Can someone distill into proper English what a delegate is?

Question

Can someone please break down what a delegate is into a simple, short and terse explanation that encompasses both the purpose and general benefits? I\'ve tried to wrap my h

Answer 1

In the most basic terms, a delegate is just a variable that contains (a reference to) a function. Delegates are useful because they allow you to pass a function around as a variable without any concern for "where" the function actually came from.

It's important to note, of course, that the function isn't being copied when it's being bundled up in a variable; it's just being bound by reference. For example:

class Foo
{
    public string Bar
    {
        get;
        set;
    }

    public void Baz()
    {
        Console.WriteLine(Bar);
    }
}

Foo foo = new Foo();
Action someDelegate = foo.Baz;

// Produces "Hello, world".
foo.Bar = "Hello, world";
someDelegate();