What are some effective null-checking techniques in C#?

What are some effective null-checking techniques in C#?

In C#, you can use several techniques for null-checking, such as the null-coalescing operator (??), null-conditional operator (?.), and explicit null checks with if statements.

Can you explain how the null-conditional operator works?

Sure! The null-conditional operator (?.) allows you to safely access members of an object without having to explicitly check if the object is null. If the object is null, it returns null instead of throwing a NullReferenceException.

What about the null-coalescing operator?

The null-coalescing operator (??) provides a default value when the left-hand operand is null. For example, string result = input ?? "default"; assigns "default" to result if input is null.

Are there any best practices for null-checking in C#?

Yes, it's best to use null-conditional and null-coalescing operators for cleaner code, and always validate inputs in public methods to avoid null reference issues.