BindSharp 1.3.0

BindSharp

A lightweight, powerful functional programming library for .NET that makes error handling elegant and composable. Say goodbye to messy try-catch blocks and hello to Railway-Oriented Programming! 🚂

Why BindSharp?

Traditional error handling is messy:

try {
    var data = await FetchDataAsync();
    var validated = ValidateData(data);
    var transformed = TransformData(validated);
    return await SaveAsync(transformed);
}
catch (Exception ex) {
    // What failed? Where? How do we recover?
    return null; // 😢
}

With BindSharp, it's clean and composable:

return await FetchDataAsync()
    .BindAsync(ValidateDataAsync)
    .MapAsync(TransformData)
    .BindAsync(SaveAsync)
    .MatchAsync(
        success => $"Saved: {success}",
        error => $"Failed: {error}"
    );

✨ What's New in 1.3.0

Equality & Implicit Conversions - Write cleaner, more maintainable code:

• ✅ Equality Support - Results can now be compared and used in collections!
• ✨ Implicit Conversions - Return values directly without wrapping (40-50% less code!)
• 🐛 Better Debugging - ToString() override shows "Success(value)" or "Failure(error)"

Before:

public Result<int, string> Divide(int a, int b)
{
    if (b == 0) 
        return Result<int, string>.Failure("Division by zero");
    
    return Result<int, string>.Success(a / b);
}

After:

public Result<int, string> Divide(int a, int b)
{
    if (b == 0) return "Division by zero";  // ✨ Implicit!
    return a / b;  // ✨ Implicit!
}

See the Implicit Conversions and Equality Support sections below!

⚠️ CRITICAL: Read the implicit conversions warning to avoid ambiguity issues.

Previous Releases:

• Version 1.2.0 added the Unit Type for functional result handling
• Version 1.1.0 added ResultExtensions with exception handling, validation, and more

Features

✅ Result<T, TError> - Explicit success/failure handling
✅ Equality Support - Compare Results, use in collections
✨ Implicit Conversions - Clean, concise syntax
✅ Unit Type - Represent "no value" in functional pipelines
✅ Railway-Oriented Programming - Chain operations that can fail
✅ Full Async/Await Support - Game-changing async composition
✅ Exception Handling - Convert try/catch into functional Results
✅ Validation Pipelines - Business rule checking without breaking flow
✅ Side Effects - Tap into pipelines for logging and metrics
✅ Resource Management - Guaranteed disposal with functional style
✅ Type-Safe - Compiler catches your mistakes
✅ Lightweight - Zero dependencies
✅ Compatible - Works with .NET Framework 4.6.1+ and all modern .NET

Installation

dotnet add package BindSharp

Quick Start

Basic Success and Failure

using BindSharp;

// Create results - explicit style
var success = Result<int, string>.Success(42);
var failure = Result<int, string>.Failure("Something went wrong");

// Or use implicit conversions (new in 1.3.0!)
Result<int, string> success2 = 42;  // ✨ Implicit!
Result<int, string> failure2 = "Error occurred";  // ✨ Implicit!

// Check the result
if (success.IsSuccess)
    Console.WriteLine(success.Value); // 42

if (failure.IsFailure)
    Console.WriteLine(failure.Error); // "Something went wrong"

// Compare results (new in 1.3.0!)
if (success == success2)  // ✅ TRUE!
    Console.WriteLine("Results are equal!");

Equality Support

New in 1.3.0! Results now implement IEquatable<Result<T, TError>> for proper value equality:

var r1 = Result<int, string>.Success(42);
var r2 = Result<int, string>.Success(42);

// Equality comparison works!
Console.WriteLine(r1 == r2);  // TRUE ✅
Console.WriteLine(r1.Equals(r2));  // TRUE ✅

// Works in collections
var set = new HashSet<Result<int, string>>();
set.Add(Result<int, string>.Success(1));
set.Add(Result<int, string>.Success(1));  // Not added (duplicate)
Console.WriteLine(set.Count);  // 1 ✅

// Use as dictionary keys
var cache = new Dictionary<Result<int, string>, string>();
cache[Result<int, string>.Success(1)] = "one";

// Better debugging
Console.WriteLine(r1);  // "Success(42)"
Console.WriteLine(failure);  // "Failure(Something went wrong)"

