Operand type clash: int is incompatible with date in MSSQL

While writing T-SQL, you might face a problem where a user defined values (like date, datetime) has to be concatenated along with main sql. But in this case while concatenating , since date value is obtained as 2010-2-1. But in case of sql this is a int and cannot be compared to a date field hence has to be denoted date by including single quotes but since T-SQL  is already a string, you might face some problem while writing query. Hence such special character has to be escaped and can be done as below:

This expression 12-4-2005 is a calculated int and the value is -1997. You should do like this instead '2005-04-12' with the ' before and after.

Using Stuff in MSSQL to insert string into another at specified position

STUFF (Transact-SQL)

The STUFF function inserts a string into another string. It deletes a specified length of characters in the first string at the start position and then inserts the second string into the first string at the start position.

STUFF() can be used to stuff a string into another string. It inserts the string at a given position, and deletes the number of characters specified from the original string.
Syntax


STUFF ( character_expression , start , length , replaceWith_expression )
Arguments


character_expression
Is an expression of character data. character_expression can be a constant, variable, or column of either character or binary data.
start
Is an integer value that specifies the location to start deletion and insertion. If start or length is negative, a null string is returned. If start is longer than the first character_expression, a null string is returned. start can be of type bigint.
length
Is an integer that specifies the number of characters to delete. If length is longer than the first character_expression, deletion occurs up to the last character in the last character_expressionlength can be of type bigint.
replaceWith_expression
Is an expression of character data. character_expression can be a constant, variable, or column of either character or binary data. This expression will replace length characters of character_expression beginning at start.

Returns character data if character_expression is one of the supported character data types. Returns binary data if character_expression is one of the supported binary data types.
Remarks


If the start position or the length is negative, or if the starting position is larger than length of the first string, a null string is returned. If the start position is 0, a null value is returned. If the length to delete is longer than the first string, it is deleted to the first character in the first string.
An error is raised if the resulting value is larger than the maximum supported by the return type.
Examples


The following example returns a character string created by deleting three characters from the first string, abcdef, starting at position 2, at b, and inserting the second string at the deletion point.
SELECT STUFF('abcdef', 2, 3, 'ijklmn');
GO
Here is the result set.
--------- 
aijklmnef

(1 row(s) affected)

Ranking or ordering in sql tables by partitioning

Consider we have table as follows:
Studentid
Subjectid
ObtainedScore
1
1
25
2
1
45
3
1
27
4
1
35
5
1
25
6
1
24
1
2
31
2
2
42
3
2
42
4
2
36
5
2
12
6
2
10
If we need to rank students based on their obtained score in each subject what would you write a query for. Among many way I’m illustrating following code for generating rank using row_number(), over and partition:
Select studetid, subjected, obtainedscore, row_number() over () partition by subjectid order by obtainedscore desc) as rank
Here partition groups the table by subjectid column and generates a rank by descending order of obtainedscore.

Output of this query would be as below

Studentid
Subjectid
ObtainedScore
rank
1
1
25
4
2
1
45
1
3
1
27
3
4
1
35
2
5
1
12
6
6
1
24
5
1
2
31
4
2
2
42
2
3
2
43
1
4
2
36
3
5
2
12
5
6
2
10
6


SQL SERVER – Difference Between EXEC and EXECUTE vs EXEC()

SQL SERVER – Difference Between EXEC and EXECUTE vs EXEC() – Use EXEC/EXECUTE for SP always

What is the difference between EXEC and EXECUTE?

They are the same. Both of them executes stored procedure when called as
EXEC sp_help
GO
EXECUTE sp_help
GO

I have seen enough times developer getting confused between EXEC and EXEC(). EXEC command executes stored procedure where as EXEC() function takes dynamic string as input and executes them.
EXEC('EXEC sp_help')
GO

Source:  http://blog.sqlauthority.com/2007/09/13/sql-server-difference-between-exec-and-execute-vs-exec-use-execexecute-for-sp-always/

Using Merge in SQL Server 2008 R2

MERGE INTO [TARGETTABLE] AS Target
    USING [SOURCETABLE] AS SOURCE
    ON

        –unique key filtering condition
        Target.COLUMN1=SOURCE.COLUMN1 AND
        Target.COLUMN2=SOURCE.COLUMN2 AND
        Target.COLUMN3 =SOURCE.COLUMN3 AND
        Target.COLUMN4 =SOURCE.COLUMN4

