what is the pros and cons of using out parameter

Question

Anyone can point out the pros and cons of the out parameter. When it is preferred to use out parameter rather than just to return a value.

Answer 1

Out parameters effectively allow you to return multiple values from a method, and this is generally preferable to returning an arbitrary struct or tuple which contains multiple values.

One might argue that it's easier to overlook the possible side effects of a function which uses an out parameter, as it departs from the traditional 'multiple parameters, one return value' model. But I honestly think that the out keyword coupled with a method post-condition makes the programmer's intention quite clear.