var myObject = new { Foo = "bar", Baz = 123 };Posts tagged with 'c'
This is a repost that originally appeared on the Couchbase Blog: C# Tuples: New C# 7 language feature.
C# tuples are a new feature of C# 7. I’m going to show you the basics of how C# tuples work. I’m also going to mix in a little Couchbase to show tuples in action. However, if you don’t want to install Couchbase just to play around with tuples, don’t worry, you will still be able to follow along.
The source code that I use for this blog post is available on GitHub for you to try out if you’d like.
Note: If you’ve been using C# for a while, you might remember the Tuple Class that was introduced in .NET 4. That class still exists, but it is not the same thing as the new tuple feature of C#.
What are C# tuples?
A "tuple" is a name for a mathematical concept that is just a list of elements. In the LISP family of languages, coding is built almost entirely around the idea that everything is a list. C# once again borrows the kernel of an idea from the functional programming world and integrates it into a non-functional language. So, we get C# tuples (check out the original C# tuple proposal by Mads Torgersen for more details and background).
Remember anonymous types?
But, to make it simple, let’s consider something you may already be familiar with in C#, an anonymous type. To review, you can instantiate a new object without specifying a type:
Behind the scenes, there actually is a type that inherits from the base Object type, but generally speaking, we only deal with the object, not its type.
Additionally, I can’t return an anonymous type from a method, or pass an anonymous type as a parameter without losing the type information in the process.
private object GetAnonymousObject()
{
return new {Foo = "bar", Baz = 123};
}
private void AnotherMethod()
{
var obj = GetAnonymousObject();
Console.WriteLine(obj.Foo); // compiler error :(
}They are useful, certainly, but I generally refer to these as anonymous objects as I use them, for these reasons.
What’s this got to do with C# tuples?
I think of C# tuples as richer anonymous types. They are a way to create a "class" on the fly without actually defining a class. The syntax for tuples is to simply put parenthesis around a comma separated list of types and names. A tuple literal is just a comma separated list of literals also surrounded by parenthesis. For instance:
(string FirstName, string LastName) myTuple = ("Matt", "Groves");
Console.WriteLine(myTuple.FirstName); // no compiler error :)
Console.WriteLine(myTuple.LastName); // no compiler error :)Note: Right now I’m preferring PascalCase for tuple properties. I don’t know if that’s the official guideline or not, but it "feels" right to me.
C# tuples in action
I put tuples to work in a simple console app that interacts with Couchbase.
I created a BucketHelper class that is a very simple facade over the normal Couchbase IBucket. This class has two methods: one to get a document by key and return a tuple, and one to insert a tuple as a document.
public class BucketHelper
{
private readonly IBucket _bucket;
public BucketHelper(IBucket bucket)
{
_bucket = bucket;
}
public (string Key, T obj) GetTuple<T>(string key)
{
var doc = _bucket.Get<T>(key);
return (doc.Id, doc.Value);
}
public void InsertTuple<T>((string Key, T obj) tuple)
{
_bucket.Insert(new Document<T>
{
Id = tuple.Key,
Content = tuple.obj
});
}
}To instantiate this helper, you just need to pass an IBucket into the constructor.
Tuple as a return type
You can then use the GetTuple method to get a document out of Couchbase as a tuple.
var bucketHelper = new BucketHelper(bucket);
(string key, Film film) fightClub = bucketHelper.GetTuple<Film>("film-001");The tuple will consist of a string (the document key) and an object of whatever type you specify. The document content is JSON and will be serialized to a C# object by the .NET SDK.
Also, notice that the name of the tuple properties don’t have to match. I used obj in BucketHelper but I used film when I called GetTuple<Film>. The types do have to match, of course.
Tuple as a parameter type
I can also go the other way and pass a tuple as a parameter to InsertTuple.
string key = Guid.NewGuid().ToString();
Film randomFilm = GenerateRandomFilm();
bucketHelper.InsertTuple((key, randomFilm));The GenerateRandomFilm method returns a Film object with some random-ish values (check out the GitHub source for details). A tuple of (string, Film) is passed to InsertTuple. The Couchbase .NET SDK takes it from there and inserts a document with the appropriate key/value.
Running the console app, you should get an output that looks something like this:
Note that the Couchbase .NET SDK at this time doesn’t have any direct tuple support, and it may not ever need it. This code is simply to help demonstrate C# tuples. I would not recommend using the BucketHelper as-is in production.
TUH-ple or TOO-ple?