     WHEN MATCHED THEN
        –update or delete query
        UPDATE SET
            Target.ColumnA=SOURCE.
ColumnA,
            Target.
ColumnB=SOURCE.ColumnB,
            Target.
ColumnC=SOURCE.ColumnC

    WHEN NOT MATCHED THEN
        –INSERT QUERY
        INSERT (COLUMNA,
ColumnB, ColumnC, ColumnD)
        VALUES(
                        SOURCE.
ColumnA,
                        SOURCE.
ColumnB,
                        SOURCE.
ColumnC,
                        SOURCE.
ColumnD                    )
    ;

Top C# ASP.NET Interview Questions

  1. How big is the datatype int in .NET? 32 bits.
  2. How big is the char? 16 bits (Unicode).
  3. How do you initiate a string without escaping each backslash? Put an @ sign in front of the double-quoted string.
  4. What are valid signatures for the Main function?
    • public static void Main()
    • public static int Main()
    • public static void Main( string[] args )
    • public static int Main(string[] args )
  5. Does Main() always have to be public? No.
  6. How do you initialize a two-dimensional array that you don’t know the dimensions of?
    • int [, ] myArray; //declaration
    • myArray= new int [5, 8]; //actual initialization
  7. What’s the access level of the visibility type internal? Current assembly.
  8. What’s the difference between struct and class in C#?
    • Structs cannot be inherited.
    • Structs are passed by value, not by reference.
    • Struct is stored on the stack, not the heap.
  9. Explain encapsulation. The implementation is hidden, the interface is exposed.
  10. What data type should you use if you want an 8-bit value that’s signed? sbyte.
  11. Speaking of Boolean data types, what’s different between C# and C/C++?There’s no conversion between 0 and false, as well as any other number and true, like in C/C++.
  12. Where are the value-type variables allocated in the computer RAM? Stack.
  13. Where do the reference-type variables go in the RAM? The references go on the stack, while the objects themselves go on the heap. However, in reality things are more elaborate.
  14. What is the difference between the value-type variables and reference-type variables in terms of garbage collection? The value-type variables are not garbage-collected, they just fall off the stack when they fall out of scope, the reference-type objects are picked up by GC when their references go null.
  15. How do you convert a string into an integer in .NET? Int32.Parse(string), Convert.ToInt32()
  16. How do you box a primitive data type variable? Initialize an object with its value, pass an object, cast it to an object
  17. Why do you need to box a primitive variable? To pass it by reference or apply a method that an object supports, but primitive doesn’t.
  18. What’s the difference between Java and .NET garbage collectors? Sun left the implementation of a specific garbage collector up to the JRE developer, so their performance varies widely, depending on whose JRE you’re using. Microsoft standardized on their garbage collection.
  19. How do you enforce garbage collection in .NET? System.GC.Collect();
  20. Can you declare a C++ type destructor in C# like ~MyClass()? Yes, but what’s the point, since it will call Finalize(), and Finalize() has no guarantees when the memory will be cleaned up, plus, it introduces additional load on the garbage collector. The only time the finalizer should be implemented, is when you’re dealing with unmanaged code.
  21. What’s different about namespace declaration when comparing that to package declaration in Java? No semicolon. Package declarations also have to be the first thing within the file, can’t be nested, and affect all classes within the file.
  22. What’s the difference between const and readonly? You can initialize readonly variables to some runtime values. Let’s say your program uses current date and time as one of the values that won’t change. This way you declare
    public readonly string DateT = new DateTime().ToString().
  23. Can you create enumerated data types in C#? Yes.
  24. What’s different about switch statements in C# as compared to C++? No fall-throughs allowed.
  25. What happens when you encounter a continue statement inside the for loop?The code for the rest of the loop is ignored, the control is transferred back to the beginning of the loop.
  26. Is goto statement supported in C#? How about Java? Gotos are supported in C#to the fullest. In Java goto is a reserved keyword that provides absolutely no functionality.
  27. Describe the compilation process for .NET code? Source code is compiled and run in the .NET Framework using a two-stage process. First, source code is compiled to Microsoft intermediate language (MSIL) code using a .NET Framework-compatible compiler, such as that for Visual Basic .NET or Visual C#. Second, MSIL code is compiled to native code.
  28. Name any 2 of the 4 .NET authentification methods. ASP.NET, in conjunction with Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS), can authenticate user credentials such as names and passwords using any of the following authentication methods:
    • Windows: Basic, digest, or Integrated Windows Authentication (NTLM or Kerberos).
    • Microsoft Passport authentication
    • Forms authentication
    • Client Certificate authentication
  29. How do you turn off SessionState in the web.config file? In the system.web section of web.config, you should locate the httpmodule tag and you simply disable session by doing a remove tag with attribute name set to session.
    <httpModules>
    <remove name=”Session” />
    </httpModules>
  30. What is main difference between Global.asax and Web.Config? ASP.NET uses the global.asax to establish any global objects that your Web application uses. The .asax extension denotes an application file rather than .aspx for a page file. Each ASP.NET application can contain at most one global.asax file. The file is compiled on the first page hit to your Web application. ASP.NET is also configured so that any attempts to browse to the global.asax page directly are rejected. However, you can specify application-wide settings in the web.config file. The web.config is an XML-formatted text file that resides in the Web site’s root directory. Through Web.config you can specify settings like custom 404 error pages, authentication and authorization settings for the Web site, compilation options for the ASP.NET Web pages, if tracing should be enabled, etc.

