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Lambda Expression

Lambda expressions are anonymous functions.
The lambda operator => (“returns”) separates a lambda’s parameter list from its body.

(x) => x * x; // A lambda (anonymous method) with a parameter named x that returns x * x.

Lambdas in Methods

int MyFunc(int x)
{
	return x;
}

…is equivalent to…

int MyFunc(int x) => x;

Lambdas in Anonymous Methods

Func<int, int> = delegate (int x) { return x; };

…is equivalent to…

Func<int, int> = x => x;

And…

someVar.Find(delegate(int in)
{
	if (n < 10)
		return n;
});

…is equivalent to…

someVar.Find(n => n < 10);

Lambda Definition vs. Normal Method Definition

Lambda:

public override string ToString() => $"{firstName} {lastName}".Trim

Normal:

public override string ToString()
{
	return $"{firstName} {lastName}".Trim();
}

2 Forms of Lambda Expressions

Expression Lambdas take this form:

(input-parameters) => expression with return-value

Statement Lambdas take this form:

(input-parameters) => { sequence-of-statements }

The body of a statement lambda can have any number of statements (though usually limited to 2 or 3):

Action<string> greet = name => 
{
	string greet = $"Hello {name}!");
	Console.WriteLine(greeting);
};

greet("World"); // Output: "Hello World!"

Lambdas as Delegates

Any lambda expression can be converted to a delegate type. If the lambda doesn’t return a value, it can convert to one of the Action delegate types.

  • A lambda with 2 parameters, no return value, can convert to Action<T1, T2>. Otherwise, it can be converted to one of the Func delegate types.
  • A lambda with 1 parameter and a return value can convert to a Func<T, TResult>:
Func<int, int> square = (x) => x * x; // Since this only has one input parameter, () is optional.

Lambdas can be used when code requires instances of delegate types like in Task.Run(Action).

Input Parameters of Lambda Expressions

Input parameters are enclosed in parentheses:

Action line = () => Console.WriteLine();

Since this only has one input parameter, () is optional:

Func<double, double> cube = (x) => x * x * x;

Two or more input parameters are separated by commas:

Func<int, int, bool> testForEquality = (x, y) => x == y;

If the compiler cannot infer types of input parameters, specify them explicitly:

Func<int, string, bool> isTooLong = (int x, string s) => s.Length > x;

Discards can also be used if the input parameters are not used in the expression:

Func<int, int, int> constant = (_, _) => 42;

ℹ️ Important

Availability: C# 12

Parameters can have default values. The syntax and restrictions are the same as for methods and local functions:

var IncrementBy = (int source, int increment = 1) => source + increment;

Console.WriteLine(IncrementBy(5)); // 6
Console.WriteLine(IncrementBy(5, 2)); // 7

Tuples

Lambdas can contain tuples as a comma-delimited list of components in parentheses:

Func<(int, int, int), (int, int, int)> doubleThem = ns => (2 * ns.Item1, 2 * ns.Item2, 2 * ns.Item3);
var numbers = (2, 3, 4);
var doubledNumbers = doubleThem(numbers); // doubledNumbers is (4, 6, 8)

Lambdas with System.Linq

The standard query operators can target a Named Method:

static bool NamesLongerThanFour(string n) { return n > 4; }

var query1 = names.Where(
	new Func<string, bool>(NamesLongerThanFour) // For each string element in names, pass it to this function.
);

Or a Lambda Expression:

var query2 = names.Where(name => name.Length > 4);

With Func delegates, user-defined expressions can be applied to each element in a collection. With the Count standard query operator:

int[] numbers = { 5, 4, 1, 3, 9, 8, 6, 7, 2, 0 };
int oddNumbers = numbers.Count(n => n % 2 == 1);
Console.WriteLine($"{oddNumbers} odd numbers."); // 6.

With the TakeWhile standard query operator:

int[] numbers = { 5, 4, 1, 3, 9, 8, 6, 7, 2, 0 };
int firstNumbersLessThanSix = numbers.TakeWhile(n => n < 6);
Console.WriteLine($"{firstNumbersLessThanSix}"); // 5 4 1 3

If querying IEnumberable<Customer>, the input variable is inferred to be of type Customer which gives you access to Customer’s methods and properties:

customer.Where(c => c.City == "London");

Natural (Inferred) Type of a Lambda Expression

ℹ️ Important

Availability: C# 10

The compiler can sometimes infer the type of a lambda expression. Here, the type is inferred to be Func<string, int>:

var parse = (string s) => int.Parse(s);

If there’s not enough information, the compiler cannot infer the parameter type:

var parse = s => int.parse(s); // ERROR

So you must declare the type:

Func<string, int> parse = s => int.Parse(s); // OK

Return Type of a Lambda Expression

ℹ️ Important

Availability: C# 10

Usually, the compiler can infer the return type of a lambda expression. In some cases, it cannot:

var choose = (bool b) => b ? 1 : "two"; // ERROR: Cannot infer return type

In these cases, the return type can be explicitly specified:

var choose = object (bool b) => b ? 1 : "two"; // Func<bool, object>

Note that when explicitly specifying the return type, the input parameters must be parenthesized.

Attributes

ℹ️ Important

Availability: C# 10

Attributes (like ProvidesNullCheck) can be added to a lambda expression:

Func<string?, int?> parse = [ProvidesNullCheck] (s) => (s is not null) ? int.Parse(s) : null;

They can also be added to a lambda expression’s parameters, like DisallowNull here:

var concat = ([DisallowNull] string a, [DisallowNull] string b) => a + b;

Finally, they can be added to the lambda expression’s return value, like NotNullIfNotNull here:

var inc = [return: NotNullIfNotNull(nameof(s))] (int? s) => s.HasValue ? s++ : null;