Best practices for small CLI C# utilities

[dotancohen]

I am replacing some very small bash scripts with Mono (C#). I have noticed some differing practices in C# tutorials online regarding convention. I'd like to know the reasoning behind them. If I should break this question up into multiple questions, let me know.

1) Use a namespace? I see that many tutorials don't bother with this, but some do. If the app is all contained in the Main and maybe a few other small functions, should I even bother with the namespace?

namespace SmallApp {
    class DoSomething {
        public static void Main(string[] args) {
            // code here;
        }
    }
}

class DoSomething {
    public static void Main(string[] args) {
        // code here;
    }
}

2) Public class? Some tutorials have the public modifier on the class, and some don't. I know that in Java the class must be marked as public, but in C# it seems to not matter. Your thoughts?

namespace SmallApp {
    public class DoSomething {
        public static void Main(string[] args) {
            // code here;
        }
    }
}

namespace SmallApp {
    class DoSomething {
        public static void Main(string[] args) {
            // code here;
        }
    }
}

3) Static Main? Some tutorials have the static modifier on the Main method, and some don't. I know that in Java the main method must be marked as static, but in C# it seems to not matter. Your thoughts?

namespace SmallApp {
    public class DoSomething {
        public static void Main(string[] args) {
            // code here;
        }
    }
}

namespace SmallApp {
    public class DoSomething {
        public void Main(string[] args) {
            // code here;
        }
    }
}

Thank you for your thoughts!

[Momerath]

1) Whether or not you explicitly declare a namespace in a C# source file, the compiler adds a default namespace. This unnamed namespace, sometimes called the global namespace, is present in every file.

2) Does not matter.

3) It's a requirement that 'static' be there. If some tutorial left it off, then they are wrong :)

[dotancohen]

1) Whether or not you explicitly declare a namespace in a C# source file, the compiler adds a default namespace. This unnamed namespace, sometimes called the global namespace, is present in every file.

Thanks. So long as I'm not using it explicitly, I won't bother adding a namespace to my source files.

2) Does not matter.

Thanks. That is what I thought.

3) It's a requirement that 'static' be there. If some tutorial left it off, then they are wrong :)

No, I was wrong! Going over my code, I see that, like with classes, the "public" modifier is sometimes left off (not "static" as I wrote in the OP). Should I understand that, like with classes, the "public" modifier is not important for the Main method?

Thanks.

[ddanbe]

The Main method is in fact always public. It always gets executed, it is the entrypoint of every C# application.

[dotancohen]

The Main method is in fact always public. It always gets executed, it is the entrypoint of every C# application.

Yes, of course! This is why I find it unusual that the "public" modifier can be eliminated. I agree that it is bad form.

Likewise, I think that it is bad form for the Main's class to not have a "public" modifier, but look at the default Visual Studio template for a C# console application:

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;

namespace ConsoleApplication1
{
    class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
        }
    }
}

If it is bad form, then why does MS promote it?

[Momerath]

Same reason they promote putting opening brace on a new line :)

[dotancohen]

And top posting in Outlook!

Same reason they promote putting opening brace on a new line :)