C#, Dart, TypeScript , Python: side-by-side

String formating

Language	Syntax Type	Example	Description
C#	Composite Formatting	string.Format("Hello {0}!", "World")	Uses indexed placeholders within a format string.
	Interpolation	$"Hello {name}!"	Allows embedding expressions inside string literals.
Dart	String Interpolation	'Hello $name!'	Uses the dollar sign ($) to interpolate the value of Dart expressions within strings.
	Concatenation	'Hello ' + name + '!'	Combines strings together using the + operator.
TypeScript	Template Literals	`Hello ${name}!`	Uses backticks and ${} to interpolate expressions within strings.
Python	Percent Formatting	'Hello %s!' % name	Uses % as a placeholder for variables and provides a tuple of values.
	str.format()	'Hello {}!'.format(name)	Uses curly braces {} as placeholders and provides values via the format method.
	f-Strings (Literal String Interpolation)	f'Hello {name}!'	Embeds expressions inside string literals using f-prefix and curly braces.

Each of these methods has its own advantages and use cases. For example, C#'s interpolated strings and Python's f-strings provide a very readable way to embed expressions in strings, while C#'s composite formatting is useful for more complex scenarios where you might want to reuse the same variable multiple times in a formatted string or apply specific formatting to values (like date or number formats).

It's important to note that these are not the only ways to format strings in these languages, but they are the most common and idiomatic methods

Ternary Conditional Operator

Language	Syntax Example	Equivalent If-Else Statement
C#	var x = y == 2 ? 0 : 1;	if (y == 2) { x = 0; } else { x = 1; }
Dart	var x = y == 2 ? 0 : 1;	if (y == 2) { x = 0; } else { x = 1; }
TypeScript	let x = y == 2 ? 0 : 1;	if (y == 2) { x = 0; } else { x = 1; }
Python	x = 0 if y == 2 else 1	if y == 2: x = 0 else: x = 1

In Python, the ternary conditional operator is slightly different in syntax. It uses the if ... else keywords in a single line, rather than the ? and : symbols. The general form is x = true_value if condition else false_value.

In all these languages, the ternary conditional operator is used to make the code more concise and to reduce the need for a multi-line if-else statement when only a single value assignment is needed based on a condition.

Code Blocks

Language	Code Block Definition	Notes
C#	Curly braces {}	Curly braces are required to define the scope of code blocks for classes, methods, loops, and conditional statements. Indentation is a best practice for readability but is not enforced by the compiler.
Dart	Curly braces {}	Similar to C#, Dart uses curly braces to define the scope of code blocks. Indentation is recommended for readability but is not enforced by the language.
TypeScript	Curly braces {}	TypeScript, like JavaScript, uses curly braces to define the scope of functions, classes, loops, and conditional statements. Indentation is a matter of style and best practices, not a language requirement.
Python	Indentation	Python uses indentation to define code blocks. A consistent level of indentation is required to denote the scope of loops, conditional statements, functions, and classes. Curly braces are not used for this purpose.

C#, Dart, TypeScript: In these languages, a code block begins with an opening curly brace { and ends with a closing curly brace }. Everything within the braces is considered part of the same block. For example:

// C# example
if (condition)
{
    // This is a code block
    Console.WriteLine("Condition is true.");
}

// Dart example
if (condition) {
  // This is a code block
  print('Condition is true.');
}

// TypeScript example
if (condition) {
    // This is a code block
    console.log("Condition is true.");
}

Python: Python uses indentation to define the beginning and end of a code block. The amount of indentation for each block is consistent, and typically four spaces are used per indentation level. For example:

# Python example
if condition:
    # This is a code block
    print("Condition is true.")

Enforced by Language: The enforcement of curly braces or indentation is a syntactic requirement in these languages. In C#, Dart, and TypeScript, omitting curly braces for code blocks that require them will result in a compiler error. In Python, inconsistent indentation will lead to a syntax error.

Readability: While not enforced by the compiler or interpreter in C#, Dart, and TypeScript, indentation is still crucial for maintaining readable and maintainable code. It is considered a best practice to use consistent indentation, such as using spaces or tabs, to visually separate code blocks from the surrounding code.

Loops

For Loop

Language	Syntax Example
C#	for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) { /* ... */ }
Dart	for (var i = 0; i < 10; i++) { /* ... */ }
TypeScript	for (let i = 0; i < 10; i++) { /* ... */ }
Python	for i in range(10): # ...

For-Each Loop

Language	Syntax Example
C#	foreach (var item in collection) { /* ... */ }
Dart	for (var item in collection) { /* ... */ }
TypeScript	for (let item of collection) { /* ... */ }
Python	for item in collection: # ...

While Loop

Language	Syntax Example
C#	while (condition) { /* ... */ }
Dart	while (condition) { /* ... */ }
TypeScript	while (condition) { /* ... */ }
Python	while condition: # ...

Do-While Loop

Language	Syntax Example
C#	do { /* ... */ } while (condition);
Dart	do { /* ... */ } while (condition);
TypeScript	do { /* ... */ } while (condition);
Python	Python does not have a built-in do-while loop

Loop Control Statements

Language	Break Example	Continue Example
C#	break;	continue;
Dart	break;	continue;
TypeScript	break;	continue;
Python	break	continue

Notes on Loop Usage

C#, Dart, TypeScript: These languages share a similar C-style syntax for loops, including the traditional for loop with initialization, condition, and increment expressions. They also support for-each loops for iterating over collections, with slight differences in keyword usage (foreach in C# and for in Dart and TypeScript).

Python: Python's for loop is more like a for-each loop in C-style languages, iterating over items in a collection or sequence. Python uses the range() function to iterate over a sequence of numbers. Python does not have a traditional C-style for loop or a do-while loop.

Do-While Loop: Python does not have a built-in do-while loop construct. However, you can achieve similar behavior using a while loop with a condition that is always true initially, followed by a conditional break at the end of the loop body.

Loop Control Statements: The break statement is used to exit a loop prematurely, while the continue statement is used to skip the current iteration and proceed to the next iteration of the loop. These control statements are used similarly across all four languages.

Anonymous and Higher-Order Functions

Anonymous Functions (Lambdas)

Language	Syntax Example
C#	Func<int, int> square = x => x * x;
Dart	var square = (int x) => x * x;
TypeScript	const square = (x: number): number => x * x;
Python	square = lambda x: x * x

Higher-Order Functions

Language	Syntax Example (e.g., using map)
C#	var squaredNumbers = numbers.Select(x => x * x);
Dart	var squaredNumbers = numbers.map((x) => x * x);
TypeScript	const squaredNumbers = numbers.map(x => x * x);
Python	squared_numbers = map(lambda x: x * x, numbers)

Notes on Anonymous Functions and Higher-Order Functions

C# uses lambda expressions to create anonymous functions and has a variety of higher-order functions available through LINQ (Language Integrated Query), such as Select, Where, and Aggregate.

Dart supports arrow syntax for defining anonymous functions concisely. Higher-order functions like map, where, and reduce are commonly used on collections.

TypeScript, like Dart, uses arrow functions for concise anonymous function syntax. It also has higher-order functions on arrays similar to Dart and other JavaScript array methods.

Python uses the lambda keyword to define anonymous functions. It has built-in higher-order functions like map, filter, and reduce (the latter is found in the functools module).

Object-Oriented Programming

Feature	C#	Dart	TypeScript	Python
Class Definition	class MyClass { }	class MyClass { }	class MyClass { }	class MyClass:
Inheritance	class Derived : Base { }	class Derived extends Base	class Derived extends Base	class Derived(Base):
Interfaces	interface IMyInterface { }	class MyInterface { }	interface IMyInterface { }	class MyInterface:
Polymorphism	Virtual/override methods	Virtual methods with @override	Methods can be overridden	Defining methods in child classes
Encapsulation	public/private/protected/internal/protected internal/private protected	Public by default, private with _	public/private/protected	Public by default, private with _
Abstraction	Abstract classes/methods	Abstract classes/methods	Abstract classes/methods	Not directly supported, use ABC module
Constructors	MyClass() { }	MyClass() { }	constructor() { }	def init(self):
Static Members	static keyword	static keyword	static keyword	@staticmethod decorator
Properties	get; set;	get and set keywords	get and set keywords	@property decorator
Method Overloading	Supported	Not supported	Supported	Not natively supported
Operator Overloading	Supported	Supported	Not natively supported	Supported
Multiple Inheritance	Not supported	Not supported	Not supported	Supported via Mixins
Access Modifiers	Yes	No (privacy by convention)	Yes	No (privacy by convention)

Here are some key points about OOP in each language:

C#: C# is a statically typed language with a rich set of OOP features. It supports most of the classical OOP concepts, including interfaces, abstract classes, encapsulation with access modifiers, and polymorphism through virtual and override methods. C# does not support multiple inheritance for classes, but it allows a class to implement multiple interfaces.

Dart: Dart is an object-oriented language that supports classes and interface-like behavior using abstract classes. Unlike C#, Dart does not have interfaces as a separate construct; instead, every class implicitly defines an interface. Dart does not support method overloading but does support operator overloading. It uses a single underscore to denote private members.

TypeScript: TypeScript is a superset of JavaScript that adds static typing and OOP features. It supports classes, interfaces, and inheritance. TypeScript's OOP features are similar to those of C#, but since it compiles down to JavaScript, which is a prototype-based language, some features like operator overloading are not natively supported.

Python: Python is a dynamically typed language that supports OOP. It allows for multiple inheritance and uses a special module called abc (Abstract Base Classes) to create abstract classes and methods. Python does not have built-in access modifiers, but it follows a naming convention using underscores to indicate the intended level of privacy. Method overloading is not natively supported, but operator overloading is.

Comments

[Maxim Saplin]

Tell about those horrible newlines to 100% of C# code produced by MS: github.com/dotnet/efcore/blob/main...

Frankly I don't understand why something that subjective (e.g. tabs vs spaces, newline or same line starting bracket) can be presented as something definitive and solely right...

Besides, I don't understand the python sample you gave, it is invalid syntax and won't run...

[José Pablo Ramírez Vargas]

The trend you mention has been in place for decades, ever since the inception of C# and is the de-facto standard for this language. That's not changing any time soon.

[José Pablo Ramírez Vargas]

Guidelines for AI-assisted articles

It would also be nice to not artificially upvote articles. I'll never understand this practice.

[Maxim Saplin]

"we care most that the author of the post is able to stand by the information they are sharing. " - go check my GitHub, those 4 languages are the ones I code a lot

It would also be nice to leave comments only after reading the article. I'll never understand this practice.

[José Pablo Ramírez Vargas]

Why would it be relevant that you code a lot in those 4 languages? Does it change the fact that the guidelines for AI-assisted articles was not followed? How does one connect the dots here?

Also, why hide my comment?

[Maxim Saplin]

I don't like troll-like comments with false assumptions stated as facts

[José Pablo Ramírez Vargas]

What? No comeback? Just hide my comments. Follow the guidelines. It is not forbidden to use AI, you just need to disclose the fact.

[MJ Harmon]

Thank you for your write-up. One note on your OOP section – C# also has internal as a modifier for encapsulation.

[Maxim Saplin]

Good point, updated! There're also protected internal and private protected access modifiers (but they are used less often).