.
Syntax
do
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
i++;
while (i < 5);
Try it Yourself »
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)
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++)
}
Try it Yourself »
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)
{
Try it Yourself »
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)
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)
Try it Yourself »
Note: Don't worry if you don't understand the example above. You will learn
more about Arrays in the C# Arrays chapter.
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:
Example
for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++)
if (i == 4)
break;
Try it Yourself »
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;
Try it Yourself »
Break and Continue in While Loop

You can also use break and continue in while loops:
Break Example
int i = 0;
while (i < 10)
{
i++;
if (i == 4)
break;
Try it Yourself »
Continue Example
int i = 0;
while (i < 10)
if (i == 4)
{
i++;
continue;
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:
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:
Example
Console.WriteLine(cars[0]);
// Outputs Volvo
Try it Yourself »
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
cars[0] = "Opel";
Console.WriteLine(cars[0]);
// Now outputs Opel instead of Volvo

Try it Yourself »
Array Length
To find out how many elements an array has, use the Length property:
Example
Console.WriteLine(cars.Length);
// Outputs 4
Try it Yourself »
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:
Example
for (int i = 0; i < cars.Length; i++)
Console.WriteLine(cars[i]);
}
Try it Yourself »
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)
The following example outputs all elements in the cars array, using a foreach loop:
Example
Try it Yourself »
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.
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.
Sort Arrays
There are many array methods available, for example Sort(), which sorts an array alphabetically or
in an ascending order:
Example
// Sort a string
Array.Sort(cars);
// Sort an int
int[] myNumbers = {5, 1, 8, 9};
Array.Sort(myNumbers);
foreach (int i in myNumbers)
}
Try it Yourself »
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

{
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
Try it Yourself »
You will learn more about other namespaces in a later chapter.

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];
// 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
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# 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.
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:
Example
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;
In the following example, MyMethod() is used to print a text (the action), when it

is called:
Example
Inside Main(), call the myMethod() method:
Console.WriteLine("I just got executed!");
MyMethod();
// Outputs "I just got executed!"

Try it Yourself »
A method can be called multiple times:
Example
Console.WriteLine("I just got executed!");
MyMethod();
MyMethod();
MyMethod();
}
// 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:
Example
static void MyMethod(string fname)
Console.WriteLine(fname + " Refsnes");
MyMethod("Liam");
MyMethod("Jenny");
MyMethod("Anja");
// Liam Refsnes
// Jenny Refsnes
// Anja Refsnes
Try it Yourself »
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.
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"):
Example
static void MyMethod(string country = "Norway")
Console.WriteLine(country);
}
MyMethod("Sweden");
MyMethod("India");
MyMethod();
MyMethod("USA");
// Sweden
// India
// Norway
// USA
Try it Yourself »
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.
Multiple Parameters
You can have as many parameters as you like:
Example
static void MyMethod(string fname, int age)
Console.WriteLine(fname + " is " + age);
MyMethod("Liam", 5);
MyMethod("Jenny", 8);
MyMethod("Anja", 31);
// Liam is 5
// Jenny is 8
// Anja is 31
Try it Yourself »
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.
Return Values
The void keyword, used in the examples above, 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:
Example
static int MyMethod(int x)
return 5 + x;
}
Console.WriteLine(MyMethod(3));
// Outputs 8 (5 + 3)
Try it Yourself »
This example returns the sum of a method's two parameters:
Example
static int MyMethod(int x, int y)
{
return x + y;
Console.WriteLine(MyMethod(5, 3));
// Outputs 8 (5 + 3)
Try it Yourself »
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;
int z = MyMethod(5, 3);
Console.WriteLine(z);
// Outputs 8 (5 + 3)
Try it Yourself »
Named Arguments
It is also possible to send arguments with the key: value syntax.
That way, the order of the arguments does not matter:
Example
static void MyMethod(string child1, string child2, string child3)
Console.WriteLine("The youngest child is: " + child3);
MyMethod(child3: "John", child1: "Liam", child2: "Liam");
// The youngest child is: John

