Where can I read up on what the C# compiler does?

Question

Throughout this site I commonly see people answer questions with such answers as "it works like that because the compiler replaces [thing] with [other thing]", so my question is, how do people know/learn this? Where can I learn these things?

Answer 1

The most definitive source for how the C# compiler interprets code is the C# language spec.

• http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=7029

Also the following blogs provide a lot of more insight into the C# language. Mandatory reading for anyone who wants to become an expert in the language

• http://blogs.msdn.com/b/ericlippert/
• http://msmvps.com/blogs/jon_skeet/

Answer 2

One technique is to compile your code, and then decompile it using tools such as ILSpy. Using such a tool, you can view the raw IL and see for yourself what the compiler produces.

Answer 3

In addition to the other answers, I'd like to mention that LINQPad is my favorite tool for inspecting IL for quick snippets.

You can type a snippet of code, and immediately see the IL.
It's by far the easiest tool to use, and you can make changes and see the results instantly.