In Tests

[Fact]
public void Divide_ReturnsCorrectResult()
{
    var result = Calculator.Divide(10, 2);
    var expected = Result<int, string>.Success(5);
    
    Assert.Equal(expected, result);  // ✅ Now works!
}

Implicit Conversions - Cleaner Syntax

New in 1.3.0! Return values and errors directly without wrapping them:

Simple Example

// Before: Verbose
public Result<int, string> ParseAge(string input)
{
    if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(input))
        return Result<int, string>.Failure("Age is required");
    
    if (!int.TryParse(input, out int age))
        return Result<int, string>.Failure("Must be a number");
    
    if (age < 0 || age > 150)
        return Result<int, string>.Failure("Invalid age");
    
    return Result<int, string>.Success(age);
}

// After: Clean! (53% less code)
public Result<int, string> ParseAge(string input)
{
    if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(input)) return "Age is required";
    if (!int.TryParse(input, out int age)) return "Must be a number";
    if (age < 0 || age > 150) return "Invalid age";
    
    return age;  // ✨ So clean!
}

Switch Expressions

public Result<decimal, string> GetDiscount(string code)
{
    return code.ToUpper() switch
    {
        "SAVE10" => 0.10m,  // ✨ Implicit Success
        "SAVE20" => 0.20m,  // ✨ Implicit Success
        "SAVE50" => 0.50m,  // ✨ Implicit Success
        _ => "Invalid coupon code"  // ✨ Implicit Failure
    };
}

Async Operations

public async Task<Result<User, string>> GetUserAsync(int id)
{
    if (id < 0) return "Invalid ID";  // ✨ Clean!
    
    var user = await _db.FindUserAsync(id);
    if (user == null) return "User not found";  // ✨ Clean!
    
    return user;  // ✨ Clean!
}

Real-World Example

public Result<User, string> CreateUser(CreateUserRequest request)
{
    if (request == null) return "Request is null";
    if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(request.Email)) return "Email is required";
    if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(request.Password)) return "Password is required";
    if (request.Password.Length < 8) return "Password too short";
    
    return new User(request);  // ✨ 53% less code than before!
}

⚠️ CRITICAL: Implicit Conversions Warning

NEVER use the same type for both T and TError - this creates ambiguity:

// ❌ NEVER DO THIS - Ambiguous!
public Result<string, string> GetValue()
{
    return "value";  // Is this Success or Failure? Compiler can't tell!
}

// ✅ ALWAYS DO THIS - Clear!
public Result<int, string> GetValue()
{
    if (error) return "Error message";  // Clear: string = Failure
    return 42;  // Clear: int = Success
}

// ✅ OR USE CUSTOM ERROR TYPE - Even Better!
public record ErrorInfo(string Message);

public Result<string, ErrorInfo> GetValue()
{
    if (error) return new ErrorInfo("Error");  // Clear: ErrorInfo = Failure
    return "Success value";  // Clear: string = Success
}

Best Practice: Define custom error types for your domain:

public record ValidationError(string Field, string Message);
public record NotFoundError(string EntityType, string Id);
public record UnauthorizedError(string Reason);

public Result<User, ValidationError> ValidateUser(UserInput input);
public Result<Order, NotFoundError> GetOrder(string orderId);
public Result<Resource, UnauthorizedError> AccessResource(string userId);

This approach:

• ✅ Eliminates ambiguity completely
• ✅ Makes errors type-safe
• ✅ Enables better error handling
• ✅ Improves code documentation

Unit Type - Representing "No Value"

Many operations succeed but don't produce a meaningful value. The Unit type lets you maintain consistent Result<T, TError> signatures in these cases:

The Problem

// ❌ Without Unit: inconsistent return types
public async Task DeleteUserAsync(int id);      // void? Task? bool?
public bool UpdateSettings(Settings s);         // What does 'true' mean?
public int InsertRecord(Record r);              // Returning affected rows... but do we care?

