In C#, the #ifdef
directive is not available like it is in C or C++. C# does not provide a preprocessor for conditional compilation based on preprocessor directives.
In C and C++, #ifdef
is used to conditionally compile sections of code based on the defined or undefined state of a preprocessor symbol. For example:
#define DEBUG #ifdef DEBUG Console.WriteLine("Debug mode is enabled"); #else Console.WriteLine("Debug mode is disabled"); #endif
However, in C#, conditional compilation is achieved using conditional attributes such as Conditional
and ConditionalAttribute
. These attributes allow methods or entire classes to be conditionally compiled based on the presence or absence of specific symbols.
Here’s an example:
#define DEBUG using System.Diagnostics; public class Program { [Conditional("DEBUG")] public static void DebugMethod() { Console.WriteLine("Debug mode is enabled"); } public static void Main(string[] args) { DebugMethod(); } }
In this example, the [Conditional("DEBUG")]
attribute specifies that the DebugMethod
should only be included in the compiled code if the symbol DEBUG
is defined. If DEBUG
is not defined, the method call will be completely omitted during compilation.
It’s important to note that the Conditional
attribute does not provide the same level of flexibility as the preprocessor directives in C or C++. It can only be used to conditionally include or exclude entire methods or classes, and not individual code blocks within a method.