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// No boxing!

List myInts = new List();

myInts.Add(5);

// No unboxing!

int i = myInts[0];

}

Just to prove the point, the previous Main() method results in the following CIL code (note the

lack of any box or unbox opcodes):

.method private hidebysig static void Main(string[] args) cil managed

{

.entrypoint

.maxstack  2

.locals init ([0] class [mscorlib]System.Collections.Generic.'List`1'

myInts, [1] int32 i)

newobj instance void class

[mscorlib]System.Collections.Generic.'List`1'::.ctor()

stloc.0

ldloc.0

ldc.i4.5

callvirt instance void class [mscorlib]

System.Collections.Generic.'List`1'::Add(!0)

nop

ldloc.0

ldc.i4.0

callvirt instance !0 class [mscorlib]

System.Collections.Generic.'List`1'::get_Item(int32)

stloc.1

ret

}

In summary, generic containers provide the following benefits over their nongeneric counter-

parts:

• Generics provide better performance, as they do not result in boxing or unboxing penalties.

• Generics are more type safe, as they can only contain the “type of type” you specify.

• Generics greatly reduce the need to build custom collection types, as the base class library

provides several prefabricated containers.

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