0 LINQ

Language Integrated Query (LINQ) is a Microsoft project that adds a native querying syntax reminiscent of SQL to .NET Framework programming languages, initially to the Visual Basic .NET and C# languages. Many of the concepts that LINQ has introduced were originally trialled in Microsoft's Cω research project.

LINQ defines standard query operators that allow code written in LINQ-enabled languages to filter, enumerate, and create projections of several types of collections using the same syntax. Such collections may include arrays, enumerable classes, XML, datasets from relational databases, and third party data sources. The LINQ project uses features of version 2.0 of the .NET Framework, new LINQ-related assemblies, and extensions to the C# and Visual Basic .NET languages. Microsoft has distributed a preview release of LINQ, consisting of those libraries and compilers for C# 3.0 and Visual Basic 9. Other languages, such as F# and Nemerle, have also announced preliminary support.

Features

LINQ uses several new language features to expose query syntax natively to languages such as C#:

Anonymous types
Extension methods
Lambda expressions
Expression trees
Standard query operators