The comprehensive C# Cheat Sheet is designed to aid developers in mastering key syntax and concepts related to C# programming. Contents Basic Structure Data Types Variables Constants Conditional Statements Loops Arrays Lists Dictionaries Methods Classes & Objects Exception Handling Delegates, Events & Lambdas LINQ (Language-Integrated Query) Attributes Async/Await Miscellaneous String Manipulation File I/O Date & Time Generics Nullables Attributes & Reflection Extension Methods Dependency Injection Partial Classes Interoperability Anonymous Types Tuples Pattern Matching Local Functions Records with Expressions Indexers and Ranges using Declaration Nullable Reference Types (NRTs) Pattern-Based Using Property Patterns Default Interface Implementations Dynamic Binding 1. Basic Structure All C# programs follow a fundamental structure, outlined below: using System;
    
    public class HelloWorld
    {
        public static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            Console.WriteLine("Hello, World!");
        }
    } Starting with .NET 5, top-level statements simplify the Program.cs content: Console.WriteLine("Hello, World"); 2. Data Types C# supports various data types such as: Value Types: int, char, and float Reference Types: string, class, and array 3. Variables Variables are symbolic names for values: int age = 30; // integer variable
    string name = "John"; // string variable
    double PI = 3.14159; // double for floating-point numbers
    bool isLoggedIn = true; // boolean variable Use ‘var’ for type inference: var number = 5; // compiler infers type as int
    var message = "This is a message"; // compiler infers type as string 4. Constants Constants hold immutable values: const double GRAVITY = 9.81; // constant for gravitational acceleration
    const string COMPANY_NAME = "MyCompany"; // constant company name 5. Conditional Statements Control program flow based on conditions: int age = 20;
    
    if (age >= 18)
    {
        Console.WriteLine("You are eligible to vote.");
    }
    else
    {
        Console.WriteLine("You are not eligible to vote.");
    }
    
    switch (variable) { /*...*/ } // Switch statement 6. Loops Execute code repeatedly: for (int i = 1; i <= 5; i++)
    {
        Console.WriteLine(i);
    }
    
    foreach (var item in collection) { /*...*/ } // Foreach loop
    
    while (condition) { /*...*/ } // While loop
    
    do { /*...*/ } while (condition); // Do-while loop 7. Arrays Fixed-size collections of elements: string[] names = new string[3] { "Alice", "Bob", "Charlie" };
    Console.WriteLine(names[1]); // Output: Bob (accessing element at index 1) 8. Lists Dynamic collections similar to arrays: List<int> numbers = new List<int>();
    numbers.Add(1);
    numbers.Add(2);
    numbers.Add(3);
    
    foreach (var number in numbers)
    {
        Console.WriteLine(number);
    } 9. Dictionaries Key-value pairs for data association: Dictionary<string, string> phonebook = new Dictionary<string, string>();
    phonebook.Add("John Doe", "123-456-7890");
    phonebook.Add("Jane Doe", "987-654-3210");
    
    Console.WriteLine(phonebook["John Doe"]); // Output: 123-456-7890 10. Methods Encapsulate reusable logic: public class Rectangle
    {
        public double Width { get; set; }
        public double Height { get; set; }
    
        public double GetArea()
        {
            return Width * Height;
        }
    }
    
    public class Program
    {
        public static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            Rectangle rect = new Rectangle();
            rect.Width = 5;
            rect.Height = 10;
    
            double area = rect.GetArea();
            Console.WriteLine($"Area of rectangle: {area}");
        }
    } 11. Classes & Objects Classes define blueprints for objects: public class MyClass // Class definition
    {
        public string PropertyName { get; set; } // Properties store data
        public void MethodName() { /*...*/ } // Methods define actions
    }
    
    MyClass obj = new MyClass(); // Object creation 12. Exception Handling Manage runtime errors gracefully: public static int GetNumberInput()
    {
      while (true)
      {
        try
        {
          Console.WriteLine("Enter a number: ");
          string input = Console.ReadLine();
          return int.Parse(input);
        }
        catch (FormatException)
        {
          Console.WriteLine("Invalid input. Please enter a number.");
        }
      }
    }
    
    public static void Main(string[] args)
    {
      int number = GetNumberInput();
      Console.WriteLine($"You entered: {number}");
    } 13. Delegates, Events & Lambda For event-driven programming and method handling: public delegate void MyDelegate(); // Delegate declaration
    
    event MyDelegate MyEvent; // Event declaration
    
    public class Person
    {
      public string Name { get; set; }
      public int Age { get; set; }
    }
    
    public static void Main(string[] args)
    {
      List<Person> people = new List<Person>()
      {
        new Person { Name = "Alice", Age = 30 },
        new Person { Name = "Bob", Age = 25 },
        new Person { Name = "Charlie", Age = 40 },
      };
    
      people.Sort((p1, p2) => p1.Name.CompareTo(p2.Name));
    
