#37 – All Value Types Have a Default Constructor

All built-in value types in C# support a default (parameterless) constructor using the new keyword.  The default constructor allows you to instantiate an object such that it takes on a default value.

You’d normally instantiate one of the built-in types by giving  the associated variable a value.  But it’s also possible to use the new keyword to cause the variable to take on a default value.

 int i;          // Not instantiated yet
 int n1 = 12;    // Instanatiated, w/value of 12
 int n2 = new int();   // Instantiated, w/default value

The default values for the built-in value types are:

• bool type = false
• Numeric types (e.g. int, float) = 0 or 0.0
• char type = single empty character
• DateTime type = 1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM