Using NULL-COALESCE Operator in C#

To my knowledge perhaps the least used operator in C# is the null-coalescing operator .

But you can use it effectively to reduce the lines of code you write .

 

The null-coalesce operator can be used to define / return a default value for a nullable value type / reference type and this is represented by two consecutive question marks (??).

 

Here is how you can use it :

 

 

Ex. 1 : Assign default value to Value type

 

 // define a nullable int

 int? x = null;

 

 // assign a value to another integer, but check if it contains null value

 // if a null is there, assign a default value

 int y = x ?? -1;

Hope you find this tips useful and of assistance.

Thanks,

Bijayani