Chapter 13. Minor changes to simplify code

Just as with previous versions, C# 4 has a few minor features that don’t merit individual chapters to themselves. In fact, there’s only one really big feature in C# 4—dynamic typing—which we’ll cover in the next chapter. The changes we’ll cover here just make C# that little bit more pleasant to work with, particularly if you work with COM on a regular basis. These features generally make code clearer, remove drudgery from COM calls, or simplify deployment.

Will any of these features make your heart race with excitement? It’s unlikely. But they’re nice features all the same, and some of them may be widely applicable. Let’s start by looking at how we call methods.

13.1. Optional parameters and named arguments

These are perhaps the Batman and Robin^[1] features of C# 4. They’re distinct, but usually seen together. I’ll keep them apart for the moment so we can examine each in turn, but then we’ll use them together for some more interesting examples.

¹ Or Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci if you’re feeling more highly cultured.

13.2. Improvements for COM interoperability

13.3. Generic variance for interfaces and delegates

13.4. Teeny tiny changes to locking and field-like events

13.5. Summary