.NET FAQ - Simplifying Generic Syntax

Sometimes when working with Generics, the syntax can get a little redundant with a lot of nested angle brackets. Here are a couple tips to alleviate some of this pain.

Type Aliasing

Just like namespace aliasing, you can also alias a type. Here is an example.

Alias Example

using ShortType = System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary<string, Dictionary<string, List<string>>>;

You can now use ShortType instead of the longer type definition.

ShortType variableName = new SimpleType();

var Implicit Type

You can use the var implicitly type for variables that are declared in method scope. These variables are strongly typed just as if you had declared the type yourself, but the compiler determines the type without requiring you to type it out.

var Example

var temp = new Dictionary<string, Dictionary<string, List<string>>>();