// These can't be composed in Result chains

The Solution

// ✅ With Unit: consistent Result<Unit, TError> signatures everywhere
public Task<Result<Unit, string>> DeleteUserAsync(int id) =>
    ResultExtensions.TryAsync(
        operation: async () => {
            await _repository.DeleteAsync(id);
            return Unit.Value;  // T = Unit (success, no value)
        },
        errorFactory: ex => $"Delete failed: {ex.Message}"
    );

Real-World Example: CRUD Operations Chain

// Every operation returns Result<Unit, string> for perfect composition
public async Task<Result<Unit, string>> CreateUserWorkflowAsync(CreateUserRequest request)
{
    return await ValidateRequest(request)                    // Result<CreateUserRequest, string>
        .BindAsync(r => InsertUserAsync(r))                  // Result<Unit, string>
        .TapAsync(_ => SendWelcomeEmailAsync(r.Email))       // Result<Unit, string> (unchanged)
        .BindAsync(_ => InitializePreferencesAsync(r.UserId)) // Result<Unit, string>
        .TapAsync(_ => _logger.LogInfo("User workflow completed"));
    
    // Clean chain - consistent Result<Unit, string> throughout
}

private async Task<Result<Unit, string>> InsertUserAsync(CreateUserRequest request) =>
    await ResultExtensions.TryAsync(
        operation: async () => {
            await _database.ExecuteAsync("INSERT INTO Users ...", request);
            return Unit.Value;  // ✨ Implicit conversion works here too!
        },
        errorFactory: ex => $"Database error: {ex.Message}"
    );

When to Use Unit

✅ Database operations - Inserts, updates, deletes that return void or row counts you don't need
✅ Notifications - Sending emails, SMS, push notifications
✅ Validation - Checks that produce no output, only pass/fail
✅ Side effects - Logging, caching, metrics wrapped in Results
✅ Void replacements - Any operation where success matters, not the return value

Performance

Unit.Value is a singleton with zero memory footprint. There's no performance cost to using it - perfect for high-throughput functional pipelines!

Core Operations

Map - Transform Success Values

Transform a value when the result is successful:

Result<int, string> GetAge() => 25;  // ✨ Implicit conversion!

var result = GetAge()
    .Map(age => age * 2)  // 50
    .Map(age => $"Age in months: {age * 12}");  // "Age in months: 600"

// If GetAge() returned a failure, Map would skip and propagate the error

Real-world example - API response transformation:

public Result<UserDto, string> GetUser(int id)
{
    var userResult = _database.FindUser(id); // Returns Result<User, string>
    
    return userResult.Map(user => new UserDto
    {
        Id = user.Id,
        FullName = $"{user.FirstName} {user.LastName}",
        Email = user.Email
    });
}

Bind - Chain Operations That Can Fail

Chain multiple operations where each can fail:

Result<string, string> ValidateEmail(string email) =>
    email.Contains("@")
        ? email  // ✨ Implicit Success!
        : "Invalid email";  // ✨ Implicit Failure!

Result<string, string> SendEmail(string email) =>
    /* send email logic */
    $"Sent to {email}";  // ✨ Implicit Success!

var result = ValidateEmail("user@example.com")
    .Bind(SendEmail);  // Only runs if validation succeeds

Real-world example - User registration flow:

public Result<User, string> RegisterUser(string email, string password)
{
    return ValidateEmail(email)
        .Bind(validEmail => ValidatePassword(password)
            .Map(_ => validEmail))  // Keep the email, discard password validation result
        .Bind(validEmail => CreateUser(validEmail, password))
        .Bind(user => SendWelcomeEmail(user));
}

// Each step only runs if the previous succeeded!
// First failure stops the chain and returns the error

Match - Handle Both Cases

Extract a value by handling both success and failure:

var result = DivideNumbers(10, 2);

var message = result.Match(
    success => $"Result: {success}",
    error => $"Error: {error}"
);

Console.WriteLine(message); // "Result: 5" or "Error: Division by zero"

Real-world example - API response:

public IActionResult GetProduct(int id)
{
    var result = _productService.FindProduct(id);
    
    return result.Match(
        product => Ok(product),           // 200 OK with product
        error => NotFound(new { error })  // 404 Not Found with error message
    );
}

MapError - Transform Error Values

Change the error type while preserving success:

Result<int, string> result = "404";  // ✨ Implicit Failure!

var transformed = result.MapError(errorCode => new 
{
    Code = int.Parse(errorCode),
    Message = "Resource not found"
});
// Result<int, { Code, Message }>

Real-world example - Error localization:

public Result<Order, LocalizedError> GetOrder(int id)
{
    return _orderRepository.FindOrder(id)  // Returns Result<Order, string>
        .MapError(errorCode => new LocalizedError
        {
            Code = errorCode,
            Message = _localizer.GetString(errorCode),
            Timestamp = DateTime.UtcNow
        });
}

🚀 Async Support - The Game Changer!

