C# 7 tuples and lambdas

Question

With new c# 7 tuple syntax, is it possible to specify a lambda with a tuple as parameter and use unpacked values inside the lambda?

Example:

var list = new List<(int,int)>();

normal way to use a tuple in lambda:

list.Select(value => value.Item1*2 + value.Item2/2);

i expected some new sugar to avoid .Item1 .Item2, like:

list.Select((x,y) => x*2 + y/2);

The last line does not work because it is treated as two parameters for lambda. I am not sure if there is a way to do it actually.

EDIT:

I tried double parentesis in lambda definition and it didn't work: ((x,y)) => ..., and maybe it was stupid to try, but double parenthesis actually work here:

list.Add((1,2));

Also, my question is not quite about avoiding ugly default names .Item .Item2, it is about actual unpacking a tuple in lambda (and maybe why it's not implemented or not possible). If you came here for a solution to default names, read Sergey Berezovskiy's answer.

EDIT 2:

Just thought of a more general use case: is it possible (or why not) to "deconstruct" tuple passed to a method? Like this:

void Foo((int,int)(x,y)) { x+y; }

Instead of this:

void Foo((int x,int y) value) { value.x+value.y }

Answer 1

As you have observed, for:

var list = new List<(int,int)>();

One would at least expect to be able to do the following:

list.Select((x,y) => x*2 + y/2);

But the C# 7 compiler doesn't (yet) support this. It is also reasonable to desire sugar that would allow the following:

void Foo(int x, int y) => ...

Foo(list[0]);

with the compiler converting Foo(list[0]); to Foo(list[0].Item1, list[0].Item2); automatically.

Neither of these is currently possible. However, the issue, Proposal: Tuple deconstruction in lambda argument list, exists on the dotnet/csharplang repo on GitHub, requesting that the language team consider these features for a future version of C#. Please do add your voices to that thread if you too would like to see support for this.

Answer 2

You should specify names of tuple properties (well, ValueTuple have fields) otherwise default names will be used, as you have seen:

var list = new List<(int x, int y)>();

Now tuple have nicely named fields which you can use

list.Select(t => t.x * 2 + t.y / 2)

Don't forget to add System.ValueTuple package from NuGet and keep in mind that ValueTuples are mutable structs.

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Update: Deconstruction currently represented only as an assignment to existing variables (deconstructon-assignment) or to newly created local variables (deconstruction-declaration). Applicable function member selection algorithm is the same as before:

Each argument in argument list corresponds to a parameter in the function member declaration as described in §7.5.1.1, and any parameter to which no argument corresponds is an optional parameter.

Tuple variable is a single argument. It cannot correspond to several parameters in the formal parameters list of the method.

Answer 3

Deconstructions in C# 7.0 support three forms:

• deconstruction-declaration (like (var x, var y) = e;),
• deconstruction-assignment (like (x, y) = e;),
• and deconstruction-foreach (like foreach(var(x, y) in e) ...).

Other contexts were considered, but likely have decreasing utility and we couldn't complete them in the C# 7.0 timeframe. Deconstruction in a let clause (let (x, y) = e ...) and in lambdas seem good candidates for future expansion.

The latter is being discussed in https://github.com/dotnet/csharplang/issues/258

Do voice your feedback and interest there, as it will help champion proposals.

More details on what was included in C# 7.0 deconstruction in the design doc.

Answer 4

The program you're running into is the inability of the compiler to infer the type in this expression:

list.Select(((int x, int y) t) => t.x * 2 + t.y / 2);

But since (int, int) and (int x, int y) are the same CLR type (System.ValueType<int, int>), if you specify the type parameters:

list.Select<(int x, int y), int>(t => t.x * 2 + t.y / 2);

It will work.