More Effective CNo. (Includes Content Update Program)

In More Effective C#, Second Edition, world-renowned .NET expert Bill Wagner identifies and illuminates 50 intermediate-to-advanced techniques for writing exceptionally robust and well-performing C# 7.0 code. Reflecting the growing sophistication of the C# language and its development community, Wagner presents powerful new solutions to problems you’re likely to encounter every day.

Through three editions of Effective C#, Wagner’s clear explanations, expert tips, and realistic code examples have proven invaluable to hundreds of thousands of developers. With the publication of this title, Effective C#, Third Edition, and More Effective C#, Second Edition, have been completely reorganized to provide clear explanations, expert tips, and realistic code examples in a cohesive package for modern C#. More Effective C#, Second Edition, brings the same proven approach to the new features in C# 7.0, helping you perform familiar tasks more efficiently and effectively.

Drawing on his unsurpassed C# experience and key role on global C# standards committees, Wagner addresses object-oriented, functional, and service-oriented approaches to managing data with C#; better ways to express your intent to users and other programmers; and new opportunities to leverage powerful asynchronous and dynamic programming techniques.

• Use properties instead of accessible data members (Item 1)
• Distinguish between value and reference types (Item 4)
• Understand relationships among multiple concepts of equality (Item 9)
• Avoid conversion operators in your APIs (Item 11)
• Understand how interface and virtual methods differ (Item 15)
• Avoid overloading methods defined in base classes (Item 19)
• Create method groups that are clear, minimal, and complete (Item 22)
• Enable immediate error reporting in iterators and async methods (Item 26)
• Use async methods for async work (Item 27)
• Avoid thread allocations and context switches (Item 30)
• Construct PLINQ parallel algorithms with exceptions in mind (Item 36)
• Use the thread pool instead of creating threads (Item 37)
• Use BackgroundWorker for cross-thread communication (Item 38)
• Use the smallest possible scope for lock handles (Item 41)
• Understand the pros and cons of dynamic programming (Item 43)
• Make full use of the expression API (Item 46)
• Minimize dynamic objects in public APIs (Item 47)

You’re already a successful C# programmer: this book will make you an outstanding one.

Content Update Program: This title is no longer part of the Content Update Program. The content is final, and no further updates will be released.

Introduction xi

Chapter 1: Working with Data Types 1

Item 1: Use Properties Instead of Accessible Data Members 1

Item 2: Prefer Implicit Properties for Mutable Data 8

Item 3: Prefer Immutability for Value Types 12

Item 4: Distinguish Between Value Types and Reference Types 18

Item 5: Ensure That 0 Is a Valid State for Value Types 24

Item 6: Ensure That Properties Behave Like Data 28

Item 7: Limit Type Scope by Using Tuples 34

Item 8: Define Local Functions on Anonymous Types 39

Item 9: Understand the Relationships Among the Many Different Concepts of Equality 45

Item 10: Understand the Pitfalls of GetHashCode() 54

Chapter 2: API Design 61

Item 11: Avoid Conversion Operators in Your APIs 61

Item 12: Use Optional Parameters to Minimize Method Overloads 65

Item 13: Limit Visibility of Your Types 69

Item 14: Prefer Defining and Implementing Interfaces to Inheritance 73

Item 15: Understand How Interface Methods Differ from Virtual Methods 82

Item 16: Implement the Event Pattern for Notifications 86

Item 17: Avoid Returning References to Internal Class Objects 93

Item 18: Prefer Overrides to Event Handlers 97

Item 19: Avoid Overloading Methods Defined in Base Classes 100

Item 20: Understand How Events Increase Runtime Coupling Among Objects 104

Item 21: Declare Only Nonvirtual Events 107

Item 22: Create Method Groups That Are Clear, Minimal, and Complete 113

Item 23: Give Partial Classes Partial Methods for Constructors, Mutators, and Event Handlers 120

Item 24: Avoid ICloneable Because It Limits Your Design Choices 125

Item 25: Limit Array Parameters to params Arrays 129

Item 26: Enable Immediate Error Reporting in Iterators and Async Methods Using Local Functions 134

Chapter 3: Task-Based Asynchronous Programming 139

Item 27: Use Async Methods for Async Work 139

Item 28: Never Write async void Methods 143

Item 29: Avoid Composing Synchronous and Asynchronous Methods 149

Item 30: Use Async Methods to Avoid Thread Allocations and Context Switches 154

Item 31: Avoid Marshalling Context Unnecessarily 156

Item 32: Compose Asynchronous Work Using Task Objects 160

Item 33: Consider Implementing the Task Cancellation Protocol 166

Item 34: Cache Generalized Async Return Types 173

Chapter 4: Parallel Processing 177

Item 35: Learn How PLINQ Implements Parallel Algorithms 177

Item 36: Construct Parallel Algorithms with Exceptions in Mind 189

Item 37: Use the Thread Pool Instead of Creating Threads 195

Item 38: Use BackgroundWorker for Cross-Thread Communication 201

Item 39: Understand Cross-Thread Calls in XAML Environments 205

Item 40: Use lock() as Your First Choice for Synchronization 214

Item 41: Use the Smallest Possible Scope for Lock Handles 221

Item 42: Avoid Calling Unknown Code in Locked Sections 225

Chapter 5: Dynamic Programming 229

Item 43: Understand the Pros and Cons of Dynamic Typing 229

Item 44: Use Dynamic Typing to Leverage the Runtime Type of Generic Type Parameters 238

Item 45: Use DynamicObject or IDynamicMetaObjectProvider for Data-Driven Dynamic Types 242

Item 46: Understand How to Use the Expression API 253

Item 47: Minimize Dynamic Objects in Public APIs 259

Chapter 6: Participate in the Global C# Community 267

Item 48: Seek the Best Answer, Not the Most Popular Answer 267

Item 49: Participate in Specs and Code 269

Item 50: Consider Automating Practices with Analyzers 271

Index 273