What are 'closures' in .NET?

Question

What is a closure? Do we have them in .NET?

If they do exist in .NET, could you please provide a code snippet (preferably in C#) explaining it?

Answer 1

Closures are functional values that hold onto variable values from their original scope. C# can use them in the form of anonymous delegates.

For a very simple example, take this C# code:

    delegate int testDel();

    static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        int foo = 4;
        testDel myClosure = delegate()
        {
            return foo;
        };
        int bar = myClosure();

    }

At the end of it, bar will be set to 4, and the myClosure delegate can be passed around to be used elsewhere in the program.

Closures can be used for a lot of useful things, like delayed execution or to simplify interfaces - LINQ is mainly built using closures. The most immediate way it comes in handy for most developers is adding event handlers to dynamically created controls - you can use closures to add behavior when the control is instantiated, rather than storing data elsewhere.