Try it Yourself »
Named arguments are especially useful when you have multiple parameters
with default values, and you only want to specify one of them when you call it:
Example
static void MyMethod(string child1 = "Liam", string child2 = "Jenny",
string child3 = "John")
Console.WriteLine(child3);
MyMethod("child3");
}
// John
Try it Yourself »
C# Method Overloading
Method Overloading
With method overloading, multiple methods can have the same name with
different parameters:
Example
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;
static double PlusMethodDouble(double x, double y)
return x + y;
int myNum1 = PlusMethodInt(8, 5);
double myNum2 = PlusMethodDouble(4.3, 6.26);
Console.WriteLine("Int: " + myNum1);
Console.WriteLine("Double: " + myNum2);
}
Try it Yourself »
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;
}
int myNum1 = PlusMethod(8, 5);
double myNum2 = PlusMethod(4.3, 6.26);
Console.WriteLine("Int: " + myNum1);
Console.WriteLine("Double: " + myNum2);
Try it Yourself »
Note: Multiple methods can have the same name as long as the number and/or
type of parameters are different.
C# OOP
C# - What is OOP?
OOP stands for Object-Oriented Programming.
Procedural programming is about writing procedures or methods that perform

operations on the data, while object-oriented programming is about creating
objects that contain both data and methods.
Object-oriented programming has several advantages over procedural

programming:
 OOP is faster and easier to execute

 OOP provides a clear structure for the programs
 OOP helps to keep the C# code DRY "Don't Repeat Yourself", and makes
the code easier to maintain, modify and debug
 OOP makes it possible to create full reusable applications with less code
and shorter development time
Tip: The "Don't Repeat Yourself" (DRY) principle is about reducing the repetition
of code. You should extract out the codes that are common for the application,
and place them at a single place and reuse them instead of repeating it.
C# - What are Classes and Objects?

Classes and objects are the two main aspects of object-oriented programming.
Look at the following illustration to see the difference between class and
objects:
class
Fruit
objects
Apple
Banana
Mango
Another example:
class
Car
objects
Volvo
Audi
Toyota
So, a class is a template for objects, and an object is an instance of a class.
When the individual objects are created, they inherit all the variables and
methods from the class.
You will learn much more about classes and objects in the next chapter.
C# Classes and Objects

Classes and Objects
You learned from the previous chapter that C# is an object-oriented
programming language.
Everything in C# is associated with classes and objects, along with its attributes
and methods. For example: in real life, a car is an object. The car
has attributes, such as weight and color, and methods, such as drive and
brake.
A Class is like an object constructor, or a "blueprint" for creating objects.
Create a Class
To create a class, use the class keyword:
Create a class named "Car" with a variable color:
class Car
string color = "red";
When a variable is declared directly in a class, it is often referred to as

a field (or attribute).
It is not required, but it is a good practice to start with an uppercase first letter
when naming classes. Also, it is common that the name of the C# file and the
class matches, as it makes our code organized. However it is not required (like
in Java).
Create an Object
An object is created from a class. We have already created the class named Car,
so now we can use this to create objects.
To create an object of Car, specify the class name, followed by the object name,
and use the keyword new:
Example
Create an object called "myObj" and use it to print the value of color:
class Car
Car myObj = new Car();
Console.WriteLine(myObj.color);
}
Try it Yourself »
Note that we use the dot syntax (.) to access variables/fields inside a class
(myObj.color). You will learn more about fields in the next chapter.
Multiple Objects
You can create multiple objects of one class:
Example
Create two objects of Car:
class Car
Car myObj1 = new Car();

Car myObj2 = new Car();
Console.WriteLine(myObj1.color);
Console.WriteLine(myObj2.color);
Try it Yourself »
Using Multiple Classes

