Avoiding Type Name Confusion

Different programming languages use different terms to identify the fundamental managed types. Class library designers must avoid using language-specific terminology. Follow the rules described in this section to avoid type name confusion.

Use names that describe a type's meaning rather than names that describe the type. In the rare case that a parameter has no semantic meaning beyond its type, use a generic name. For example, a class that supports writing a variety of data types into a stream might have the following methods.

Sub Write(value As Double);
Sub Write(value As Single);
Sub Write(value As Long);
Sub Write(value As Integer);
Sub Write(value As Short);
[C#]
void Write(double value);
void Write(float value);
void Write(long value);
void Write(int value);
void Write(short value);

Do not create language-specific method names, as in the following example.

Sub Write(doubleValue As Double);
Sub Write(singleValue As Single);
Sub Write(longValue As Long);
Sub Write(integerValue As Integer);
Sub Write(shortValue As Short);
[C#]
void Write(double doubleValue);
void Write(float floatValue);
void Write(long longValue);
void Write(int intValue);
void Write(short shortValue);

In the extremely rare case that it is necessary to create a uniquely named method for each fundamental data type, use a universal type name. The following table lists fundamental data type names and their universal substitutions.

C# type name	Visual Basic type name	JScript type name	Visual C++ type name	Ilasm.exe representation	Universal type name
sbyte	SByte	sByte	char	int8	SByte
byte	Byte	byte	unsigned char	unsigned int8	Byte
short	Short	short	short	int16	Int16
ushort	UInt16	ushort	unsigned short	unsigned int16	UInt16
int	Integer	int	int	int32	Int32
uint	UInt32	uint	unsigned int	unsigned int32	UInt32
long	Long	long	__int64	int64	Int64
ulong	UInt64	ulong	unsigned __int64	unsigned int64	UInt64
float	Single	float	float	float32	Single
double	Double	double	double	float64	Double
bool	Boolean	boolean	bool	bool	Boolean
char	Char	char	wchar_t	char	Char
string	String	string	String	string	String
object	Object	object	Object	object	Object

For example, a class that supports reading a variety of data types from a stream might have the following methods.

ReadDouble()As Double
ReadSingle()As Single
ReadInt64()As Long
ReadInt32()As Integer
ReadInt16()As Short
[C#]
double ReadDouble();
float ReadSingle();
long ReadInt64();
int ReadInt32();
short ReadInt16();

The preceding example is preferable to the following language-specific alternative.

ReadDouble()As Double
ReadSingle()As Single
ReadLong()As Long
ReadInteger()As Integer
ReadShort()As Short
[C#]
double ReadDouble();
float ReadFloat();
long ReadLong();
int ReadInt();
short ReadShort();

See Also

Design Guidelines for Class Library Developers | Common Type System