前几天有人问我他们什么时候应该使用参数关键字out而不是ref。虽然我(我认为)理解ref和out关键字之间的区别(之前已经问过了),最好的解释似乎是ref == in和out,有什么(假设或代码)的例子,我应该总是使用out而不是ref。

既然ref更通用,为什么还要用out呢?它只是语法上的糖吗?


当前回答

可以在两个上下文中使用out上下文关键字(每个上下文都是到详细信息的链接),作为参数修饰符或在接口和委托中的泛型类型参数声明中使用。本主题讨论参数修饰符,但有关泛型类型参数声明的信息,请参阅另一个主题。

out关键字使参数通过引用传递。这类似于ref关键字,只不过ref要求在传递变量之前对其进行初始化。要使用out形参,方法定义和调用方法都必须显式使用out关键字。例如: c#

class OutExample
{
    static void Method(out int i)
    {
        i = 44;
    }
    static void Main()
    {
        int value;
        Method(out value);
        // value is now 44
    }
}

虽然作为输出参数传递的变量在传递之前不必初始化,但被调用的方法需要在方法返回之前赋值。

尽管ref和out关键字会导致不同的运行时行为,但它们在编译时不被视为方法签名的一部分。因此,如果唯一的区别是一个方法使用ref参数,而另一个方法使用out参数,则方法不能重载。例如,下面的代码将无法编译: c#

class CS0663_Example
{
    // Compiler error CS0663: "Cannot define overloaded 
    // methods that differ only on ref and out".
    public void SampleMethod(out int i) { }
    public void SampleMethod(ref int i) { }
}

然而,如果一个方法使用ref或out参数,而另一个方法两者都不使用,则可以进行重载,如下所示: c#

class OutOverloadExample
{
    public void SampleMethod(int i) { }
    public void SampleMethod(out int i) { i = 5; }
}

属性不是变量,因此不能作为参数传递。

有关传递数组的信息,请参见使用ref和out传递数组(c#编程指南)。

以下类型的方法不能使用ref和out关键字:

Async methods, which you define by using the async modifier.

Iterator methods, which include a yield return or yield break statement.

例子

当您希望一个方法返回多个值时,声明一个out方法非常有用。下面的示例使用out通过一个方法调用返回三个变量。注意,第三个参数被赋值为null。这使得方法可以有选择地返回值。 c#

class OutReturnExample
{
    static void Method(out int i, out string s1, out string s2)
    {
        i = 44;
        s1 = "I've been returned";
        s2 = null;
    }
    static void Main()
    {
        int value;
        string str1, str2;
        Method(out value, out str1, out str2);
        // value is now 44
        // str1 is now "I've been returned"
        // str2 is (still) null;
    }
}

其他回答

关于c# 7的额外注意事项: 在c# 7中,不需要使用out预先声明变量。代码是这样的:

public void PrintCoordinates(Point p)
{
  int x, y; // have to "predeclare"
  p.GetCoordinates(out x, out y);
  WriteLine($"({x}, {y})");
}

可以这样写:

public void PrintCoordinates(Point p)
{
  p.GetCoordinates(out int x, out int y);
  WriteLine($"({x}, {y})");
}

来源:c# 7的新特性。

作为ref传递的参数必须在传递给方法之前初始化,而out形参在传递给方法之前不需要初始化。

它取决于编译上下文(参见下面的示例)。

out和ref都表示通过引用传递变量,但ref要求变量在传递之前进行初始化,这在封送处理上下文中是一个重要的区别(Interop: UmanagedToManagedTransition或反之亦然)。

MSDN警告说:

不要将按引用传递的概念与引用类型的概念混淆。这两个概念是不一样的。不管方法形参是值类型还是引用类型,都可以通过ref来修改。通过引用传递值类型时,没有对值类型进行装箱。

来自MSDN官方文档:

:

out关键字使参数通过引用传递。这类似于ref关键字,不同的是ref要求在传递变量之前对变量进行初始化

裁判:

ref关键字使参数按引用传递,而不是按值传递。通过引用传递的效果是,对方法中参数的任何更改都反映在调用方法中的底层参数变量中。引用形参的值始终与基础实参变量的值相同。

