.net: Why It's not legal having int inside a namespace?

Question

Why It's not legal having "int" inside a namespace? "int" is a type. right? Just like "class". I know that there are differences between them but there are both Data Types.

namespace Ikco.Crp.UI.Common
{
    public int i;
    ....
    ....
}

What is the Microsoft' idea about that?

"Why It's not legal having "int" inside a namespace?" - because that's how the language is defined! — Mitch Wheat, Jan 08 '11 at 10:57
@bigb: java doesn't have global variables, either. OO Languages that do have them include C++ and Python. — Martin v. Löwis, Jan 08 '11 at 11:02
Similar question http://stackoverflow.com/questions/2818333/namespace-constant-in-c — angularrocks.com, Jan 08 '11 at 11:02

score 12 · Answer 1 · answered Jan 08 '11 at 11:00

There is a difference between defining a class and a variable. When you put a class into a namespace, you define a new type. In your declaration, you are not defining a new type. Instead, you use an existing type (int) to define a variable. The equivalent using classes would be something like

namespace Foo{
  class Bar{}   // type definition
  Bar the_bar;  // variable definition
}

The second definition isn't allowed, either, so classes and ints really behave the same: there are no global variables in C#.

score 4 · Accepted Answer · answered Jan 08 '11 at 10:57

4

There are no global variables in .NET. I guess that's the idea.

answered Jan 08 '11 at 10:57

Uwe Keim

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score 3 · Answer 3 · answered Jan 08 '11 at 11:02

3

"int" is a type. right? Just like "class". I know that there are differences between them but there are both Data Types.

int is a data type. class is a keyword. The syntax you are using declares a variable inside a namespace, and that is not allowed.

answered Jan 08 '11 at 11:02

ta.speot.is

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.net: Why It's not legal having int inside a namespace?

3 Answers3