Reference type
A reference type is a type whose values provide indirect access to objects or state stored separately from the values themselves.
.NET in Action, Second Edition
A reference type is a .NET type whose values identify objects or locations containing the type's data.
- How it is used
- Uses reference types to explain object storage, parameter and assignment behavior, boxing, and nullable-property design.
- How deep it goes
- Defines storage differences and applies nullable annotations and constructors, but defers detailed reference mechanics to a later section.
- Examples
- Demonstrates strings, integers passed to object parameters, and a Book whose Title is initialized or required by constructor.
- What you can do after
- Apply reference-type annotations and constructors to prevent unintended null values in C# object models.
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F# in Action: A Revised Edition of Get Programming with F#
A reference type is a type whose values are references to objects stored separately from the reference itself.
- How it is used
- Frames heap-backed, reference-passing behavior when comparing ordinary F# data with struct-based value representations.
- How deep it goes
- Explains passing, heap storage, garbage collection, copying costs, and the syntax for selecting value types, without deeper runtime internals.
- Examples
- Uses System.Tuple, F# records, and [<Struct>] declarations to contrast reference and value representations.
- What you can do after
- Evaluate representation choices using allocation and copying trade-offs, then justify struct usage with performance evidence.
Read how F# in Action: A Revised Edition of Get Programming with F# explains reference type →
Related concepts
- arrayincludes · An array is an indexed, ordered collection of elements arranged in one or more dimensions, with elements accessed by position.
- stringincludes · A string is a programming-language value representing an ordered sequence of characters or character units as text.
- value typecontrasts with · A value type is a programming-language type whose values are treated as independent values when assigned or passed, rather than as references to a shared object.
- metadatauses · Metadata is information that describes, identifies, or provides context about other data, resources, or artifacts.
- Mapincludes · A map is an associative data structure that stores key-value pairs and supports retrieving values by key.
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