当参数被赋值时,我们可以验证out和ref确实是相同的:

CIL的例子:

考虑下面的例子

static class outRefTest{
    public static int myfunc(int x){x=0; return x; }
    public static void myfuncOut(out int x){x=0;}
    public static void myfuncRef(ref int x){x=0;}
    public static void myfuncRefEmpty(ref int x){}
    // Define other methods and classes here
}

在CIL中,myfuncOut和myfuncRef的指令与预期相同。

outRefTest.myfunc:
IL_0000:  nop         
IL_0001:  ldc.i4.0    
IL_0002:  starg.s     00 
IL_0004:  ldarg.0     
IL_0005:  stloc.0     
IL_0006:  br.s        IL_0008
IL_0008:  ldloc.0     
IL_0009:  ret         

outRefTest.myfuncOut:
IL_0000:  nop         
IL_0001:  ldarg.0     
IL_0002:  ldc.i4.0    
IL_0003:  stind.i4    
IL_0004:  ret         

outRefTest.myfuncRef:
IL_0000:  nop         
IL_0001:  ldarg.0     
IL_0002:  ldc.i4.0    
IL_0003:  stind.i4    
IL_0004:  ret         

outRefTest.myfuncRefEmpty:
IL_0000:  nop         
IL_0001:  ret         

Nop:不操作,ldloc: load local, stloc: stack local, ldarg: load参数,bs。S:分支到目标....

(见:CIL指令列表)

基本上ref和out都用于在方法之间传递对象/值

out关键字使参数通过引用传递。这类似于ref关键字,只不过ref要求在传递变量之前对其进行初始化。

out:参数没有初始化,必须在方法中初始化

ref:参数已经初始化,可以在方法中读取和更新。

引用类型的“ref”有什么用?

您可以将给定的引用更改为不同的实例。

你知道吗?

Although the ref and out keywords cause different run-time behavior, they are not considered part of the method signature at compile time. Therefore, methods cannot be overloaded if the only difference is that one method takes a ref argument and the other takes an out argument. You can't use the ref and out keywords for the following kinds of methods: Async methods, which you define by using the async modifier. Iterator methods, which include a yield return or yield break statement. Properties are not variables and therefore cannot be passed as out parameters.

你是正确的,在语义上,ref同时提供“in”和“out”功能,而out只提供“out”功能。有一些事情需要考虑:

out requires that the method accepting the parameter MUST, at some point before returning, assign a value to the variable. You find this pattern in some of the key/value data storage classes like Dictionary<K,V>, where you have functions like TryGetValue. This function takes an out parameter that holds what the value will be if retrieved. It wouldn't make sense for the caller to pass a value into this function, so out is used to guarantee that some value will be in the variable after the call, even if it isn't "real" data (in the case of TryGetValue where the key isn't present). out and ref parameters are marshaled differently when dealing with interop code

Also, as an aside, it's important to note that while reference types and value types differ in the nature of their value, every variable in your application points to a location of memory that holds a value, even for reference types. It just happens that, with reference types, the value contained in that location of memory is another memory location. When you pass values to a function (or do any other variable assignment), the value of that variable is copied into the other variable. For value types, that means that the entire content of the type is copied. For reference types, that means that the memory location is copied. Either way, it does create a copy of the data contained in the variable. The only real relevance that this holds deals with assignment semantics; when assigning a variable or passing by value (the default), when a new assignment is made to the original (or new) variable, it does not affect the other variable. In the case of reference types, yes, changes made to the instance are available on both sides, but that's because the actual variable is just a pointer to another memory location; the content of the variable--the memory location--didn't actually change.

与ref关键字一起传递表示原始变量和函数参数实际上都指向相同的内存位置。同样,这只影响赋值语义。如果将一个新值赋给其中一个变量,那么由于其他变量指向相同的内存位置,新值将反映在另一侧。