➕ C# Operator Overloading – Customize Operators for Your Own Types

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🧲 Introduction – Why Use Operator Overloading in C#?

C# allows developers to redefine how standard operators like +, -, ==, and others behave when used with user-defined types. This feature, known as operator overloading, improves code readability and makes custom types feel natural to use — just like built-in types.

🎯 In this guide, you’ll learn:

• What operator overloading is and how it works
• Which operators can be overloaded in C#
• How to implement custom logic using operator methods
• Best practices and examples

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🔍 Core Concept – What Is Operator Overloading?

Operator overloading enables you to change the implementation of existing operators for a class or struct. For example, you can use + to add two Point objects or == to compare two Money objects.

🔹 Syntax:

public static ReturnType operator Symbol(Type a, Type b)
{
    // custom logic
}

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💻 Code Example – Overloading the + Operator

public class Point
{
    public int X, Y;

    public Point(int x, int y)
    {
        X = x;
        Y = y;
    }

    public static Point operator +(Point a, Point b)
    {
        return new Point(a.X + b.X, a.Y + b.Y);
    }
}

📤 Usage:

Point p1 = new Point(2, 3);
Point p2 = new Point(4, 5);
Point result = p1 + p2;

Console.WriteLine($"Result: ({result.X}, {result.Y})");
// Output: Result: (6, 8)

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🔣 Commonly Overloaded Operators

Operator	Description	Example Usage
+, -	Add / subtract objects	a + b, a - b
*, /	Multiply / divide	a * b, a / b
==, !=	Equality comparison	a == b, a != b
>, <, >=, <=	Comparisons	a > b, a <= b
!, ~	Unary operations	!a, ~a
true, false	Boolean context	if (obj)

🧠 Note: If you overload ==, you should also overload !=.

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🧩 Full Example – Overloading Equality Operators

public class Money
{
    public int Amount;

    public Money(int amt)
    {
        Amount = amt;
    }

    public static bool operator ==(Money m1, Money m2)
    {
        return m1.Amount == m2.Amount;
    }

    public static bool operator !=(Money m1, Money m2)
    {
        return !(m1 == m2);
    }

    // Required to avoid compiler warning
    public override bool Equals(object obj) => base.Equals(obj);
    public override int GetHashCode() => base.GetHashCode();
}

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💡 Tips, Pitfalls & Best Practices

💡 Tip: Use operator overloading to make custom types intuitive and consistent with built-in types.

⚠️ Pitfall: Always override Equals() and GetHashCode() when overloading == and !=.

📘 Best Practice: Only overload operators when it makes logical and semantic sense.

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🚫 Operators That Cannot Be Overloaded

• Assignment =
• Conditional &&, ||
• Ternary ?:
• Null coalescing ??
• Member access .

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📌 Summary – Recap & Next Steps

Operator overloading brings clarity and expressiveness to your custom types. When used wisely, it allows developers to write code that is both intuitive and powerful.

🔍 Key Takeaways:

• Overload operators to redefine behavior for custom types
• Use static methods with the operator keyword
• Always overload paired operators (== and !=, etc.)
• Avoid overloading if it adds confusion

⚙️ You’ve now covered all C# operator types! Up next: move into C# control flow or class-based programming.

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❓ FAQ – C# Operator Overloading

❓ Can I overload the = operator in C#?
❌ No. Assignment operator = cannot be overloaded.

❓ Do I need to overload both == and !=?
✅ Yes. If you overload one, the other must be overloaded for consistency.

❓ Can I overload operators in structs?
✅ Yes. Structs support operator overloading just like classes.

❓ Is operator overloading supported in interfaces?
❌ No. Interfaces cannot contain operator overloads.

❓ Should I always override Equals() and GetHashCode()?
✅ Yes, especially when overloading equality operators like ==.

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