This is where BindSharp really shines! Handle async operations with the same elegant composition.

MapAsync - Async Transformations

Three overloads for every scenario:

// 1. Task<Result> + sync function
Task<Result<int, string>> asyncResult = GetUserIdAsync();
var user = await asyncResult.MapAsync(id => GetUserFromCache(id));

// 2. Result + async function
Result<int, string> userId = 42;  // ✨ Implicit!
var user = await userId.MapAsync(async id => await FetchUserAsync(id));

// 3. Task<Result> + async function (most common!)
Task<Result<int, string>> asyncResult = GetUserIdAsync();
var user = await asyncResult.MapAsync(async id => await FetchUserAsync(id));

Real-world example - API call chain:

public async Task<Result<OrderSummary, string>> GetOrderSummaryAsync(int orderId)
{
    return await FetchOrderAsync(orderId)
        .MapAsync(async order => await EnrichWithCustomerDataAsync(order))
        .MapAsync(async order => await CalculateTotalsAsync(order))
        .MapAsync(order => new OrderSummary(order));
    
    // Clean, readable, and each step only runs if previous succeeded!
}

BindAsync - Chain Async Operations

public async Task<Result<Receipt, string>> ProcessPaymentAsync(PaymentRequest request)
{
    return await ValidatePaymentRequest(request)  // Result<PaymentRequest, string>
        .BindAsync(async req => await ChargeCardAsync(req))  // Task<Result<Transaction, string>>
        .BindAsync(async tx => await SaveTransactionAsync(tx))  // Task<Result<Transaction, string>>
        .MapAsync(async tx => await GenerateReceiptAsync(tx));  // Task<Result<Receipt, string>>
}

// Beautiful async composition! No nested try-catch, no ugly error handling.

Real-world example - Multi-step async workflow:

public async Task<Result<ShipmentConfirmation, string>> FulfillOrderAsync(int orderId)
{
    return await GetOrderAsync(orderId)
        .BindAsync(async order => await ValidateInventoryAsync(order))
        .BindAsync(async order => await ReserveItemsAsync(order))
        .BindAsync(async order => await CreateShipmentAsync(order))
        .BindAsync(async shipment => await NotifyCustomerAsync(shipment))
        .MapAsync(shipment => new ShipmentConfirmation(shipment));
    
    // Each async operation runs in sequence
    // First failure stops the chain immediately
    // Error is automatically propagated
}

MatchAsync - Async Result Handling

Handle async results with async handlers:

var result = await FetchDataAsync();

var output = await result.MatchAsync(
    async data => await ProcessSuccessAsync(data),
    async error => await LogErrorAsync(error)
);

Real-world example - Complete async flow:

public async Task<IActionResult> CreateUserAsync(CreateUserRequest request)
{
    var result = await ValidateUserRequest(request)
        .BindAsync(async req => await CheckEmailAvailabilityAsync(req))
        .BindAsync(async req => await CreateUserAccountAsync(req))
        .BindAsync(async user => await SendVerificationEmailAsync(user));
    
    return await result.MatchAsync(
        async user => {
            await _auditLog.LogUserCreatedAsync(user);
            return Created($"/users/{user.Id}", user);
        },
        async error => {
            await _auditLog.LogErrorAsync(error);
            return BadRequest(new { error });
        }
    );
}

ResultExtensions - Utilities for the Real World

BindSharp 1.1.0 adds ResultExtensions - practical utilities that handle common real-world scenarios beyond pure functional operations.