You can also create an object of a class and access it in another class. This is
often used for better organization of classes (one class has all the fields and
methods, while the other class holds the Main() method (code to be executed)).
 prog2.cs
 prog.cs
prog2.cs
class Car
public string color = "red";
prog.cs
class Program
}
Try it Yourself »
Did you notice the public keyword? It is called an access modifier, which

specifies that the color variable/field of Car is accessible for other classes as
well, such as Program.
You will learn much more about access modifiers and classes/objects in the

next chapters.
C# Class Members
Class Members
Fields and methods inside classes are often referred to as "Class Members":
Example
Create a Car class with three class members: two fields and one method.
// The class
class MyClass
{
// Class members
string color = "red"; // field
int maxSpeed = 200; // field
public void fullThrottle() // method
Console.WriteLine("The car is going as fast as it can!");
Fields
In the previous chapter, you learned that variables inside a class are called
fields, and that you can access them by creating an object of the class, and by
using the dot syntax (.).
The following example will create an object of the Car class, with the

name myObj. Then we print the value of the fields color and maxSpeed:
Example
class Car
int maxSpeed = 200;
Console.WriteLine(myObj.maxSpeed);
Try it Yourself »
You can also leave the fields blank, and modify them when creating the object:
Example
class Car
string color;
int maxSpeed;

{
myObj.color = "red";
myObj.maxSpeed = 200;
Console.WriteLine(myObj.maxSpeed);
Try it Yourself »
This is especially useful when creating multiple objects of one class:
Example
class Car
{
string model;
string color;
int year;
Car Ford = new Car();
Ford.model = "Mustang";
Ford.color = "red";
Ford.year = 1969;
Car Opel = new Car();
Opel.model = "Astra";
Opel.color = "white";
Opel.year = 2005;
Console.WriteLine(Ford.model);
Console.WriteLine(Opel.model);
}
Try it Yourself »
Object Methods
You learned from the C# Methods chapter that methods are used to perform
certain actions.
Methods normally belongs to a class, and they define how an object of a class
behaves.
Just like with fields, you can access methods with the dot syntax. However, note
that the method must be public. And remember that we use the name of the
method followed by two parantheses () and a semicolon ; to call (execute) the
method:
Example
class Car
string color; // field
int maxSpeed; // field
public void fullThrottle() // method
myObj.fullThrottle(); // Call the method
}
Try it Yourself »
Why did we declare the method as public, and not static, like in the examples
from the C# Methods Chapter?
The reason is simple: a static method can be accessed without creating an

object of the class, while public methods can only be accessed by objects.
Use Multiple Classes

Remember from the last chapter, that we can use multiple classes for better
organization (one for fields and methods, and another one for execution). This
is recommended:
prog2.cs
class Car
public string model;
public string color;

public int year;
public void fullThrottle()
prog.cs
class Program
Ford.color = "red";
Ford.year = 1969;
Opel.year = 2005;
}
Try it Yourself »
The public keyword is called an access modifier, which specifies that the fields

of Car are accessible for other classes as well, such as Program.
You will learn more about Access Modifiers in a later chapter.
Tip: As you continue to read, you will also learn more about other class
members, such as constructors and properties.
C# Constructors
Constructors
A constructor is a special method that is used to initialize objects. The
advantage of a constructor, is that it is called when an object of a class is
created. It can be used to set initial values for fields:
Example
Create a constructor:
// Create a Car class

class Car
public string model; // Create a field
// Create a class constructor for the Car class
public Car()
model = "Mustang"; // Set the initial value for model
Car Ford = new Car(); // Create an object of the Car Class (this
will call the constructor)
Console.WriteLine(Ford.model); // Print the value of model
// Outputs "Mustang"
Try it Yourself »
Note that the constructor name must match the class name, and it cannot
have a return type (like void or int).
Also note that the constructor is called when the object is created.
All classes have constructors by default: if you do not create a class constructor
yourself, C# creates one for you. However, then you are not able to set initial
values for fields.
Constructors save time! Take a look at the last example on this page to really
understand why.
Constructor Parameters
Constructors can also take parameters, which is used to initialize fields.
The following example adds a string modelName parameter to the constructor.

