Can C# 9.0 Outclass Python as a Scripting Language?

“Simplicity is the soul of efficiency.” — Austin Freeman

Python shines as a scripting or glue language, not to mention Python is simple, easy to learn, and that the Zen design philosophy adds to its awesomeness and readability.

Whereas C#, is often popular for its versatility, robustness, and safety, coupled with the fact that it is counted among the most evolving languages nowadays.

C# 9.0 was officially released on the 10-Nov-2020; thanks to its Top-level statements feature, it is now a much more scripting friendly language.

Both Python and C# are High-Level, Object-Oriented, and General-Purpose languages.

Given these points, what are the major differences between both languages?

Interpreted vs. Compiled:

Python is an Interpreted language, while C# is a compiled one, which can count in favor of Python since there is no compilation step; the edit-test-debug cycle can be shortened.

However, we will see how C# can be compiled and executed in one step, turning this advantage into a tie.

Dynamically Typed vs. Statically Typed:

Python is dynamically typed, which means that variables do not have a type, but values do; in other words, you can give a Python variable an integer value and then give it a string value.

C#, on the contrary, is a Statically Typed language; hence all variables must be declared to be of a specific type.

With this in mind, let us see some real-world usages compared in both languages.

Prerequisites:

SDK

Python:

Python recent SDK(v 3.0 and above).

C#:

.NET recent SDK (v 5.0 and above).

Both are simple to find, download, and install.

Code

Python:

Code can be written in any text editor and saved as a *.py script.

Python scripts can be executed easily from CMD:

> Python "Script (*.py) Full Path"

C#:

Since each *.cs file must be coupled with a *.csproj to be executed,

I found the following approach to be the easiest.

1. Create a new folder and give it a name.

2. Run CMD from within the new folder.

3. Using CMD:

> dotnet new console

This shall create a new project that you can easily edit its Program.cs file and type any script you wish to execute.

Then compile & run it easily by running this CMD:

> dotnet run

Now that we saw how to install the SDK and Run the Scripts let’s see some Python examples taken from python.org, written in C#.

The “Hello world” example:

Python:

C#:

Before the Top-Level statements feature, printing “Hello world!” to the console using C# required a complicated code block including a namespace, a class, and a function.

Not anymore, though! From now on, the following one-liner will compile just fine, yielding the same result :-)

Expected output:

Hello World!

The “JSON” example:

Given this JSON file ‘ex.json’:

Python:

C#:

Expected output:

root: {"name":"John", "age":31, "city":"New York"}Name: JohnAge: 31

The “Enumerate” example:

Python:

C#:

Expected output:

iteration 0 is johniteration 1 is patiteration 2 is garyiteration 3 is michael

The “Tuple” example:

Python:

C#:

Expected output:

This generation has 1 babiesThis generation has 2 babiesThis generation has 3 babiesThis generation has 5 babiesThis generation has 8 babiesThis generation has 13 babiesThis generation has 21 babiesThis generation has 34 babiesThis generation has 55 babiesThis generation has 89 babies

The “Regex” example:

Python:

C#:

Expected output:

555-1212 is a valid US local phone numberILL-EGAL rejected

The “Dictionary” example:

Python:

C#:

Expected output:

I owe the grocer $3.40

The “ARGV” example:

Python:

C#:

The “File System” example:

Python:

C#:

Expected output (C#):

------./Program.cs
/Users/sameehshkeer/Desktop/C# Scripts/Project/Program.cs

The “Class” example:

Python:

C#:

Expected output:

-35, True

The “CSV” example:

Python:

C#:

CSV is a weaker spot of C#, and that is due to the lack of default CSV reader and writer in the language.

However, the solution is simple: Using the powerful NuGet .Net’s package manager.

Running the following CMD from the “*.csproj” folder would give us a CSV NuGet package with a CSV reader and writer.

Expected output:

Google, Inc. is up (0.09)
Yahoo! Inc. is up (1.22)
CNET Networks, Inc. is down (-1.49)

Bottom line, Apparently, Python is still the faster, easier, and more user-friendly option when it comes to writing simple scripts.

However, if you are already a C# developer and are thinking about learning Python to write simple scripts, I assume you already have what you need, and C# should be your choice.