Try / TryAsync - Exception Handling

Convert exception-based code into Results:

// Synchronous
var result = ResultExtensions.Try(
    () => int.Parse(userInput),
    ex => $"Invalid number: {ex.Message}"
);

// Asynchronous
var data = await ResultExtensions.TryAsync(
    async () => await httpClient.GetStringAsync(url),
    ex => $"HTTP request failed: {ex.Message}"
);

Real-world example - API integration:

public async Task<Result<WeatherData, string>> GetWeatherAsync(string city)
{
    return await ResultExtensions.TryAsync(
            async () => await _weatherApi.GetWeatherAsync(city),
            ex => $"Failed to fetch weather for {city}: {ex.Message}"
        )
        .BindAsync(json => ResultExtensions.Try(
            () => JsonSerializer.Deserialize<WeatherData>(json),
            ex => $"Invalid weather data format: {ex.Message}"
        ))
        .EnsureNotNullAsync("Weather data was null")
        .TapAsync(async weather => await _cache.SetAsync(city, weather));
}

Use custom error types:

public record ApiError(string Code, string Message, Exception? InnerException);

var result = ResultExtensions.Try(
    () => ProcessData(input),
    ex => new ApiError("PROCESS_FAILED", "Data processing failed", ex)
);
// Result<Data, ApiError>

Ensure / EnsureAsync - Validation

Add validation checks without breaking your pipeline:

var result = GetUserAge()
    .Ensure(age => age >= 18, "Must be 18 or older")
    .Ensure(age => age <= 120, "Invalid age")
    .Map(age => new User(age));

Real-world example - Business rule validation:

public Result<Order, string> ValidateOrder(OrderRequest request)
{
    return request.ToResult("Order request is required")
        .Ensure(r => r.Items.Any(), "Order must contain at least one item")
        .Ensure(r => r.Items.All(i => i.Quantity > 0), "All quantities must be positive")
        .Ensure(r => r.Total > 0, "Order total must be greater than zero")
        .Ensure(r => !string.IsNullOrEmpty(r.CustomerId), "Customer ID is required")
        .Map(r => new Order(r));
}

Async validation:

public async Task<Result<Account, string>> CreateAccountAsync(string email)
{
    return await ValidateEmail(email)
        .EnsureAsync(e => !await _db.EmailExistsAsync(e), "Email already registered")
        .BindAsync(async e => await CreateAccountRecordAsync(e));
}

EnsureNotNull - Null Safety

Convert nullable checks into Results:

Result<User?, string> maybeUser = FindUser(id);
Result<User, string> user = maybeUser.EnsureNotNull("User not found");

// Or in a pipeline
var result = await GetUserFromCacheAsync(id)
    .EnsureNotNullAsync("User not in cache")
    .TapAsync(async u => await LogCacheHitAsync(u))
    .MapAsync(u => u.ToDto());

ToResult - Nullable Conversion

Convert nullable values to Results:

string? cached = _cache.Get("key");
var result = cached.ToResult("Value not found in cache");

// In a pipeline
var processed = _cache.Get("user:42")
    .ToResult("User not cached")
    .Bind(json => DeserializeUser(json))
    .Map(user => ProcessUser(user));

Real-world example:

public Result<Product, string> GetProductFromSession(HttpContext context)
{
    return context.Session.GetString("current_product")
        .ToResult("No product in session")
        .Bind(json => ResultExtensions.Try(
            () => JsonSerializer.Deserialize<Product>(json),
            ex => "Invalid product data in session"
        ))
        .EnsureNotNull("Product was null")
        .Ensure(p => !p.IsDeleted, "Product has been deleted");
}

Tap / TapAsync - Side Effects

Execute side effects (logging, metrics, notifications) without modifying the Result:

var result = await ProcessOrderAsync(order)
    .TapAsync(async o => await _logger.LogInfoAsync($"Order {o.Id} processed"))
    .TapAsync(async o => await _metrics.IncrementAsync("orders.processed"))
    .TapAsync(async o => await _notifications.NotifyAsync(o.CustomerId))
    .MapAsync(o => o.ToDto());

// The Result flows through unchanged, but side effects are executed on success

Real-world example - Audit logging:

public async Task<Result<User, string>> UpdateUserAsync(int id, UpdateUserRequest request)
{
    return await GetUserAsync(id)
        .Tap(user => _auditLog.LogAccess(user.Id, "Update attempted"))
        .BindAsync(user => ValidateUpdateAsync(user, request))
        .BindAsync(async user => await ApplyChangesAsync(user, request))
        .TapAsync(async user => await _auditLog.LogSuccessAsync(user.Id, "Updated"))
        .TapAsync(async user => await _cache.InvalidateAsync($"user:{user.Id}"))
        .BindAsync(async user => await SaveChangesAsync(user));
}