Some More C# Interview Questions

What is static constructor?

Static constructor is used to initialize static data members as soon as the class is referenced first time, whereas an instance constructor is used to create an instance of that class with keyword. A static constructor does not take access modifiers or have parameters and can’t access any non-static data member of a class.

What is the use of Monitor in C#?

It provides a mechanism that synchronizes access to objects. 

The Monitor class controls access to objects by granting a lock for an object to a single thread. Object locks provide the ability to restrict access to a block of code, commonly called a critical section. While a thread owns the lock for an object, no other thread can acquire that lock. You can also use Monitor to ensure that no other thread is allowed to access a section of application code being executed by the lock owner, unless the other thread is executing the code using a different locked object. 


What is lock statement in C#?

Lock ensures that one thread does not enter a critical section of code while another thread is in the critical section. If another thread attempts to enter a locked code, it will wait, block, until the object is released.


How to loop through all rows of the DataTable?

You can do this in more than one way but ForEach loop is much better than any other way in terms of cleanliness of the code or performance. 

ForEach loop 
foreach (DataRow row in dTable.Rows)

{

     yourvariable = row[“ColumnName”].ToString();

}


For loop

for (int j = 0; j< dTable.Rows.Count; j++)

{

    yourvariable = dTable.Rows[j][“ColumnName”].ToString()l

}


What is an Array?

An array is a collection of related instance either value or reference types. Array posses an immutable structure in which the number of dimensions and size of the array are fixed at instantiation. 

C# Supports Single, Multi dimensional and Jagged Array

Single Dimensional Array: it is sometimes called vector array consists of single row. 

Multi-Dimensional Array: are rectangular & consists of rows and columns. 

Jagged Array: also consists of rows & columns but in irregular shaped (like row 1 has 3 column and row 2 has 5 column)

What is an ArrayList?

ArrayList is a dynamic array. Elements can be added & removed from an arraylist at the runtime. In this elements are not automatically sorted.

What is BitArray?

The BitArray collection is a composite of bit values. It stores 1 or 0 where 1 is true and 0 is false. This collection provides an efficient means of storing and retrieving bit values.

What is HashTable?

A Hashtable is a collection of key-value pairs. Entries in this are instance of DictionaryEntry type. It implements IDictionary, ISerilizable, IDeserializable collback interface.


 
What is Queue?

This is a collection that abstracts FIFO (First In First Out) data structure. The initial capacity is 32 elements. It is ideal for messaging components.

What is Stack?

This is a collection that abstracts LIFO (Last In First Out) data structure in which initial capacity is 32.

What is SortedList?

This is a collection and it is a combination of key/value entries and an ArrayList collection. Where the collection is sorted by key.

What is Delegates?

A delegate in C# allows you to pass method of one class to objects of other class that can call these methods. 

OR 

A delegate is an object that holds the reference to a method. 

In C++ it is called function pointer.

What is a collection?

A collection serves as a container for instances of other classes. All classes implement ICollection interface which intern implement IEnumerable interface.

What is reflection?

Reflection is the ability to find the information about types contained in an assembly at runtime. 

OR 

Reflection is the ability to find out information about objects, the application details (assemblies), its metadata at run-time. 

How is the DLL Hell problem solved in .NET?

Assembly versioning allows the application to specify not only the library it needs to run (which was available under Win32), but also the version of the assembly.

Are private class-level variables inherited?

Yes, but they are not accessible. Although they are not visible or accessible via the class interface, they are inherited.

What’s the difference between the System.Array.CopyTo() and System.Array.Clone()?

