Part 1. Getting started

In this part, I’ll introduce you to the basic techniques and principles of functional programming.

Chapter 1 starts by looking at what functional programming is and how C# supports programming in a functional style.

Chapter 2 shows how functions are represented in C# and then delves into higher-order functions, a fundamental technique of FP.

Chapter 3 explains what pure functions are, why purity has important implications for a function’s testability, and why pure functions lend themselves well to parallelization and other optimizations.

In these introductory chapters, I try to leverage existing knowledge you might have (particularly about LINQ and about unit testing) to illustrate practical applications of the principles of FP.

By the end of part 1, you’ll have a clear idea of what FP is and what features of C# enable you to code in a functional style, and you’ll begin to see the benefits that FP has to offer.