Inside the constructor we set model to modelName (model=modelName). When we call
the constructor, we pass a parameter to the constructor ("Mustang"), which will
set the value of model to "Mustang":
Example
class Car
// Create a class constructor with a parameter
public Car(string modelName)
model = modelName;
Car Ford = new Car("Mustang");
// Outputs "Mustang"
Try it Yourself »
You can have as many parameters as you want:
Example
class Car
public int year;
// Create a class constructor with multiple parameters
public Car(string modelName, string modelColor, int modelYear)
model = modelName;
color = modelColor;
year = modelYear;
Car Ford = new Car("Mustang", "Red", 1969);
Console.WriteLine(Ford.color + " " + Ford.year + " " + Ford.model);
// Outputs Red 1969 Mustang
Try it Yourself »
Tip: Just like other methods, constructors can be overloaded by using different

numbers of parameters.
Constructors Save Time
When you consider the example from the previous chapter, you will notice that
constructors are very useful, as they help reducing the amount of code:
Without constructor: prog.cs

class Program
Ford.color = "red";
Ford.year = 1969;
Opel.year = 2005;
}
Try it Yourself »
With constructor:
prog.cs
class Program
Car Ford = new Car("Mustang", "Red", 1969);
Car Opel = new Car("Astra", "White", 2005);
}
C# Access Modifiers
Access Modifiers
By now, you are quite familiar with the public keyword that appears in many of
our examples:
The public keyword is an access modifier, which is used to set the access

level/visibility for classes, fields, methods and properties.
C# has the following access modifiers:
Modifier Description
public The code is accessible for all classes

private The code is only accessible within the same class
protected The code is accessible within the same class, or in a class that is inherited from that class.
You will learn more about inheritance in a later chapter
internal The code is only accessible within its own assembly, but not from another assembly. You
will learn more about this in a later chapter
There's also two combinations: protected internal and private protected.
For now, lets focus on public and private modifiers.
Private Modifier
If you declare a field with a private access modifier, it can only be accessed
within the same class:
Example
class Car
private string model = "Mustang";
Console.WriteLine(myObj.model);
}
The output will be:
Mustang
Try it Yourself »
If you try to access it outside the class, an error will occur:
Example
class Car
private string model = "Mustang";
class Program
{
The output will be:
'Car.model' is inaccessible due to its protection level

The field 'Car.model' is assigned but its value is never used
Try it Yourself »
Public Modifier
If you declare a field with a public access modifier, it is accessible for all
classes:
Example
class Car
public string model = "Mustang";
class Program
The output will be:
Mustang
Try it Yourself »
Why Access Modifiers?

To control the visibility of class members (the security level of each individual
class and class member).
To achieve "Encapsulation" - which is the process of making sure that

"sensitive" data is hidden from users. This is done by declaring fields
as private. You will learn more about this in the next chapter.
Note: By default, all members of a class are private if you don't specify an

access modifier:
Example
class Car
string model; // private
string year; // private

}
C# Properties (Get and Set)

Properties and Encapsulation
Before we start to explain properties, you should have a basic understanding of
"Encapsulation".
The meaning of Encapsulation, is to make sure that "sensitive" data is hidden

from users. To achieve this, you must:
 declare fields/variables as private

 provide public get and set methods, through properties, to access and
update the value of a private field
Properties
You learned from the previous chapter that private variables can only be
accessed within the same class (an outside class has no access to it). However,
sometimes we need to access them - and it can be done with properties.
A property is like a combination of a variable and a method, and it has two

methods: a get and a set method:
Example
class Person
private string name; // field
public string Name // property
{
get { return name; } // get method
set { name = value; } // set method
Example explained
The Name property is associated with the name field. It is a good practice to use

the same name for both the property and the private field, but with an
uppercase first letter.
The get method returns the value of the variable name.
The set method assigns a value to the name variable. The value keyword

represents the value we assign to the property.
If you don't fully understand it, take a look at the example below.
Now we can use the Name property to access and update the private field of

the Person class:
Example
class Person
private string name; // field
get { return name; }
set { name = value; }
}
}
class Program
Person myObj = new Person();
myObj.Name = "Liam";
Console.WriteLine(myObj.Name);
The output will be:
Liam
Try it Yourself »
Automatic Properties (Short Hand)

