Numeric types (int, uint, short and ushort) have specific max values. These are constants—they never change. But we do not need to memorize them to use them.
Values. Microsoft states that MaxValue is a "public const int". With a bit of exploration, I found this information about the MaxValue and MinValue constants.
Fields: The fields are constant values and can be accessed anywhere with the composite name.
Tip: By using these constants, you can avoid typing out 10-digit numbers in your programs.
const Constant values:
short.MaxValue: 32767
short.MinValue: -32768
ushort.MaxValue: 65535
ushort.MinValue: 0
int.MaxValue: 2,147,483,647
int.MinValue: -2,147,483,648
uint.MaxValue: 4,294,967,295
uint.MinValue: 0
long.MaxValue: 9,223,372,036,854,775,807
long.MinValue: -9,223,372,036,854,775,808
Example. One problem I have dealt with is keeping track of the lowest number found. You can use int.MaxValue to start the value high, and then any lower number will be valid.
ForeachNote: When you start your variable at MaxValue, you will want to know the constraints in your program.
Important: If the MaxValue can occur, then you will need to be careful with the logic. But it would work correctly here.
C# program that uses int.MaxValue
using System;
class Program
{
static void Main()
{
int[] integerArray = new int[]
{
10000,
600,
1,
5,
7,
3,
1492
};
// This will track the lowest number found
int lowestFound = int.MaxValue;
foreach (int i in integerArray)
{
// By using int.MaxValue as the initial value,
// this check will usually succeed.
if (lowestFound > i)
{
lowestFound = i;
Console.WriteLine(lowestFound);
}
}
}
}
Output
10000
600
1
Min, max. We can access MinValue and MaxValue in the same way. Be careful not to assign an unsigned value to int.MinValue—it is a negative number.
C# program that uses MinValue and MaxValue
using System;
class Program
{
static void Main()
{
// Display min and max.
Console.WriteLine("MIN: " + int.MinValue);
Console.WriteLine("MAX: " + int.MaxValue);
}
}
Output
MIN: -2147483648
MAX: 2147483647
Constants. When you have other constants to define, declare them as "public const int ValueName". This has great performance, and is standard and clear. It works well with IntelliSense.
Also: Instead of using int.MaxValue and int.MinValue, consider nullable types, used with Nullable<int> or "int?".
Nullable
A summary. We saw values and examples for the max and min constants on number types in the C# language. I suggest that you avoid typing out numbers like -2,147,483,648 unless needed.