C# Programming/Keywords/base

The keyword base describes that you would like to refer to the base class for the requested information, not in the current instantiated class.

A base class is the class in which the currently implemented class inherits from. When creating a class with no defined base class, the compiler automatically uses the System.Object base class.

Therefore the two declarations below are equivalent.

public class MyClass
{
}

public class MyClass : System.Object
{
}

Some of the reasons the base keyword is used is:

• Passing information to the base class's constructor

public class MyCustomException : System.Exception
{
     public MyCustomException() : base() {}

     public MyCustomerException(string message, Exception innerException) : base(message,innerException) {}

     // ......
}

• Recalling variables in the base class, where the newly implemented class is overriding its behaviour

public class MyBaseClass
{
     protected string className = "MyBaseClass";
}

public class MyNewClass : MyBaseClass
{
     protected new string className = "MyNewClass";

     public override string BaseClassName
     {
          get { return base.className; }
     }
}

• Recalling methods in the base class. This is useful when you want to add to a method, but still keep the underlying implementation.

// Necessary using's here

public class _Default : System.Web.UI.Page
{
     protected void InitializeCulture()
     {
          System.Threading.Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentUICulture =
                              CultureInfo.GetSpecificCulture(Page.UICulture);

          base.InitializeCulture();
     }
}

C# Keywords
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Special C# Identifiers (Contextual Keywords)
add alias async await dynamic get global nameof partial remove set value when where yield
Contextual Keywords (Used in Queries)
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