The Clone() method returns a new array (a shallow copy) object containing all the elements in the original array. The CopyTo() method copies the elements into another existing array. Both perform a shallow copy. A shallow copy means the contents (each array element) contains references to the same object as the elements in the original array. A deep copy (which neither of these methods performs) would create a new instance of each element’s object, resulting in a different, yet identacle object.

How can you sort the elements of the array in descending order?

By calling Array.Sort() and then Array.Reverse() methods.

What class is underneath the SortedList class?

A sorted HashTable.

Top c# Interview Questions

Basic 

  • 1. What is C#?
    C# is an object oriented, type safe and managed language that is compiled by .Net framework to generate Microsoft Intermediate Language.
    2.       What are the types of comment in C# with examples?
    Single line
    Eg:
    [csharp]   //This is a Single line comment[/csharp]
    ii. Multiple line (/* */)
    Eg:
    [csharp] /*This is a multiple line comment
    We are in line 2
    Last line of comment*/[/csharp]
    iii. XML Comments (///).
    Eg:
    [csharp]/// summary;
    ///  Set error message for multilingual language.
    /// summary[/csharp]
    3.       Can multiple catch blocks be executed?
    No, Multiple catch blocks can’t be executed. Once the proper catch code executed, the control is transferred to the finally block and then the code that follows the finally block gets executed.
    4.       What is the difference between public, static and void?
    All these are access modifiers in C#. Public declared variables or methods are accessible anywhere in the application. Static declared variables or methods are globally accessible without creating an instance of the class. The compiler stores the address of the method as the entry point and uses this information to begin execution before any objects are created. And Void is a type modifier that states that the method or variable does not return any value.
    5.       What is an object?  
    An object is an instance of a class through which we access the methods of that class. “New” keyword is used to create an object. A class that creates an object in memory will contain the information about the methods, variables and behavior of that class.
    6.       Define Constructors?  
    A constructor is a member function in a class that has the same name as its class. The constructor is automatically invoked whenever an object class is created. It constructs the values of data members while initializing the class.
    7.       What is Jagged Arrays?
    The array which has elements of type array is called jagged array. The elements can be of different dimensions and sizes. We can also call jagged array as Array of arrays.
    8.       What is the difference between ref & out parameters?
    An argument passed as ref must be initialized before passing to the method whereas out parameter needs not to be initialized before passing to a method.
    9.       What is the use of using statement in C#?  
    The using block is used to obtain a resource and use it and then automatically dispose of when the execution of block completed.
    10.   What is serialization?  
    When we want to transport an object through network then we have to convert the object into a stream of bytes. The process of converting an object into a stream of bytes is called Serialization. For an object to be serializable, it should inherit ISerialize Interface.
    De-serialization is the reverse process of creating an object from a stream of bytes.
    11.   Can “this” be used within a static method?  
    We can’t use ‘This’ in a static method because we can only use static variables/methods in a static method.
    12.   What is difference between constants and read-only?  
    Constant variables are declared and initialized at compile time. The value can’t be changed after wards. Read-only variables will be initialized only from the Static constructor of the class. Read only is used only when we want to assign the value at run time.
    13.   What is an interface class?  
    Interface is an abstract class which has only public abstract methods and the methods only have the declaration and not the definition. These abstract methods must be implemented in the inherited classes.
    14.   What are value types and reference types?  
    Value types are stored in the Stack whereas reference types stored on heap.
    Value types:
    [csharp] int, enum , byte, decimal, double, float, long[/csharp]
    Reference Types:
    [csharp] string , class, interface, object.[/csharp]
    15.   What are Custom Control and User Control?  
    Custom Controls are controls generated as compiled code (Dlls), those are easier to use and can be added to toolbox. Developers can drag and drop controls to their web forms. Attributes can be set at design time. We can easily add custom controls to Multiple Applications (If Shared Dlls), If they are private then we can copy to dll to bin directory of web application and then add reference and can use them.
    User Controls are very much similar to ASP include files, and are easy to create. User controls can’t be placed in the toolbox and dragged – dropped from it. They have their design and code behind. The file extension for user controls is ascx.
    16.   What are sealed classes in C#?  
    We create sealed classes when we want to restrict the class to be inherited. Sealed modifier used to prevent derivation from a class. If we forcefully specify a sealed class as base class then a compile-time error occurs.
    17.   What is method overloading?  
    Method overloading is creating multiple methods with the same name with unique signatures in the same class. When we compile, the compiler uses overload resolution to determine the specific method to be invoke.
    18.   What is the difference between Array and Arraylist?  
    In an array, we can have items of the same type only. The size of the array is fixed. An arraylist is similar to an array but it doesn’t have a fixed size.
    19.   Can a private virtual method be overridden?  
    No, because they are not accessible outside the class.
    20. Describe the accessibility modifier “protected internal”.
    Protected Internal variables/methods are accessible within the same assembly and also from the classes that are derived from this parent class.
    21. What are the differences between System.String and System.Text.StringBuilder classes?
    System.String is immutable. When we modify the value of a string variable then a new memory is allocated to the new value and the previous memory allocation released. System.StringBuilder was designed to have concept of a mutable string where a variety of operations can be performed without allocation separate memory location for the modified string.
    22. What’s the difference between the System.Array.CopyTo() and System.Array.Clone() ?
    Using Clone() method, we creates a new array object containing all the elements in the original array and using CopyTo() method, all the elements of existing array copies into another existing array. Both the methods perform a shallow copy.
    23. How can we sort the elements of the array in descending order?
    Using Sort() methods followed by Reverse() method.
    24. Write down the C# syntax to catch exception?
    To catch an exception, we use try catch blocks. Catch block can have parameter of system.Exception type.
    Eg:
    [csharp]try
    {
    GetAllData();
    }
    catch(Exception ex)
    {
    }[/csharp]
    In the above example, we can omit the parameter from catch statement.
    25.   What’s the difference between an interface and abstract class?
    Interfaces have all the methods having only declaration but no definition. In an abstract class, we can have some concrete methods. In an interface class, all the methods are public. An abstract class may have private methods.
     26.   What is the difference between Finalize() and Dispose() methods?
    Dispose() is called when we want for an object to release any unmanaged resources with them. On the other hand Finalize() is used for the same purpose but it doesn’t assure the garbage collection of an object.
    27.   What are circular references?
    Circular reference is situation in which two or more resources are interdependent on each other causes the lock condition and make the resources unusable.
    28.   What are generics in C#.NET?
    Generics are used to make reusable code classes to decrease the code redundancy, increase type safety and performance. Using generics, we can create collection classes. To create generic collection, System.Collections.Generic namespace should be used instead of classes such as ArrayList in the System.Collections namespace. Generics promotes the usage of parameterized types.
    29.   What is an object pool in .NET?
    An object pool is a container having objects ready to be used. It tracks the object that is currently in use, total number of objects in the pool. This reduces the overhead of creating and re-creating objects.
    30.   List down the commonly used types of exceptions in .Net?
    ArgumentException, ArgumentNullException , ArgumentOutOfRangeException, ArithmeticException, DivideByZeroException ,OverflowException , IndexOutOfRangeException ,InvalidCastException ,InvalidOperationException , IOEndOfStreamException , NullReferenceException , OutOfMemoryException , StackOverflowException etc.
    31.   What are Custom Exceptions?
    Sometimes there are some errors that need to be handeled as per user requirements. Custom exceptions are used for them and are used defined exceptions.
    32.   What are delegates?
    Delegates are same are function pointers in C++ but the only difference is that they are type safe unlike function pointers. Delegates are required because they can be used to write much more generic type safe functions.
    33.   How do you inherit a class into other class in C#?
    Colon is used as inheritance operator in C#. Just place a colon and then the class name.
    [csharp] public class DerivedClass : BaseClass[/csharp]

