C# Keywords Tutorial Part 54: namespace

Popular object-oriented programming language C# is used a lot to create different apps. The “namespace” keyword is one of the essential components of C#. A namespace is a tool for organizing code and preventing naming conflicts between various software components. We will talk about the namespace keyword in C# and give code samples to show how to use it in this blog article.

What is a Namespace in C#?

A namespace in C# is a technique to collect similar code. It is a grouping of types such as classes, interfaces, structures, and others that serve the same function. A namespace is used to organize code and to offer a means of preventing naming conflicts between various software components.

The syntax for declaring a namespace in C# is as follows:

namespace MyNamespace {
    // code goes here
}        

The namespace keyword is followed by the name of the namespace, which should be unique and descriptive. The code that belongs to a namespace is enclosed within the curly braces.

Code Examples

Let’s take a look at some code examples to illustrate the usage of the namespace keyword in C#.

Example 1: Creating a Simple Namespace

In this example, we will create a namespace called “MyNamespace” and define a class called “MyClass” within it.

namespace MyNamespace {
? ? public class MyClass {
? ? ? ? // class code goes here
? ? }
}        

In the above code, we have defined a namespace called “MyNamespace” and a class called “MyClass”. The class is enclosed within the curly braces of the namespace.

Example 2: Using a Namespace in Another File

In this example, we will create a new file called “Program.cs” and use the namespace “MyNamespace” in it.

using MyNamespace;


class Program {
? ? static void Main(string[] args) {
? ? ? ? MyClass obj = new MyClass();
? ? ? ? // use MyClass object here
? ? }
}        

In the above code, we have used the “using” keyword to include the “MyNamespace” namespace in the “Program.cs” file. We have also created an instance of the “MyClass” class and used it in the “Main” method.

Example 3: Nested Namespaces

In this example, we will create a namespace called “OuterNamespace” and a nested namespace called “InnerNamespace”.

namespace OuterNamespace {
? ? namespace InnerNamespace {
? ? ? ? public class InnerClass {
? ? ? ? ? ? // class code goes here
? ? ? ? }
? ? }
}        

In the above code, we have created a namespace called “OuterNamespace” and a nested namespace called “InnerNamespace”. The “InnerNamespace” namespace contains a class called “InnerClass”.