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are there function pointers in c#?
I'm interested in finding the difference between delegate in C# and function pointer in C++.
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Delegates and Interfaces are two distinct concepts in C#. Interfaces allow to extend some object's functionality, it's a contract between the interface and the object that implements it, while delegates are just safe callbacks, they are a sort of function pointers.
A delegate is a type that safely encapsulates a method, similar to a function pointer in C and C++. Unlike C function pointers, delegates are object-oriented, type safe, and secure. The type of a delegate is defined by the name of the delegate.
There are two types of delegates, singlecast delegates, and multiplecast delegates.
A delegate in C# is a type-safe function pointer with a built in iterator.
It's guaranteed to point to a valid function with the specified signature (unlike C where pointers can be cast to point to who knows what). It also supports the concept of iterating through multiple bound functions.
In C#, delegates are multi-cast meaning they can iterate through multiple functions. For example:
class Program { delegate void Foo(); static void Main(string[] args) { Foo myDelegate = One; myDelegate += Two; myDelegate(); // Will call One then Two } static void One() { Console.WriteLine("In one.."); } static void Two() { Console.WriteLine("In two.."); } } Delegates in C# can be either synchronous or asynchronous; C++ function pointers are synchronous unless you write your own multi-threading capability.
A pointer in C/C++ needn't refer to a full-blown object. C had function pointers and no object-oriented language support. Delegates are true function objects.
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