How to do it...

1. Feature one—auto initializer for properties:

Before C# 6, we should initialize a property with a value in the class constructor. There is no point in time before the class constructor, so we should use it. Thanks to C# 6 syntax, we can now initialize a property with a value right on the declaration line. No need to use constructor anymore:

• • Before:

public class Person
{
 Public class Name {get;set;}
 Public Person(){
 Name = "Stephane";
 }
}

• • Now:

Public string Name {get;set;} = "Stephane";

1. Feature two—auto initializer for static properties:

Auto initializers can be applied to static properties, as well:

• • Before:

Public static string Name {get;set;}

• • Now:

Public static string Name {get;set;} = "Stephane";

1. Feature three—read-only properties:

Auto initializers can even be applied to read-only properties:

• • Before:

public List SocialNetworks { get; }

• • Now:

public List SocialNetworks { get; } =
new List { "Twitter", "Facebook", "Instagram" };

• • Before:

Dictionary<string, User> Users = new Dictionary<string, User>()
{
 { "root", new User("root") },
 { "baseUser", new User("baseUser")}
};

• • Now:

Dictionary<string, User> Users = new Dictionary<string, User>()
{
 ["root"] = new User("root"),
 ["baseUser"] = new User("baseUser")
};

1. Feature four—expression-bodied members:

Simple functions (functions with just a return statement) can now be written inline:

• • Before:

public double GetVAT(int someValue)
{
 return someValue * 1.2;
}

• • Now:

public double GetVAT(int someValue) => someValue * 1.2;
private DateTime timestamp;

• • Before:

public DateTime TimeStampCreated
{
 get
 {
 return timestamp;
 }
}

• • Now:

public DateTime TimeStampCreated => timestamp;
public static string ReadFile(string fileName) =>
Disposable.Using(
() => System.IO.File.OpenText(fileName),
r => r.ReadToEnd());

1. Feature five—interpolated strings:

We can reference variables by their names directly in the code by using the dollar sign just before the string used to include the variable:

var name = "Stephane";
string.Format($"My name is {name}");

1. Feature six—null-conditional operators:

To return a null value, we can use a new syntax that allows us to not declare a null variable before returning it:

• • Before:

var username = (User != null) ? User.Name : string.empty;

• • Now:

var username = User?.Name;