    34.   What is the base class in .net from which all the classes are derived from?
    [csharp]System.Object[/csharp]
    35.   What is the difference between method overriding and method overloading?
    In method overriding, we change the method definition in the derived class that changes the method behavior. Method overloading is creating a method with the same name within the same class having different signatures.
    36. What are the different ways a method can be overloaded?
    Methods can be overloaded using different data types for parameter, different order of parameters, and different number of parameters.
    37. Why can’t you specify the accessibility modifier for methods inside the interface?
    In an interface, we have virtual methods that do not have method definition. All the methods are there to be overridden in the derived class. That’s why they all are public.
    38.   How can we set class to be inherited, but prevent the method from being over-ridden?
    Declare the class as public and make the method sealed to prevent it from being overridden.
    39. What happens if the inherited interfaces have conflicting method names?
    Implement is up to you as the method is inside your own class. There might be problem when the methods from different interfaces expect different data, but as far as compiler cares you’re okay.
    40. What is the difference between a Struct and a Class?
    Structs are value-type variables and classes are reference types. Structs stored on the stack, causes additional overhead but faster retrieval. Structs cannot be inherited.
    41.   How to use nullable types in .Net?
    Value types can take either their normal values or a null value. Such types are called nullable types.
    [csharp]Int? someID = null;
    If(someID.HasVAlue)
    {
    }
    [/csharp]
    42.   How we can create an array with non-default values?
    We can create an array with non-default values using Enumerable.Repeat.
    43.   What is difference between is and as operators in c#?
    “is” operator is used to check the compatibility of an object with a given type and it returns the result as Boolean.
    “as” operator is used for casting of object to a type or a class.
    44.   What’s a multicast delegate?
    A delegate having multiple handlers assigned to it is called multicast delegate. Each handler is assigned to a method.
     45.   What are indexers in C# .NET?
    Indexers are known as smart arrays in C#. It allows the instances of a class to be indexed in the same way as array.
    Eg:
    [csharp]public int this[int index]    // Indexer declaration[/csharp]
    46.   What is difference between the “throw” and “throw ex” in .NET?
    “Throw” statement preserves original error stack whereas “throw ex” have the stack trace from their throw point. It is always advised to use “throw” because it provides more accurate error information.
    47.   What are C# attributes and its significance?
    C# provides developers a way to define declarative tags on certain entities eg. Class, method etc. are called attributes. The attribute’s information can be retrieved at runtime using Reflection.
    48.   How to implement singleton design pattern in C#?
    In singleton pattern, a class can only have one instance and provides access point to it globally.
    Eg:
    [csharp]
    Public sealed class Singleton
    {
    Private static readonly Singleton _instance = new Singleton();
    }
    [/csharp]
    49.   What is the difference between directcast and ctype?
    DirectCast is used to convert the type of an object that requires the run-time type to be the same as the specified type in DirectCast.
    Ctype is used for conversion where the conversion is defined between the expression and the type.
    50.   Is C# code is managed or unmanaged code?
    C# is managed code because Common language runtime can compile C# code to Intermediate language.