I seem to remember my professor(s) pronouncing it as "TOO-ple", so that’s what I use. Like the hard-G / soft-G debate of "GIF", I’m sure there are those who think this debate is of the utmost importance and are convinced their pronunciation is the one true way. But, both are acceptable.
If you have questions about tuples, I’d be happy to help. You can also contact me at Twitter @mgroves or email me matthew.groves@couchbase.com.
If you have questions about the Couchbase .NET SDK that I used in this post, please ask away in the Couchbase .NET Forums. Also check out the Couchbase Developer Portal for more information on the .NET SDK and Couchbase in general.
This is a repost that originally appeared on the Couchbase Blog: ASP.NET with NoSQL Workshop.
I delivered an ASP.NET with NoSQL workshop at the recent Indy.Code() conference in Indianapolis. I had a lot of fun at this conference, and I recommend you go next year. If you were unable to attend, don’t worry, because I’ve got the next best thing for you: all the material that I used in my workshop.
ASP.NET Workshop in 4 parts
This workshop contained four main parts:
-
Install a NoSQL database (Couchbase Server)
-
Interact with Couchbase Server (using both the Web Console and the .NET (or .NET Core) SDK)
-
Create a RESTful API using ASP.NET (or ASP.NET Core) WebAPI
-
Consume the RESTful API with an Angular frontend
Try it yourself
If you’d like to try it yourself, the ASP.NET with NoSQL Workshop materials are available on GitHub. Each part of the workshop contains a PPT and PDF file for you to follow along. Also, the "completed" version of each workshop is available.
If you get stuck or have any questions, please ask away in the Couchbase .NET Forums. Also check out the Couchbase Developer Portal for more information on the .NET SDK and Couchbase in general.
You can also contact me at Twitter @mgroves.
Kevin Groves talks about the movie Pirates of Silicon Valley and the history of personal computing. Note: this is an extra large episode of Cross Cutting Concerns. This is a very broad, historical topic, so it could have easily gone a lot longer!
Show Notes:
- Pirates of Silicon Valley is available on Amazon
- The January 1975 issue of Popular Electronics. We couldn't find the issue rummaging through the basement: it may have been destroyed by flooding a few years ago
- Xerox PARC's Alto
- To drive home the point about GUI software, check out this video on the history of widgets from 1990.
- Noah Wyle as Steve Jobs at Macworld 1999
- Obligatory Steve Ballmer clip
- Story from 1982 by Andy Hertzfeld about the interview with Steve Jobs depicted in the movie
- Steve Wozniak on the accuracy of Pirates of Silicon Valley
- Footage of Macworld 1997 in Boston, where Bill Gates appears on screen
I could add a million more links, but instead why don't you leave a comment with your favorite quote, clip, or story about the events that transpired in the movie?
Want to be on the next episode? You can! All you need is the willingness to talk about something technical.
Theme music is "Crosscutting Concerns" by The Dirty Truckers, check out their music on Amazon or iTunes.
This is a repost that originally appeared on the Couchbase Blog: Data structures with Couchbase and .NET (video).
In February, I wrote a blog about using data structures with .NET (and .NET Core): List, Queue, and Dictionary.
Now, I’ve created a video to show the same concepts in action.
How to use Couchbase Data Structures with .NET
The source code used in this video is available on GitHub. Note that the source code uses .NET Core, but this should work just the same in .NET.
Thanks for watching!
If you have any questions about Couchbase and .NET, please ask away in the Couchbase .NET Forums. Also check out the Couchbase Developer Portal for more information on the .NET SDK and Couchbase in general.
You can also contact me at Twitter @mgroves.
Nathan Groves is streaming retro game console to Twitch.
Show Notes:
- Streaming providers: Twitch, YouTube, Hitbox
- Capture device: Elgato HD on Amazon
- RCA composite to HDMI converter/splitter
- RCA switcher
- Streaming software: Open Broadercaster Software (OBS), XSplit
- Nathan Groves is everywhere as 'njgroves': Twitch, YouTube, Tumblr, Facebook (njgroves1)
- Want Some Rye? is the name of our adventure game streaming show:
- Archive of past episodes on YouTube
- Twitter account for Want_Some_Rye
- Want Some Rye? on Tumblr
- We broadcast sometimes on Nathan's Twitch channel and sometimes on my Twitch channel
Want to be on the next episode? You can! All you need is the willingness to talk about something technical.
Theme music is "Crosscutting Concerns" by The Dirty Truckers, check out their music on Amazon or iTunes.
