Difference Between Initialization And Instantiation In C#

In this article, we will discuss the difference between Initialization and Instantiation in C#. But before discussing the differences, we must know about the Initialization and Instantiation in C# with their syntax and examples.

What is the Initialization?

In C#, initialization is a process in which the developer assigns initial values to variables. Whenever a programmer wants to use some variables, they must be initialized with some initial values.

Syntax for the initialization:

It has the following syntax:

Example


int variable1 = 100;
String variable2 = "Hello, World";

Some common methods for initialization:

Several common method for initializations are as follows:

✅ Constructor Initialization

Example


DateTime currentDate = new DateTime(2024, 3, 19);

✅ Object Initialization

Example


Person person = new Person { Name = "Ramu", Age = 30 };

✅ Collection Initialization

Example


Dictionary<string, int> dictionary = new Dictionary<string, int> { { "One", 1 }, { "Two", 2 } };

✅ Array Initialization

Example


int[] array = new int[] { 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 };

What is the Instantiation?

In C#, instantiation is a process of creating an object or instance of a class in the program. Here, we allocate the memory to objects and we initialize the members of the created object. The newly created object can access to all members and member functions in the class, such as methods, operators, and fields etc.

Syntax for the instantiation:

It has the following syntax:

Example


objectName = new className(parameters);

Some common methods of Instantiation:

Several common method for instantiation are as follows:

✅ Using new keyword

Example


MyClass obj = new MyClass();

✅ Using clone or copy constructors

Example


MyClass original = new MyClass(10);
MyClass clone = (MyClass)original.Clone();

✅ Using Reflection

Example


Type type = typeof(MyClass);
MyClass obj = (MyClass)Activator.CreateInstance(type);

Example:

Let us take a C# program to illustrate both Initialization and Instantiation .

Example


using System;
class Car {
    public string Make { get; set; }
    public string Model { get; set; }
    public int Year { get; set; }
    // Constructor for initialization
    public Car(string make, string model, int year) {
        Make = make;
        Model = model;
        Year = year;
    }
    public void DisplayDetails() {
        Console.WriteLine("Car Details:");
        Console.WriteLine("Make: " + Make);
        Console.WriteLine("Model: " + Model);
        Console.WriteLine("Year: " + Year);
    }
}
class Program {
    static void Main() {
        // Instantiating Car object and initializing its properties
        Car myCar = new Car("Toyota", "Corolla", 2020);
        // Display car details
        myCar.DisplayDetails();
    }
}

Output:

Explanation:

In the above program, there are two classes: Main and Car . In the Car class, three variables are two strings and one integer. They are initialized in the constructor. This class also contains one display method for displaying the variables in that class. In the Main class, an object is created and initialized with some values to the variables. Here, the creation of the object is used instantiation. After that, with the help of the object, the DisplayDetails method is accessed to print all the members in the class.