    51. What are the advantages of C# over C, C++ or Java?

    Like C++ and Java, C# is a high-level object-oriented programming language. It is generally more efficient than Java and has useful features such as operator overloading. C# is based on C++ but has several advantages over this older language: it is type-safe, more comprehensively object-oriented, and the syntax has been simplified in several important ways. Most importantly, C# interoperates exceptionally well with other languages on the .NET platform. For this reason, C# is a better choice for building applications for .NET.

    52. How are namespaces used in C#?

    Classes in the .NET framework can be organized using namespaces. The scope of a class is declared using the namespace keyword. You can then include methods from the namespace in your code by including the line “using [namespace];” at the start of your program.

    53. What is a constructor?

    A constructor is the method of a class that is called when an object of that class is created. The constructor initializes class parameters and has the same name as the class.

    54. What is a destructor?

    A destructor deletes an object of the class from memory. It is called when the object is explicitly deleted by the code you write, or when the object passes out of scope, which can happen when the program exits a function. The destructor has the same name as the class, but with a tilde prefix.

    55. How are methods overloaded in C#?

    You can overload methods in C# by specifying different numbers or types of parameters in the method definition. Overloading can help to give your program the flexibility it needs to operate with different types of data input.

    56. Why use encapsulation?

    Encapsulation – combining function definitions and data together into a class – is used to separate parts of the code from the rest of the program. This allows the private data of an object to be hidden from the rest of the program, keep code clean and easy to understand, and allows classes to be reused in other programs.

    57. What is the difference between a class and a struct?

    Whereas classes are passed by reference, structs are passed by value. Classes can be inherited, but structs cannot. Structs generally give better performance as they are stored on the stack rather than the heap.

    58. What is the GAC?

    The acronym GAC stands for Global Assembly Cache. The GAC is where assemblies are stored so that many different applications can share these assemblies. Multiple versions of assemblies can be stored in the GAC, with applications specifying which version to use in the config file.

    59. How does .NET help to manage DLLs on a system?

    When you have multiple DLLs on a system, you are in what is known as “DLL Hell”. Managing the DLLs can be particularly difficult if there are multiple versions of the various DLLs. In the .NET framework, assemblies are managed using the information stored in their metadata, and you can store multiple versions of each in the GAC.

    60. What types of error can occur in a C# program?

    The three possible types of C# error are as follows:
    • Syntax error. This type of error, which is identified during compilation, occurs because the programmer has used syntax incorrectly or included a typo in the code.
    • Logic error. This type of error causes the program to do something other than what the programmer intended. The program will output an unexpected result in response to tests.
    • Runtime error. This type of error causes the program to crash or terminate incorrectly.