.NET Advanced Features

Leverage the power of multi-core processors with .NET's robust tools for concurrent and parallel programming. Learn to manage threads, use asynchronous patterns, and synchronize operations safely.

Task Parallel Library (TPL)

The Task Parallel Library (TPL) provides an API to simplify writing scalable, asynchronous and parallel code. It's built on top of the Task type and the Parallel.For/ForEach constructs.

using System.Threading.Tasks;

// Simple asynchronous operation
async Task DownloadFileAsync(string url)
{
    using (var client = new System.Net.Http.HttpClient())
    {
        var response = await client.GetAsync(url);
        response.EnsureSuccessStatusCode();
        // Process the content
    }
}

// Parallel loop
Parallel.For(0, 1000, i => {
    // Perform a computation in parallel
    Console.WriteLine($"Processing item {i}");
});
            

Asynchronous Programming with async/await

The async and await keywords significantly simplify writing asynchronous code, making it look and behave more like synchronous code while retaining the non-blocking benefits.

public async Task GetDataFromApiAsync(string apiUrl)
{
    using (HttpClient client = new HttpClient())
    {
        HttpResponseMessage response = await client.GetAsync(apiUrl);
        response.EnsureSuccessStatusCode();
        string responseBody = await response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync();
        return responseBody;
    }
}
            

Synchronization Primitives

Understand and utilize synchronization mechanisms like lock, SemaphoreSlim, Mutex, and concurrent collections to prevent race conditions and ensure thread safety.

Explore how to inspect and manipulate code at runtime using reflection. This is crucial for building dynamic systems, serializers, and frameworks.

Using the Reflection API

The System.Reflection namespace allows you to examine the metadata of assemblies, modules, and types, and to discover information about the members of a type, such as methods, properties, and fields.

using System.Reflection;

Type myType = typeof(System.Text.StringBuilder);
MethodInfo[] methods = myType.GetMethods();

Console.WriteLine($"Methods of {myType.Name}:");
foreach (MethodInfo method in methods)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"- {method.Name}");
}
            

Expression Trees

Expression trees represent code as a data structure. They are fundamental to LINQ providers (like Entity Framework) and dynamic code generation.

Source Generators

Source generators allow you to inspect the compilation and generate additional C# source files on the fly. This enables compile-time code generation with no runtime cost.

Gain deeper insights into how .NET manages memory, including garbage collection, value types vs. reference types, and techniques for optimizing memory usage and performance.

Garbage Collection (GC) Internals

Understand the generational garbage collector, heap allocation, and finalization. Learn about GC modes and how to influence GC behavior.

Span and Memory

Span and Memory provide efficient ways to work with contiguous memory buffers without needing to allocate new objects. They are essential for high-performance scenarios.

// Processing a portion of a string without copying
string message = "Hello, .NET!";
ReadOnlySpan span = message.AsSpan().Slice(7, 5); // ".NET!"
Console.WriteLine(span.ToString());
            

Unsafe Code and Pointers

In performance-critical scenarios, you may need to use unsafe code and pointers to interact directly with memory. This requires careful handling.

Learn how to integrate .NET code with code written in other languages or environments.

Platform Invoke (P/Invoke)

P/Invoke allows managed code to call unmanaged functions (e.g., Win32 API) exported from DLLs. This is a common technique for leveraging existing native libraries.

using System.Runtime.InteropServices;

public static class NativeMethods
{
    [DllImport("kernel32.dll", SetLastError = true)]
    public static extern int MessageBox(IntPtr hWnd, string lpText, string lpCaption, uint uType);

    public static void ShowMessage(string text, string caption)
    {
        MessageBox(IntPtr.Zero, text, caption, 0);
    }
}
            

COM Interop

Interact with Component Object Model (COM) objects from .NET applications and vice-versa.

C++/CLI

Use C++/CLI to create managed wrappers around native C++ code, enabling seamless integration between .NET and C++.

Master advanced C# features that enhance code expressiveness, maintainability, and performance.

Pattern Matching

Modern C# offers powerful pattern matching capabilities that simplify complex conditional logic, making code more readable and concise.

public string ProcessShape(object shape)
{
    return shape switch
    {
        Point p => $"Point at ({p.X}, {p.Y})",
        Circle c => $"Circle with radius {c.Radius}",
        _ => "Unknown shape"
    };
}
            

Record Types

Record types provide a concise syntax for creating immutable data-holding classes.

Generics and Constraints

Deepen your understanding of generic types, type parameters, and the various constraints that can be applied to them.