Modern C# Features

Less ceremony, same safety

Recent C# versions removed a lot of boilerplate. File-scoped namespaces (namespace Shop;) remove a level of indentation. Global usings and implicit usings declare common namespaces once. Raw string literals ("""...""") hold JSON, SQL or regex without escaping. Records, init and required members model data. Primary constructors on classes and structs reduce constructor code, and collection expressions create collections uniformly. Pattern matching keeps growing: list patterns, extended property patterns. C# 13 brought params collections and the new Lock type. C# 14, shipped with .NET 10, adds the field keyword for property backing fields, extension members (extension blocks that can declare extension properties as well as methods), null-conditional assignment (customer?.Order = order;) and implicit conversions to spans. Use new features where they make code clearer, and keep a consistent style across the team.

A few modern features together

Raw strings, file-scoped namespaces, the field keyword and an extension block.

namespace Shop;

public class Product
{
    public required string Sku { get; init; }

    public decimal Price
    {
        get;
        set => field = value >= 0 ? value : throw new ArgumentOutOfRangeException(nameof(value));
    }
}

public static class ProductExtensions
{
    extension(Product p)
    {
        public bool IsFree => p.Price == 0;
    }
}

public static class Queries
{
    public const string TopProducts = """
        SELECT sku, price
        FROM products
        WHERE price > @min
        ORDER BY price DESC
        """;
}

A newer model of the same car

Modern C# is a newer model of the same car: power steering and parking sensors, but the same engine underneath. Older code still drives; newer features just make everyday trips smoother.

त्वरित जाँच: What does the C# 14 `field` keyword refer to inside a property accessor?

• A database column
• The compiler-generated backing field of that property
• Any field in the class
• A static field