C# also provides a way to use short-hand / automatic properties, where you do
not have to define the field for the property, and you only have to
write get; and set; inside the property.
The following example will produce the same result as the example above. The
only difference is that there is less code:
Example
Using automatic properties:
class Person
{ get; set; }
class Program
Person myObj = new Person();
myObj.Name = "Liam";
Console.WriteLine(myObj.Name);
The output will be:
Liam
Try it Yourself »
Why Encapsulation?
 Better control of class members (reduce the possibility of yourself (or
others) to mess up the code)
 Fields can be made read-only (if you only use the get method),
or write-only (if you only use the set method)
 Flexible: the programmer can change one part of the code without
affecting other parts
 Increased security of data
C# Inheritance
Inheritance (Derived and Base Class)
In C#, it is possible to inherit fields and methods from one class to another. We
group the "inheritance concept" into two categories:
 Derived Class (child) - the class that inherits from another class

 Base Class (parent) - the class being inherited from
To inherit from a class, use the : symbol.
In the example below, the Car class (child) inherits the fields and methods from
the Vehicle class (parent):
Example
class Vehicle // base class (parent)
public string brand = "Ford"; // Vehicle field
public void honk() // Vehicle method
Console.WriteLine("Tuut, tuut!");
}
class Car : Vehicle // derived class (child)
public string modelName = "Mustang"; // Car field
class Program
// Create a myCar object
Car myCar = new Car();
// Call the honk() method (From the Vehicle class) on the myCar
object
myCar.honk();
// Display the value of the brand field (from the Vehicle class) and
the value of the modelName from the Car class
Console.WriteLine(myCar.brand + " " + myCar.modelName);
}
Run example »
Why And When To Use "Inheritance"?

- It is useful for code reusability: reuse fields and methods of an existing class
when you create a new class.
Tip: Also take a look at the next chapter, Polymorphism, which uses inherited

methods to perform different tasks.
The sealed Keyword

If you don't want other classes to inherit from a class, use the sealed keyword:
If you try to access a sealed class, C# will generate an error:
sealed class Vehicle
...
}
class Car : Vehicle
...
'Car': cannot derive from sealed type 'Vehicle'
C# Polymorphism
Polymorphism and Overriding Methods
Polymorphism means "many forms", and it occurs when we have many classes
that are related to each other by inheritance.
Like we specified in the previous chapter; Inheritance lets us inherit fields and

methods from another class. Polymorphism uses those methods to perform
different tasks. This allows us to perform a single action in different ways.
For example, think of a base class called Animal that has a method

called animalSound(). Derived classes of Animals could be Pigs, Cats, Dogs, Birds
- And they also have their own implementation of an animal sound (the pig
oinks, and the cat meows, etc.):
Example
class Animal // Base class (parent)
public void animalSound()
Console.WriteLine("The animal makes a sound");
}
class Pig : Animal // Derived class (child)
Console.WriteLine("The pig says: wee wee");
class Dog : Animal // Derived class (child)
Console.WriteLine("The dog says: bow wow");
Remember from the Inheritance chapter that we use the : symbol to inherit

from a class.
Now we can create Pig and Dog objects and call the animalSound() method on both

of them:
Example
{
class Program

{
Animal myAnimal = new Animal(); // Create a Animal object
Animal myPig = new Pig(); // Create a Pig object
Animal myDog = new Dog(); // Create a Dog object
myAnimal.animalSound();
myPig.animalSound();
myDog.animalSound();
The output will be:
The animal makes a sound

