What are the differences between generics and collections?

What are the differences between generics and collections?

Generics are a way to define classes or methods with a placeholder for the data type, while collections are data structures that hold groups of objects. Generics provide type safety and reusability, whereas collections are used to store and manipulate data.

Can you give me an example of a generic class?

Sure! A common example is the List<T> class in C#. It allows you to create a list that can hold any data type specified by T, like List<int> for integers or List<string> for strings.

What about collections? What are some common types?

Common types of collections include ArrayList, HashSet, Dictionary, and Queue. Each serves different purposes, like storing unique items or key-value pairs.

Why would I use generics instead of just using collections?

Using generics allows for type safety, meaning you can catch type errors at compile time rather than runtime. This reduces bugs and improves code clarity.