How useful is C#'s ?? operator?

Anonymous User 2011 29 Jan 2014

I have been intrigued by the ?? operator, but have still been unable to use it. I usually think about it when I am doing something like:

var x = (someObject as someType).someMember;

If someObject is valid and someMember is null, I could do

var x = (someObject as someType).someMember ?? defaultValue;

but almost invariably I get into problems when someObject is null, and ?? doesn't help me make this any cleaner than doing the null check myself.

What uses have you guys found for ?? in practical situations?

Ask by Anonymous User

Updated 29 Jan 2014

2 Answers

Pravesh Singh 29 Jan 2014

Hi Ankita,

I usually use it for strings or nullable types.

string s = someString ?? "Default message";
is easier than
   string s;
   if(someString == null)
     s = "Default Message";        
   else
     s = someString;
or
  string s = someString != null ? someString : "Default Message";

Pravesh Singh 29 Jan 2014

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How useful is C#'s ?? operator?

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