[Proposal]: Expression blocks

[333fred]

Expression blocks

Summary

• Specification: Link to a filled out proposal template. If not yet available, link to the PR adding the specification.
• Discussion: https://github.com/dotnet/csharplang/discussions/9242

Allow a block of statements with a trailing expression as an expression.

Syntax

expression
    : non_assignment_expression
    | assignment
    ;

non_assignment_expression
    : conditional_expression
    | lambda_expression
    | query_expression
    | block_expression
    ;

block_expression
    : '{' statement+ expression '}'
    ;

Examples:

x = { ; 1 };  // expression block
x = { {} 2 }; // expression block

y = new MyCollection[]
  {
      { F(), 3 }, // collection initializer
      { F(); 4 }, // expression block
  };

f = () => { F(); G(); }; // block body
f = () => { F(); G() };  // expression body

Execution

An expression block is executed by transferring control to the first statement. When and if control reaches the end of a statement, control is transferred to the next statement. When and if control reaches the end of the last statement, the trailing expression is evaluated and the result left on the evaluation stack.

The evaluation stack may not be empty at the beginning of the expression block so control cannot enter the block other than at the first statement. Control cannot leave the block other than after the trailing expression unless an exception is thrown executing the statements or the expression.

Restrictions

return, yield break, yield return are not allowed in the expression block statements.

break and continue may be used only in nested loops or switch statements.

goto may be used to jump to other statements within the expression block but not to statements outside the block.

out variable declarations in the statements or expression are scoped to the expression block.

using expr; may be used in the statements. The implicit try / finally surrounds the remaining statements and the trailing expression so Dispose() is invoked after evaluating the trailing expression.

Expression trees cannot contain block expressions.

Design Meetings/Alternatives

Proposal: Sequence Expressions #377 LDM 2020-01-22 https://github.com/dotnet/csharplang/blob/main/meetings/2022/LDM-2022-09-26.md#discriminated-unions https://github.com/dotnet/csharplang/blob/main/meetings/2024/LDM-2024-08-28.md#block-bodied-switch-expression-arms