Try it Yourself »
Not The Output I Was Looking For

The output from the example above was probably not what you expected. That
is because the base class method overrides the derived class method, when
they share the same name.
However, C# provides an option to override the base class method, by adding

the virtual keyword to the method inside the base class, and by using
the override keyword for each derived class methods:
Example
{
public virtual void animalSound()
public override void animalSound()
class Program
{
Animal myAnimal = new Animal(); // Create a Animal object
Animal myPig = new Pig(); // Create a Pig object
Animal myDog = new Dog(); // Create a Dog object
myAnimal.animalSound();
myDog.animalSound();
The output will be:

The pig says: wee wee
The dog says: bow wow
Try it Yourself »
Why And When To Use "Inheritance" and "Polymorphism"?

- It is useful for code reusability: reuse fields and methods of an existing class
when you create a new class.
C# Abstraction
Abstract Classes and Methods
Data abstraction is the process of hiding certain details and showing only
essential information to the user.
Abstraction can be achieved with either abstract classes or interfaces (which
you will learn more about in the next chapter).
The abstract keyword is used for classes and methods:
 Abstract class: is a restricted class that cannot be used to create objects

(to access it, it must be inherited from another class).
 Abstract method: can only be used in an abstract class, and it does not

have a body. The body is provided by the derived class (inherited from).
An abstract class can have both abstract and regular methods:
abstract class Animal
public abstract void animalSound();
public void sleep()
Console.WriteLine("Zzz");
From the example above, it is not possible to create an object of the Animal
class:
Animal myObj = new Animal(); // Will generate an error (Cannot create an

instance of the abstract class or interface 'Animal')
To access the abstract class, it must be inherited from another class. Let's
convert the Animal class we used in the Polymorphism chapter to an abstract
class.
Remember from the Inheritance chapter that we use the : symbol to inherit

from a class, and that we use the override keyword to override the base class
method.
Example
// Abstract class
abstract class Animal
// Abstract method (does not have a body)
public abstract void animalSound();
// Regular method
public void sleep()
Console.WriteLine("Zzz");
// Derived class (inherit from Animal)
class Pig : Animal
// The body of animalSound() is provided here
}
}
class Program
Pig myPig = new Pig(); // Create a Pig object
myPig.animalSound(); // Call the abstract method
myPig.sleep(); // Call the regular method
}
Try it Yourself »
Why And When To Use Abstract Classes and Methods?

To achieve security - hide certain details and only show the important details of
an object.
Note: Abstraction can also be achieved with Interfaces, which you will learn

more about in the next chapter.
C# Interface
Interfaces
Another way to achieve abstraction in C#, is with interfaces.
An interface is a completely "abstract class", which can only contain abstract

methods and properties (with empty bodies):
Example
// interface
interface Animal
void animalSound(); // interface method (does not have a body)
void run(); // interface method (does not have a body)
It is considered good practice to start with the letter "I" at the beginning of an
interface, as it makes it easier for yourself and others to remember that it is an
interface and not a class.
By default, members of an interface are abstract and public.
Note: Interfaces can contain properties and methods, but not fields.
To access the interface methods, the interface must be "implemented" (kinda

like inherited) by another class. To implement an interface, use the : symbol
(just like with inheritance). The body of the interface method is provided by the
"implement" class. Note that you do not have to use the override keyword when
implementing an interface:
Example
// Interface
interface IAnimal
void animalSound(); // interface method (does not have a body)
// Pig "implements" the IAnimal interface
class Pig : IAnimal

{
// The body of animalSound() is provided here
class Program
Pig myPig = new Pig(); // Create a Pig object
}
Try it Yourself »
Notes on Interfaces:
 Like abstract classes, interfaces cannot be used to create objects (in

the example above, it is not possible to create an "IAnimal" object in the
Program class)
 Interface methods do not have a body - the body is provided by the
"implement" class
 On implementation of an interface, you must override all of its methods
 Interfaces can contain properties and methods, but not fields/variables
 Interface members are by default abstract and public
 An interface cannot contain a constructor (as it cannot be used to create
objects)
Why And When To Use Interfaces?

