Data Type

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Definition

A data type is an attribute of data that tells the compiler how the programmer intends on using the data. A data type limits the values that an expression might take.

Relevance

Explanation

Information falls under a different data type. Different data types are used for different intents: for math you may use integers, floats, doubles, etc. while for keeping a contact list, strings would be more appropriate. As mentioned before, data types limit which operations can be used on them. A string cannot be added to an integer because an integer can only be a whole number while a string can be a name, address, etc. However, an integer can be added to a string, this is known as Concatenation. It’s all about using the right data type for the right job.

Here is a list of different data types available in C#

Data types.PNG

Credits: https://www.tutorialsteacher.com/csharp/csharp-data-types

Example

Here's an example of a few different types of variables being initialized along with a few Comments

string fullName = "John Doe";             // strings are typically used to store information such as names, addresses, etc. because they can hold text.
string jobTitle = "Sales Associate";         // notice how a string's value has the quotation marks!
bool isStudent= true;                    // booleans can only be true or false. Great use in conditional statements!
int age = 20;                           // an int (short for integer) can only be a whole number. Since we typically say age as a whole number, we're using an int
float payrate= 12.50f;                    // unlike integers, a float (short for floating-point number) can hold more complex numbers with decimal places. Great for displaying the example's payrate!

Resources

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External Links