Type. F# programs are built around types. With types, we group related pieces of data together. We add behavior (in functions and properties) to our types.
When specifying a type, we can add initialization logic. This ensures each instance of the type is valid. We can specify members of a type.
First example. Here we introduce an Animal type. To create an animal we must specify an int for its size (this is like its constructor).
Info The "mutable size" is a field on the Animal type. It is initialized to the value passed to the Animal at creation time.
Note When initialized, the Animal will execute its "do" statements. Here it prints a helpful message.
Note 2 The Weight is a method on the Animal. It returns an int. It returns the size times 10.
type Animal(s : int) =
// Store the argument in the object.
let mutable size = s
// Write a helpful message.
do printfn "Animal created, size = %A" size
// For Weight, return size times 10, an int.
member x.Weight : int = size * 10
// Create an Animal with size 5.
let animal = Animal 5
// Get the Weight of the animal.
let weight = animal.Weight
printfn "%A" weightAnimal created, size = 5
50
Get, set. Properties help us control how a type is used. Here we introduce a type Box that has a Color property. With the get() and set() keywords we add accessors.
Info We use the "with" keyword to introduce the get() accessor. This returns the value of the "color" mutable field.
Detail In F# we introduce a setter with "and set." The "and" is important. We store the argument "c" in the color field.
type Box() =
// A mutable color field.
let mutable color : string = null
// A Box has a color property with get and set.
member x.Color
with get() = color
and set(c) = color <- c
// Create a Box instance.
let x = Box()
// Set and get color values.
x.Color <- "blue"
printfn "%A" x.Color
// Set another value.
x.Color <- "red"
printfn "%A" x.Color"blue""red"
Typeof. This is an operator that returns the System.Type instance for the specified type. We must place a type name within the angle brackets.
Here We create a simple type called Color with one field. With typeof we get the System.Type.
// A type with one field.
type Color() =
let mutable Value = null
// Get typeof Color type.// ... This is an instance of System.Type.
let t = typeof<Color>
printfn "%A" tProgram+Color
A review. In F# we can use tuples and records to store data. But for important, often-used information, we use types. This gives us a way to add helpful methods and validation.
Dot Net Perls is a collection of tested code examples. Pages are continually updated to stay current, with code correctness a top priority.
Sam Allen is passionate about computer languages. In the past, his work has been recommended by Apple and Microsoft and he has studied computers at a selective university in the United States.