c# - How to to return a DataTable and an Integer from a method?

Question

What's the easiest way to return two variables from a method? I want to return a DataTable and an Integer.

Private SomeType someMethod()
{
   int x=0;
   Datatable y;
   //return x and y
}

Answer 1

Ultimately, "best" is subjective and depends on your scenario. We can present options, but "best" is local to you.

There are various ways of returning multiple values; out is very efficient, but not very flexible, and many people find it confusing (indeed, some would say it is an anti-pattern). But for example:

DataTable Foo(out int val) {
   ...
   val = something
   return dataTable;
}

Perhaps more convenient is to declare a return type that encapsulates the two values:

FooResult Foo() {
   ...
   return new FooResult { Table = dataTable, Value = val };
}

where FooResult is a class with 2 properties. This has the advantage that you can add more properties trivially, without changing the API.

Similarly, you could return a Tuple<DataTable,int> - but I advise against it as it expresses nothing about what each value represents. In a Tuple<string,int,string>, what is Item1 ? how is it different to Item3 ?