1) To achieve security - hide certain details and only show the important details
of an object (interface).
2) C# does not support "multiple inheritance" (a class can only inherit from one
base class). However, it can be achieved with interfaces, because the class
can implement multiple interfaces. Note: To implement multiple interfaces,
separate them with a comma (see example below).
Multiple Interfaces
To implement multiple interfaces, separate them with a comma:
Example
interface IFirstInterface
void myMethod(); // interface method
interface ISecondInterface
void myOtherMethod(); // interface method
// Implement multiple interfaces
class DemoClass : IFirstInterface, ISecondInterface
public void myMethod()
Console.WriteLine("Some text..");
public void myOtherMethod()
Console.WriteLine("Some other text...");
}
}
class Program
DemoClass myObj = new DemoClass();
myObj.myMethod();
myObj.myOtherMethod();
Try it Yourself »
C# Enums
An enum is a special "class" that represents a group
of constants (unchangeable/read-only variables).
To create an enum, use the enum keyword (instead of class or interface), and

separate the enum items with a comma:
Example
enum Level
Low,
Medium,
High
You can access enum items with the dot syntax:
Level myVar = Level.Medium;
Console.WriteLine(myVar);
Try it Yourself »
Enum is short for "enumerations", which means "specifically listed".
Enum inside a Class

You can also have an enum inside a class:
Example
class Program
enum Level
Low,
Medium,
High
}
Console.WriteLine(myVar);
The output will be:
Medium
Try it Yourself »
Enum Values
By default, the first item of an enum has the value 0. The second has the value
1, and so on.
To get the integer value from an item, you must explicitly convert the item to
an int:
Example
enum Months
January, // 0
February, // 1
March, // 2
April, // 3
May, // 4
June, // 5
July // 6
int myNum = (int) Months.April;
The output will be:
Try it Yourself »
You can also assign your own enum values, and the next items will update the
number accordingly:
Example
enum Months
January, // 0
February, // 1
March=6, // 6
April, // 7
May, // 8
June, // 9
July // 10
}
int myNum = (int) Months.April;
The output will be:
Try it Yourself »
Enum in a Switch Statement

Enums are often used in switch statements to check for corresponding values:
Example
enum Level
Low,
Medium,
High

switch(myVar)
case Level.Low:
Console.WriteLine("Low level");
break;
case Level.Medium:
Console.WriteLine("Medium level");
break;
case Level.High:
Console.WriteLine("High level");
break;
The output will be:
Medium level
Try it Yourself »
Why And When To Use Enums?

Use enums when you have values that you know aren't going to change, like
month days, days, colors, deck of cards, etc.
C# Files
Working With Files
The File class from the System.IO namespace, allows us to work with files:
Example
using System.IO; // include the System.IO namespace
File.SomeFileMethod(); // use the file class with methods
The File class has many useful methods for creating and getting information about files. For
example:
Method Description
AppendText() Appends text at the end of an existing file
Copy() Copies a file
Create() Creates or overwrites a file
Delete() Deletes a file
Exists() Tests whether the file exists
ReadAllText() Reads the contents of a file
Replace() Replaces the contents of a file with the contents of another file
WriteAllText() Creates a new file and writes the contents to it. If the file already exists, it will be
overwritten.
For a full list of File methods, go to Microsoft .Net File Class Reference.
Write To a File and Read It

In the following example, we use the WriteAllText() method to create a file named
"filename.txt" and write some content to it. Then we use the ReadAllText() method to read the
contents of the file:
Example
using System.IO; // include the System.IO namespace
string writeText = "Hello World!"; // Create a text string
File.WriteAllText("filename.txt", writeText); // Create a file and

write the content of writeText to it
string readText = File.ReadAllText("filename.txt"); // Read the

contents of the file
Console.WriteLine(readText); // Output the content
The output will be:
Hello World!
Run example »
C# Exceptions - Try..Catch
C# Exceptions
When executing C# code, different errors can occur: coding errors made by the
programmer, errors due to wrong input, or other unforeseeable things.
When an error occurs, C# will normally stop and generate an error message.
The technical term for this is: C# will throw an exception (throw an error).
C# try and catch

