Question

Since .net 4.0, is the new ettiquette to use syntax such as:

Private Sub Main()
    MyMethod(AddressOf AnAction)
End Sub

Private Sub MyMethod(ByVal toDo As Action(Of String, Integer, Boolean))
    toDo.Invoke("Tom", 1, True)
End Sub

Private Sub AnAction(ByVal p1 As String, ByVal p2 As Integer, ByVal p3 As Boolean)
End Sub

As opposed to:

Private Delegate Sub MyActionDlg(ByVal p1 As String, ByVal p2 As Integer, ByVal p3 As Boolean)

Private Sub Main()
    MyMethod(AddressOf AnAction)
End Sub

Private Sub MyMethod(ByVal toDo As MyActionDlg)
    toDo.Invoke("Tom", 1, True)
End Sub

Private Sub AnAction(ByVal p1 As String, ByVal p2 As Integer, ByVal p3 As Boolean)
End Sub

This goes the same with Tuples/Func too. It is nice to write but feels a bit sloppy in places. Why would anyone want Tuple(Of T, T2, T3, T4) over a nice class type? My actual piece of code has these nested, so it passes the Action along in a chain of methods.

Sorry for the VB example, AddressOf is just VBs way of saying new Action(AnAction). Also I just wrote this into the browser so it might not compile either.

How to people feel about reading and using these compiler generic actions as opposed to proper special entities crafted for their exact requirements in the solution?

Answer 1

The new Func and Action delegates are preferred for simple delegates like the ones sed in LINQ methods.

If using Funcs or Actions would result in unreadable typenames, you certainly should define your own delegates.

In general, you should choose the design that results in the most readable code.