Structures in dotnet and Struct v/s class in dotnet (using C#.net)

CONTENTS

1. C# Structure
2. Structure v/s Class

Structure

It is also a user-defined type like a class or interface. A C# structure is as same as a class because in C# a structure can contain each and every member what a class can contain like variables method constructors etc. If you need a small data structure that can hold a data that you won't modify later, structs are the best. In C#, a structure is a value type. It helps you to make a single variable to hold related data of various data types. The struct keyword is used for creating a structure. Structures are used to represent a record. Suppose you want to keep track of your books in a library.
You might want to track the following attributes about each book:  The Title, Author, Subject, and Book ID

Defining a Structure

To define a structure, you must use the struct keyword. The struct keyword defines a new data type, with more than one member for your program. For example, here is the way you can declare the Book structure:

using System;
namespace DictPOC
{
    //Declaration of structure 
    struct Books
    {
        public string title;
        public string author;
        public string subject;
        public int book_id;
    };
    class structs
    {
        public static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            /*Declare Book1 and Book2 of type Book*/ 
            Books Book1;           
            Books Book2;   

            /*book 1 specification */
            Book1.title = "C Programming";
            Book1.author = "Dennis Ritchie ";
            Book1.subject = "C Programming Tutorial";
            Book1.book_id = 6495407;

            /* book 2 specification */
            Book2.title = "Telecom Billing";
            Book2.author = "Zara Ali";
            Book2.subject = "Telecom Billing Tutorial";
            Book2.book_id = 6495700;

            /* print Book1 info */
            Console.WriteLine("Book 1 Info:- ");
            Console.WriteLine("Book 1 title : " + Book1.title);
            Console.WriteLine("Book 1 author : " + Book1.author);
            Console.WriteLine("Book 1 subject : " + Book1.subject);
            Console.WriteLine("Book 1 book_id :" + Book1.book_id + "\n");

            /* print Book2 info */
            Console.WriteLine("Book 2 Info:- ");
            Console.WriteLine("Book 2 title : " + Book2.title);
            Console.WriteLine("Book 2 author : " + Book2.author);
            Console.WriteLine("Book 2 subject : " + Book2.subject);
            Console.WriteLine("Book 2 book_id : " + Book2.book_id);
            Console.ReadLine();
        }
    }
}

Features of C# Structures:

Structures in C# are quite different from that in traditional C or C++. The C# structures have the following features:

• Structures can have methods, fields, indexers, properties, and events.
• Structures can have defined constructors, but not destructors. However, you cannot define a default constructor for a structure.
• Unlike classes, structures cannot inherit other structures or classes.
• Structures cannot be used as a base for other structures or classes.
• A structure can implement one or more interfaces.
• Structure members cannot be specified as abstract, virtual, or protected.
• Unlike classes, structs can be instantiated without using the new operator.

Class versus Structure:

• Classes and Structures have the following basic differences:
• Classes are reference types and structs are value types
• Structures do not support inheritance
• Structures cannot have a default constructor