      foreach (var person in people)
      {
        Console.WriteLine(person.Name); // Output: Alice, Bob, Charlie (sorted by name)
      }
    } 14. LINQ (Language-Integrated Query) Query capabilities for data manipulation: using System.Linq;
    
    public static void Main(string[] args)
    {
      List<int> numbers = new List<int>() { 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 };
      var evenNumbers = numbers.Where(x => x % 2 == 0);
    
      foreach (var number in evenNumbers)
      {
        Console.WriteLine(number); // Output: 2, 4, 6
      }
    } 15. Attributes Add metadata to code elements: [Obsolete("Use the new DoSomethingV2 method instead.")]
    public void DoSomething()
    {
      // Implementation here
    }
    
    public void DoSomethingV2()
    {
      // New and improved implementation
    } 16. Async/Await For non-blocking code execution: using System.Threading.Tasks;
    
    public static async Task DownloadFileAsync(string url, string filePath)
    {
      // Simulate downloading data asynchronously
      await Task.Delay(2000); // Simulate a 2-second download
    
      // Write downloaded data to the file
      File.WriteAllText(filePath, "Downloaded content");
      Console.WriteLine($"File downloaded to: {filePath}");
    }
    
    public static void Main(string[] args)
    {
      string url = "https://example.com/data.txt";
      string filePath = "downloaded_data.txt";
    
      DownloadFileAsync(url, filePath);
    
      // Continue program execution while download happens in the background
      Console.WriteLine("Downloading file...");
      Console.WriteLine("Meanwhile, you can do other things...");
    } 17. Miscellaneous Additional language features: enum, interface, class, record, and struct dynamic, is, as, var, and nameof 18. String Manipulation Powerful string handling methods: string.Concat(); // Combine strings
    string.Join(); // Join elements
    str.Split(); // Split string
    str.ToUpper(); // Convert to uppercase
    str.ToLower(); // Convert to lowercase 19. File I/O Operations with files: using System.IO; // Required for File I/O
    
    File.ReadAllText(path); // Read file content
    File.WriteAllText(path, content); // Write to file
    File.Exists(path); // Check file existence 20. Date & Time Date and time manipulation: using System;
    
    public static void Main(string[] args)
    {
      DateTime startDate = DateTime.Parse("2024-03-10");
      DateTime endDate = DateTime.Now;
    
      TimeSpan difference = endDate - startDate;
      Console.WriteLine($"Time difference: {difference.Days} days, {difference.Hours} hours");
    } 21. Generics Type-safe data structures: public class Stack<T>
    {
      private List<T> items = new List<T>();
    
      public void Push(T item)
      {
        items.Add(item);
      }
    
      public T Pop()
      {
        T item = items[items.Count - 1];
        items.RemoveAt(items.Count - 1);
        return item;
      }
    }
    
    public static void Main(string[] args)
    {
      Stack<string> messages = new Stack<string>();
      messages.Push("Hello");
      messages.Push("World");
    
      string message = messages.Pop();
      Console.WriteLine(message); // Output: World
    } 22. Nullables Allow value types to be null: int? nullableInt = null; // Nullable integer 23. Attributes & Reflection Metadata and type introspection: public class Person
    {
      public string Name { get; set; }
      public int Age { get; set; }
    }
    
    public static void Main(string[] args)
    {
      Type personType = typeof(Person);
      PropertyInfo[] properties = personType.GetProperties();
    
      foreach (PropertyInfo property in properties)
      {
        Console.WriteLine(property.Name); // Output: Name, Age
      }
    } 24. Extension Methods Add methods to existing types: public static class StringExtensions
    {
      public static string ToUppercase(this string str)
      {
        return str.ToUpper();
      }
    }
    
    public static void Main(string[] args)
    {
      string message = "Hello, world!";
      string uppercased = message.ToUppercase(); // Using the extension method
      Console.WriteLine(uppercased); // Output: HELLO, WORLD!
    } 25. Dependency Injection Loosely coupled code design: public interface ILogger
    {
      void LogMessage(string message);
    }
    
    public class MyService
    {
      private readonly ILogger _logger;
    
      public MyService(ILogger logger)
      {
        _logger = logger;
      }
    
      public void DoSomething()
      {
        _logger.LogMessage("Doing something...");
      }
    }
    
    // Implementing the ILogger interface (example)
    public class ConsoleLogger : ILogger
    {
      public void LogMessage(string message)
      {
        Console.WriteLine(message);
      }
    }
    
    public static void Main(string[] args)
    {
      ILogger logger = new ConsoleLogger();
      MyService service = new MyService(logger);
      service.DoSomething();
    } 26. Partial Classes Splitting a single class definition: public partial class MyClass { /*...*/ } // Partial class definition 27. Interoperability Interop with other languages: using System;
    using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
    
