Parameters and Arguments
Parameters
Parameters are input variables for our function/method. When we create a method, we also tell it what parameters it should use. These act like placeholder values of the same type, so when an argument is passed to the method it uses the real values given by the argument when running the method.
public void PrintSum(int a, int b)
{
int sum = a + b;
Console.WriteLine($"Sum total: {sum}");
}
In this case the parameters a and b are used as placeholders for any operations done within the method.
Arguments
These are the values passed onto the method. For instance, if we invoked the PrintSum() method:
//Pass in arguments
PrintSum(5, 10)
Sum total: 15
In this case the arguments were the numbers 5 and 10, but they can be any variable of the same type as the parameter.
Optional Parameters
These are parameters that don't need to be included in the method call and have arguments passed to them. They are given a default value if an argument isn't provided and must be placed after all required parameters.
public void PrintSum(int a, int b, int c = 0)
{
int sum = a + b + c;
Console.WriteLine($"Sum total: {sum}");
}
In this case the parameter c has a default value of 0, so if no argument is provided, it will use the default value.
//Pass in all arguments
PrintSum(5, 10, 15)
//Pass in only required arguments
PrintSum(5, 10)
Sum total: 30
Sum total: 15