Coding Tips

That classic question: List<T> or IEnumerable<T> in C#? Straight to the point: IEnumerable<T>: when you only need forward iteration. It also works with deferred execution, the basis of LINQ and ideal for handling large amounts of data without loading everything into memory. ICollection<T>: in addition to iteration, it allows you to add, remove, and count items, but without index access. IList<T>: includes everything from ICollection<T>, plus index-based access and the ability to insert/remove at specific positions. List<T>: the concrete implementation of IList<T>, the class you usually use to instantiate a list. Why does this matter? Whenever possible, use the minimal required interface. Clear contracts reduce coupling and make your code more flexible and easier to maintain. ...

Struct or class? Most types in a framework should be classes, but there are some situations in which the characteristics of a value type make it more appropriate to use structs. Here are some things to consider: 👍 If your instances are small and short-lived, or commonly embedded in other objects, consider using a struct. 👎 However, be cautious when defining a struct. Only use it if the type represents a single value, is immutable, has an instance size under 16 bytes, and will not need to be boxed frequently. ...