    [DllImport("user32.dll")]
    public static extern int MessageBox(IntPtr hWnd, string lpText, string lpCaption, uint uType);
    
    public static void Main(string[] args)
    {
      MessageBox(IntPtr.Zero, "Hello from C#!", "Interop Example", 0);
    } 28. Anonymous Types Creating unnamed types:csharpCopy code var person = new { Name = "John", Age = 30 };
    Console.WriteLine($"Name: {person.Name}, Age: {person.Age}"); 29. Tuple Data structures with a specific number of elements: (string Name, int Age) person = ("Alice", 30);
    Console.WriteLine($"Name: {person.Name}, Age: {person.Age}"); // Accessing elements using Item1 and Item2 30. Pattern Matching Simplifies certain programming tasks: object obj = new Person { Name = "Bob", Age = 25 };
    
    if (obj is Person { Name: "Bob", Age >= 18 })
    {
      Console.WriteLine("Bob is an adult.");
    } 31. Local Functions Encapsulate logic within methods: public static int Calculate(int number)
    {
      int Factorial(int n)
      {
        if (n == 0) return 1;
        return n * Factorial(n - 1);
      }
    
      return Factorial(number);
    }
    
    public static void Main(string[] args)
    {
      int result = Calculate(5);
      Console.WriteLine($"5! = {result}");
    } 32. Records Concise syntax for reference types: public record Person(string Name, int Age);
    
    public static void Main(string[] args)
    {
      Person person1 = new Person("Alice", 30);
      Person person2 = new Person("Alice", 30);
    
      // Records provide default equality comparison
      if (person1 == person2)
      {
        Console.WriteLine("People are equal");
      }
    } 33. with Expressions Non-destructive mutation for records: var john = new Person("John", 30);
    var jane = john with { Name = "Jane" }; // Non-destructive mutation 34. Indexers and Ranges Flexible data access: int[] arr = {0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5};
    var subset = arr[1..^1]; // Indexer and range usage 35. using Declaration Dispose of IDisposable objects: using var reader = new StreamReader("file.txt"); // using declaration 36. Nullable Reference Types (NRTs) Avoid null reference exceptions: public class Person
    {
      public string Name { get; set; }
      public int Age { get; set; }
    }
    
    public static void Main(string[] args)
    {
      Person person = new Person() { Age = 30 };
    
      // NRTs require null checks before accessing properties
      if (person?.Name != null)
      {
        Console.WriteLine(person.Name);
      }
      else
      {
        Console.WriteLine("Name is null");
      }
    } 37. Pattern-Based Using More patterns in the using statement: public ref struct ResourceWrapper { /*...*/ } // Resource wrapper
    
    using var resource = new ResourceWrapper(); // Pattern-based using 38. Property Patterns Deconstruct objects in pattern matching: if (obj is Person { Name: "John", Age: var age }) { /*...*/ } // Property pattern matching 39. Default Interface Implementations Interfaces with default method implementations: public interface IPerson { /*...*/ } // Interface with default method
    public class MyClass : IPerson { /*...*/ } // Class implementing interface 40. Dynamic Binding Runtime type resolution: dynamic d = 5; // Dynamic binding
    d = "Hello"; // No compile-time type checking Conclusion This structured C# Cheat Sheet concludes with advanced topics and techniques, providing a comprehensive reference for developers aiming to enhance their C# programming skills. For detailed examples and further exploration, refer to the specific sections outlined in this guide. Happy coding! C# Programming🚀 Thank you for being a part of the C# community! Before you leave: If you’ve made it this far, please show your appreciation with a clap, and follow the author! 👏️️ Follow us: | | | | | X LinkedIn Dev.to Hashnode Newsletter Tumblr Visit our other platforms: | | | | GitHub Instagram Tiktok Quora Daily.dev Inspired By: https://zerotomastery.io/cheatsheets/csharp-cheat-sheet/#constants Also published here

This story contains new, firsthand information uncovered by the writer.

Between Two Computer Monitors: This story includes an interview between the writer and guest/interviewee. 

This writer has a vested interest be it monetary, business, or otherwise, with 1 or more of the products or companies mentioned within.

C#: From Fundamentals to Advanced Techniques - A Beginner-Friendly CheatSheet

About Author

Comments

TOPICS

THIS ARTICLE WAS FEATURED IN

Related Stories

10-Day .Net Aspire Challenge: Day 1 - An Introduction to .Net Aspire

5 Performance Tips For .Net Developers

6 Best C# Programming Books Ranked by Review Score

7 C# Tips for Beginners in Programming Language

A Beginner's Guide Formatting Strings as Base64 in CSharp

A Critical Detail about Kafka Partitioners

10-Day .Net Aspire Challenge: Day 1 - An Introduction to .Net Aspire

5 Performance Tips For .Net Developers

6 Best C# Programming Books Ranked by Review Score

7 C# Tips for Beginners in Programming Language

A Beginner's Guide Formatting Strings as Base64 in CSharp

A Critical Detail about Kafka Partitioners

Light-Mode

Classic

Newspaper

Minty

Dark-Mode

Neon Noir

Minty

HN StartUps