3.

Data Types

Objectives
.NET is designed around the CTS, or Common Type System. The CTS is what allows assemblies, written in different languages, to work together. To ensure interoperability across languages, Microsoft has also defined the CLS, or Common Language Specification, a subset of the CTS that all languages support. Otherwise, the types in C# are what you would expect from a modern OOPL

The Common Type System Value vs. reference types Arrays Namespaces

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Part 1
The Common Type System

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The Common Type System (CTS)

CTS is based on a hierarchy of classes defined in FCL all types inherit from Object (all except interface types)
System-defined types User-defined types Object

String

Array

ValueType

Exception

Delegate

Class1

Primitive types Boolean Byte Int16 Int32 Int64 Char Single Double Decimal DateTime TimeSpan Guid

Enum

Structure1

Multicast Delegate

Class2

Enum1

Delegate1

Class3

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The Common Language Specification (CLS)

Not all languages support all CTS types and features C# supports unsigned integer types, VB.NET does not C# is case sensitive, VB.NET is not C# supports pointer types (in unsafe mode), VB.NET does not C# supports operator overloading, VB.NET does not CLS was drafted to promote language interoperability vast majority of classes within FCL are CLS-compliant

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Mapping C# to CTS
Language keywords map to common CTS classes:
Keyword
bool char sbyte byte short ushort int uint long ulong float double decimal string Microsoft

Description
Boolean 16 bit Unicode character 8 bit signed integer 8 bit unsigned integer 16 bit signed integer 16 bit unsigned integer 32 bit signed integer 32 bit unsigned integer 64 bit signed integer 64 bit unsigned integer 32 bit floating point 64 bit floating point 128 bit high precision character sequence

Special format for literals

true false 'A' '\x0041' '\u0041' none none none none none U suffix L or l suffix U/u and L/l suffix F or f suffix no suffix M or m suffix "hello", @"C:\dir\file.txt" 6

Example
An example of using types in C# declare before you use (compiler enforced) initialize before you use (compiler enforced)
public class App { public static void Main() { int width, height; width = 2; height = 4; int area = width * height; int x; int y = x * 2; ... }
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declarations

decl + initializer

error, x not set

Type conversion
Some automatic type conversions available from smaller to larger types Otherwise you need a cast or an explicit conversion typecast syntax is type name inside parentheses conversion based on System.Convert class
int double string
implicit conversion typecast required conversion required

i = 5; d = 3.2; s = "496";

d = i; i = (int) d;

i = System.Convert.ToInt32(s);

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Part 2
Value vs. reference types

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Value vs. reference types

C# separates data types into two categories Value types: variable represents a value ("bits")
int i; i = 10;
10

Reference types: variable represents a reference to a heap-based object actual data resides in the object
"calico" string s; s = "calico";

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How do you know which types are which?

Memorization! Though it's pretty obvious based on past experience primitive types like bool, int and double are values remainder are reference types
int string Customer i; s; c1, c2;

i = 23; s = "a message"; c1 = null; c2 = new Customer();

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Boxing and Unboxing

When necessary, C# will auto-convert value <==> object value ==> object is called "boxing" object ==> value is called "unboxing"
int object string i obj i j = = = = i, j; obj; s; 32; i; 19; (int) obj; // boxed copy! // unboxed! // boxed! // boxed!

s = j.ToString(); s = 99.ToString();

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User-defined reference types

Classes! for example, Customer class we worked with earlier
public class Customer { public string Name; public int ID;

// fields

public Customer(string name, int id) { this.Name = name; this.ID = id; } public override string ToString() { return "Customer: " + this.Name; }
}

// constructor

// method

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Working with reference types

Creating, assigning, and comparing:
Customer string c1, c2, c3; s1, s2;

c1 = new Customer("joe hummel", 36259); c2 = new Customer("marybeth lore", 55298); c3 = null; // c3 references no object c3 = c1;
// c3 now references same obj as c1 // do I ref an object? // compares references // compares objects

if (c1 == null) ... if (c1 == c2) ... if (c1.Equals(c2)) ... if (s1 == s2) ...

// exception: == overloaded to // compare string data

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Defining equality
Classes should override Equals
public class Customer { . . . public override bool Equals(object obj) { Customer other; if ((obj == null) || (!(obj is Customer))) return false; // definitely not equal other = (Customer) obj; return this.ID == other.ID; // typecast to access // equal if same id...

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GetHashCode
If you override Equals, must also override GetHashCode:
public class Customer { . . . public override int GetHashCode() { return this.id.GetHashCode(); }

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Part 3
Arrays

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Arrays
Arrays are reference types based on Array class in FCL must be created using new 0-based indexing assigned default values (0 for numeric, null for references, etc.)
int[] a; a = new int[5];
a[0] = 17; a[1] = 32; int x = a[0] + a[1] + a[4]; int l = a.Length;

create

element access

number of elements

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Multi-dimensional arrays
C# supports arrays as a single object OR array of arrays latter allows you to implement jagged arrays
Customer[,] int[][] twoD; jagged2D;

// 2D array as single object

twoD = new Customer[10, 100]; twoD[0, 0] = new Customer(); twoD[9, 99] = new Customer();
// 2D array as array of arrays

jagged2D = new int[10][]; jagged2D[0] = new int[10]; jagged2D[1] = new int[20]; jagged2D[9] = new int[100];
jagged2D[0][0] = 1; jagged2D[9][99] = 100;
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Part 4
Namespaces

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Namespaces
Namespaces are a means for organizing types a namespace N is a set of names scoped by N namespaces are often nested
namespace Workshop { public class Customer { . . . }

Workshop.Customer

public class Product { . . . } }//namespace

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Example
Framework Class Library (FCL) contains 1000's of classes how to organize? how to avoid name collisions? with FCL within FCL

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FCL namespaces
FCL's outermost namespace is "System" FCL technologies nested within System

Namespace
System System.Collections

Purpose
Core classes, types Data structures

Assembly
mscorlib.dll mscorlib.dll

System.Data System.Windows.Forms System.XML

Database access GUI XML processing

System.Data.dll System.Windows.Forms.dll System.Xml.dll

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Namespace != Assembly
Orthogonal concepts: namespace for organization assembly for packaging

One namespace could be spread across multiple assemblies One assembly may contain multiple namesspaces e.g. mscorlib.dll

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Summary
CTS is the common type system same type system for all languages types implemented by classes in FCL fundamental difference between value & reference types CLS is the common language specification types that are guaranteed to work across languages

Try not to confuse namespaces with assemblies namespaces help with organization assemblies denote implementation / packaging

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References
Books: I. Pohl, "C# by Dissection" S. Lippman, "C# Primer" J. Mayo, "C# Unleashed"

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