c# - what is this: new[] { } -

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• what new[] shorthand for? 4 answers

i trying grips asp mvc4 , came across within @{...} within .cshtml file:

        @html.dropdownlistfor(x => x.willattend, new[] {              new selectlistitem() {                 text = "yes, i'll there",                   value = bool.truestring},              new selectlistitem() {                 text = "no, can't come",                   value = bool.falsestring}          }, "choose option")  

q1) kind of thing this: new[]{...}

q2) right in saying razor, stuff within curly brackets c# code.

thanks.

this syntax:

new[] { "foo", "bar", "baz" } 

is implicitly typed array initializer. type of array inferred elements within braces. example, above exactly equivalent to:

new string[] { "foo", "bar", "baz" } 

in case, new selectitem[] { ... }.

implicitly typed arrays introduced in c# 3 (but can use them when targeting .net 2.0; they're c# compiler feature). they're partly support using anonymous types, they're useful in other situations too.

within each element in code, however, you've got object initializer, way of creating object , setting properties (or adding collections) within single expression. this:

new selectlistitem() {     text = "no, can't come",       value = bool.falsestring }  

is equivalent to:

selectlistitem tmp = new selectlistitem(); tmp.text = "no, can't come"; tmp.value = bool.falsestring; 

... except it's single expression, why you're able use within array initializer. again, object initializers introduced in c# 3.

for razor question - believe so, think rules when piece of text inferred "normal c#" bit more complicated (in order more useful).