DEV Community

Tommy Williams
Tommy Williams

Posted on

Simplify foreach loops with the null-coalescing operator

#dotnet #csharp

Do you ever get tired of writing code like this?

if (listOfStrings != null)
{
    foreach (string item in listOfStrings)
    { ... }
}
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Wouldn't it be nice if the foreach loop automatically checked for null and skipped the loop the same way it does when there are no items?

Here's where the null-coalescing operator can help:

foreach (string item in listOfStrings ?? Enumerable.Empty<string>())
{ ... }
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Lots more in the official docs from Microsoft

Top comments (2)

Collapse
 
devguyky profile image
devguyky •

My personal preference for more readable code would be to adopt a 'happy path' and return from the method before reaching the loop.

if (listOfStrings is null)
   return;

foreach (string item in listOfStrings)
{ ... }
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

A good article on adopting the happy path

dglsparsons image

Write better code and be a better programmer by NEVER USING ELSE statements

Douglas Parsons ・ Nov 10 '20 ・ 5 min read

#webdev #go #javascript #beginners
Collapse
 
jayjeckel profile image
Jay Jeckel •

It's a neat trick, but all I can see when looking at it is an unnecessary allocation. I guess it comes down to which one finds more annoying, writing an if statement one time or burning extra cpu and memory every time the line of code is run.

Read next

quyvu01 profile image

.Net Attribute-based data mapping approach to streamline communication between services

Quy Vu -

iamcymentho profile image

Understanding Event-Driven Architecture in C# with Real-Life Scenarios

Odumosu Matthew -

alexiskypridemos profile image

Sort Items in a Directory by Descending Size Using Python, PowerShell, C#, or Go

Alexis Kypridemos -

leandroveiga profile image

Unlocking the Power of Generics in C#: Advanced Tips and Tricks for Cleaner, More Efficient Code

Leandro Veiga -