Using / UsingAsync - Resource Management

Safe resource management with guaranteed disposal (the "bracket" pattern):

var data = OpenFile("data.txt")
    .Using(stream => ReadAllData(stream));
// stream is automatically disposed, even if ReadAllData fails

// Async version
var data = await OpenDatabaseConnectionAsync()
    .UsingAsync(async connection =>
        await QueryDataAsync(connection)
            .BindAsync(async data => await ValidateDataAsync(data))
            .MapAsync(data => TransformData(data))
    );
// connection is automatically disposed

Real-world example - Database transaction:

public async Task<Result<Order, string>> CreateOrderWithTransactionAsync(CreateOrderRequest request)
{
    return await ResultExtensions.TryAsync(
            async () => await _dbContext.Database.BeginTransactionAsync(),
            ex => $"Failed to begin transaction: {ex.Message}"
        )
        .UsingAsync(async transaction =>
            await ValidateOrderRequest(request)
                .BindAsync(async req => await CreateOrderEntityAsync(req))
                .TapAsync(async order => await UpdateInventoryAsync(order))
                .TapAsync(async order => await CreateOrderHistoryAsync(order))
                .BindAsync(async order => {
                    await transaction.CommitAsync();
                    return order;  // ✨ Implicit Success!
                })
                .MapErrorAsync(async error => {
                    await transaction.RollbackAsync();
                    return error;
                })
        );
    // transaction is automatically disposed
}

AsTask - Sync to Async Conversion

Convert synchronous Results to Task-wrapped Results:

Result<int, string> syncResult = Validate(value);
Task<Result<int, string>> asyncResult = syncResult.AsTask();

// Useful for matching method signatures
public Task<Result<User, string>> GetUserAsync(int id)
{
    // Fast path: check cache
    var cached = _cache.Get<User>(id);
    if (cached != null)
        return cached.AsTask();  // ✨ Implicit conversion + AsTask!
    
    // Slow path: fetch from database
    return FetchUserFromDatabaseAsync(id);
}

Complete Real-World Example

Here's how everything comes together with all the new 1.3.0 features:

public class OrderService
{
    public async Task<Result<OrderConfirmation, OrderError>> PlaceOrderAsync(Cart cart)
    {
        return await cart.ToResult(OrderError.InvalidCart("Cart is null"))
            // Validation
            .Ensure(c => c.Items.Any(), OrderError.EmptyCart())
            .Ensure(c => c.CustomerId != null, OrderError.MissingCustomer())
            
            // Exception handling
            .BindAsync(async c => await ResultExtensions.TryAsync(
                async () => await _inventory.CheckStockAsync(c.Items),
                ex => OrderError.InventoryError(ex.Message)
            ))
            
            // Business logic with logging
            .TapAsync(async c => await _logger.LogInfoAsync($"Processing cart {c.Id}"))
            .BindAsync(async c => await CalculatePriceAsync(c))
            .TapAsync(async c => await _metrics.IncrementAsync("orders.pricing.completed"))
            
            // Payment with resource management
            .BindAsync(async order => await ProcessPaymentWithTransactionAsync(order))
            .TapAsync(async order => await _logger.LogInfoAsync($"Payment processed for order {order.Id}"))
            
            // Finalization
            .BindAsync(async order => await CreateOrderRecordAsync(order))
            .BindAsync(async order => await ReserveInventoryAsync(order))
            
            // Notifications
            .TapAsync(async order => await _emailService.SendConfirmationAsync(order))
            .TapAsync(async order => await _sms.SendNotificationAsync(order.CustomerId))
            
            // Transform and audit (with implicit conversions!)
            .MapAsync(order => new OrderConfirmation(order))
            .TapAsync(async conf => await _auditLog.LogOrderCreatedAsync(conf));
    }
    
    private async Task<Result<Order, OrderError>> ProcessPaymentWithTransactionAsync(Order order)
    {
        return await ResultExtensions.TryAsync(
                async () => await _paymentGateway.BeginTransactionAsync(),
                ex => OrderError.PaymentError($"Transaction failed: {ex.Message}")
            )
            .UsingAsync(async transaction =>
                await ChargeCustomerAsync(order)
                    .TapAsync(async charge => await transaction.CommitAsync())
                    .MapErrorAsync(async error => {
                        await transaction.RollbackAsync();
                        return error;
                    })
            );
    }
}