The try statement allows you to define a block of code to be tested for errors
while it is being executed.
The catch statement allows you to define a block of code to be executed, if an

error occurs in the try block.
The try and catch keywords come in pairs:
Syntax
try
// Block of code to try
catch (Exception e)
// Block of code to handle errors
Consider the following example, where we create an array of three integers:

This will generate an error, because myNumbers[10] does not exist.
int[] myNumbers = {1, 2, 3};
Console.WriteLine(myNumbers[10]); // error!
System.IndexOutOfRangeException: 'Index was outside the bounds of

the array.'
If an error occurs, we can use try...catch to catch the error and execute some
code to handle it.
In the following example, we use the variable inside the catch block ( e) together
with the built-in Message property, which outputs a message that describes the
exception:
Example
try
Console.WriteLine(myNumbers[10]);
catch (Exception e)
Console.WriteLine(e.Message);
The output will be:
Index was outside the bounds of the array.
Try it Yourself »
You can also output your own error message:

Example
try
catch (Exception e)
Console.WriteLine("Something went wrong.");
The output will be:
Something went wrong.
Try it Yourself »
Finally
The finally statement lets you execute code, after try...catch, regardless of
the result:
Example
try
}
catch (Exception e)
Console.WriteLine("Something went wrong.");
finally
Console.WriteLine("The 'try catch' is finished.");
The output will be:
Something went wrong.

The 'try catch' is finished.
Try it Yourself »
The throw keyword

The throw statement allows you to create a custom error.
The throw statement is used together with an exception class. There are

many exception classes available in
C#: ArithmeticException, FileNotFoundException, IndexOutOfRangeException
, TimeOutException, etc:
Example
static void checkAge(int age)
if (age < 18)
throw new ArithmeticException("Access denied - You must be at least

18 years old.");
}
else
Console.WriteLine("Access granted - You are old enough!");
checkAge(15);
The error message displayed in the program will be:
System.ArithmeticException: 'Access denied - You must be at least

18 years old.'
If age was 20, you would not get an exception:
Example
checkAge(20);
The output will be:
Access granted - You are old enough!
Try it Yourself »
C# How To Add Two Numbers

Add Two Numbers
Learn how to add two numbers in C#:
Example
int x = 5;
int y = 6;
int sum = x + y;
Console.WriteLine(sum); // Print the sum of x + y
Try it Yourself »

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C#

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

Why Use C#?

It is not necessary to have any prior programming experience.

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

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

On the start window, choose Create a new project:

static void Main(string[] args)

Run the program by pressing the F5 button on your keyboard (or click on

static void Main(string[] args)

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

Don't worry if you don't understand how using System, namespace and class works.

Line 7: Another thing that always appear in a C# program, is the Main method.

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

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

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

The difference is that WriteLine() prints the output on a new line each time,

Console.WriteLine("I will print on a new line.");

Console.Write("Hello World! ");

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

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

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

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

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

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

to the screen, and it is amazing */

Single or multi-line comments?

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

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

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

string name = "John";

int myNum = 15;

int myNum = 15;

myNum = 20; // myNum is now 20

myNum = 20; // error

Note: You cannot declare a constant variable without assigning the value. If

double myDoubleNum = 5.99D;

char myLetter = 'D';

bool myBool = true;

string myText = "Hello";

You will learn more about data types in the next chapter.

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

Console.WriteLine("Hello " + name);

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

string lastName = "Doe";

string fullName = firstName + lastName;

For numeric values, the + character works as a mathematical operator (notice

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

From the example above, you can expect:

 x stores the value 5

Declare Many Variables

These unique names are called identifiers.

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

int minutesPerHour = 60;

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

double myDoubleNum = 5.99D; // Floating point number

bool myBool = true; // Boolean

string myText = "Hello"; // String

Data Type Size Description