Listen to this Post
The of null conditional assignment in C 14 simplifies property assignments by eliminating explicit null checks. This feature evaluates the right side only if the left side is non-null, reducing boilerplate code while maintaining clarity.
You Should Know:
1. Basic Syntax
// Old approach
if (obj != null)
{
obj.Property = value;
}
// New C 14 null conditional assignment
obj?.Property = value;
2. Compound Assignments
Supports +=, -=, etc., but not increment/decrement (++, --):
obj?.List.Add(item); // Valid obj?.Count++; // Not supported (yet)
3. Chaining Null Checks
var result = parent?.Child?.GrandChild?.Value ?? "Default";
4. Linux/Windows Command Analogies
- Linux (
bash): Short-circuiting with `&&` (similar to?.):[ -f file.txt ] && echo "Exists"
- PowerShell: Null-coalescing with
??:$value = $nullableVar ?? "Default"
5. Debugging Tips
- Use breakpoints in IDE to verify null propagation.
- Logging:
Console.WriteLine($"Value: {obj?.Property ?? "Null"}");
What Undercode Say
While concise, overusing `?.` may reduce readability in complex flows. Balance brevity with maintainability. For Linux/IT parallels:
– `grep -v` (exclude null-like empty lines):
cat log.txt | grep -v "^$"
– Windows findstr:
findstr /v "null" data.txt
– SQL (COALESCE):
SELECT COALESCE(column, 'Default') FROM table;
Expected Output:
// Input var user = GetUser(); user?.Profile = new Profile(); // Assigns only if 'user' isn’t null // Output (no exception if 'user' is null)
For further reading: Microsoft C Docs
References:
Reported By: Pavledavitkovic Less – Hackers Feeds
Extra Hub: Undercode MoN
Basic Verification: Pass ✅