Tips & Best Practices

General

1. Use descriptive error types - Result<User, UserError> is better than Result<User, string>
2. Keep operations small - Each function should do one thing
3. Use Bind for chaining - When next operation depends on previous result
4. Use Map for transforming - When just changing the value
5. Match at boundaries - Convert Result to concrete types at API/UI boundaries
6. Async all the way - If any operation is async, make the whole chain async

Implicit Conversions (NEW in 1.3.0)

7. Use different types for T and TError - NEVER use Result<string, string>
8. Define custom error types - Makes code clearer and type-safer
9. Mix styles freely - Implicit and explicit can coexist
10. Use for guard clauses - Perfect for early returns

ResultExtensions

11. Use Try for exception-based APIs - Convert legacy code to Results
12. Use Ensure for business rules - Keep validation in the pipeline
13. Use Tap for side effects - Logging, metrics, notifications
14. Use Using for resources - Database connections, file streams, transactions
15. Use ToResult for nullables - Convert optional values to Results

Error Handling Strategy

// ✅ Good: Specific error types
public record OrderError(string Code, string Message);

// ✅ Good: Enables implicit conversions without ambiguity
public Result<Order, OrderError> CreateOrder(OrderRequest request)
{
    if (request.Items.Count == 0)
        return new OrderError("EMPTY_CART", "Cart is empty");  // ✨ Implicit!
    
    return new Order(request);  // ✨ Implicit!
}

// ❌ Avoid: Same type for T and TError (ambiguous with implicit conversions!)
public Result<string, string> GetValue() { ... }  // DON'T DO THIS!

Why Async Support is a Game-Changer

Traditional async error handling gets messy fast:

// 😢 The old way
try {
    var user = await GetUserAsync(id);
    try {
        var orders = await GetOrdersAsync(user.Id);
        try {
            var enriched = await EnrichOrdersAsync(orders);
            return await FormatResponseAsync(enriched);
        } catch (Exception ex3) { /* handle */ }
    } catch (Exception ex2) { /* handle */ }
} catch (Exception ex1) { /* handle */ }

With BindSharp:

// 😊 The new way
return await GetUserAsync(id)
    .BindAsync(user => GetOrdersAsync(user.Id))
    .BindAsync(orders => EnrichOrdersAsync(orders))
    .MapAsync(enriched => FormatResponseAsync(enriched))
    .MatchAsync(
        success => Ok(success),
        error => BadRequest(error)
    );

Clean. Composable. Elegant. Powerful. 🚀

API Reference

Core Types

• Result<T, TError> - Result type with Success/Failure states
• Unit - Represents "no value" (use Unit.Value)

FunctionalResult (Core Operations)

• Map<T1, T2, TError> - Transform success value
• Bind<T1, T2, TError> - Chain operations that can fail
• MapError<T, TError, TNewError> - Transform error value
• Match<T, TError, TResult> - Handle both success and failure

AsyncFunctionalResult (Async Core)

• MapAsync<T1, T2, TError> - Async transformations (3 overloads)
• BindAsync<T1, T2, TError> - Async chaining (3 overloads)
• MapErrorAsync<T, TError, TNewError> - Async error transformation (3 overloads)
• MatchAsync<T, TError, TResult> - Async result handling (7 overloads)

ResultExtensions (Utilities)

• Try<T, TError> / TryAsync<T, TError> - Exception handling
• Ensure<T, TError> / EnsureAsync<T, TError> - Validation
• EnsureNotNull<T, TError> / EnsureNotNullAsync<T, TError> - Null safety
• ToResult<T, TError> - Convert nullable to Result
• Tap<T, TError> / TapAsync<T, TError> - Side effects (3 overloads)
• Using<TResource, TResult, TError> / UsingAsync - Resource management
• AsTask<T, TError> - Convert Result to Task

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to Zoran Horvat from the YouTube channel "Zoran on C#" for his excellent tutorials on functional programming in C#. His teaching on Railway-Oriented Programming and Result patterns made this library possible.

If you want to learn advanced C# techniques and functional programming concepts, check out his channel - he deserves way more views! We can all learn a thing or two from him. 🙏

License

LGPL-3.0-or-later

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Feel free to open issues or submit pull requests.

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