NetEvolve.Arguments

A comprehensive library providing backward-compatible argument validation helper methods (ThrowIf*) for .NET projects targeting multiple framework versions. This library enables modern argument validation patterns across legacy and current .NET runtimes, ensuring code consistency and maintainability.

Overview

Modern .NET versions (starting with .NET 6) introduced streamlined argument validation methods such as ArgumentNullException.ThrowIfNull and ArgumentOutOfRangeException.ThrowIfEqual. However, projects targeting multiple frameworks or older .NET versions cannot utilize these convenient methods without conditional compilation or duplicated validation logic.

NetEvolve.Arguments bridges this gap by providing full polyfill implementations via extension methods on ArgumentNullException, ArgumentException, and ArgumentOutOfRangeException. These polyfills enable the use of modern .NET API patterns across all supported frameworks, allowing developers to write consistent, maintainable argument validation code regardless of the target framework.

Polyfill Architecture

The library provides polyfills through three main extension classes:

• ArgumentNullExceptionPolyfills: Extends ArgumentNullException with ThrowIfNull methods
• ArgumentExceptionPolyfills: Extends ArgumentException with ThrowIfNullOrEmpty and ThrowIfNullOrWhiteSpace methods
• ArgumentOutOfRangeExceptionPolyfills: Extends ArgumentOutOfRangeException with range validation methods (ThrowIfZero, ThrowIfNegative, ThrowIfEqual, comparison methods, etc.)

These polyfills are conditionally compiled and only active when targeting frameworks that don't provide the native implementations, ensuring zero overhead on modern .NET versions.

Key Features

• Multi-Framework Support: Compatible with .NET Standard 2.0, .NET 6.0-10.0, and .NET Framework 4.7.2-4.8.1 (on Windows)
• Zero Runtime Overhead: Uses conditional compilation to delegate to native implementations where available
• Drop-in Replacement: Identical API signatures to native .NET implementations
• Type-Safe: Fully generic implementations with proper type constraints
• Comprehensive Coverage: Includes null checks, range validations, and equality comparisons

Installation

Install the package via NuGet Package Manager:

dotnet add package NetEvolve.Arguments

Or via the Package Manager Console:

Install-Package NetEvolve.Arguments

Usage

Simply use the validation methods directly on the exception types, just as you would with native .NET 8+ implementations:

public void ProcessData(string data, int count)
{
    ArgumentException.ThrowIfNullOrWhiteSpace(data);
    ArgumentOutOfRangeException.ThrowIfLessThan(count, 1);
    
    // Your implementation
}

The polyfills are automatically available through extension methods when targeting older frameworks. No additional using directives are needed since the polyfills reside in the System namespace.

Available Methods

Null Validation

ArgumentNullException.ThrowIfNull(object?, string?)

Throws an ArgumentNullException if the argument is null.

Native API: ArgumentNullException.ThrowIfNull (introduced in .NET 6)

Polyfill availability: .NET Standard 2.0, .NET Framework 4.7.2-4.8.1

Example:

public void Process(object data)
{
    ArgumentNullException.ThrowIfNull(data);
}

ArgumentNullException.ThrowIfNull(void*, string?)

Throws an ArgumentNullException if the pointer argument is null.

Native API: ArgumentNullException.ThrowIfNull(void*) (introduced in .NET 7)

Polyfill availability: .NET Standard 2.0, .NET Framework 4.7.2-4.8.1, .NET 6.0

Example:

public unsafe void Process(void* pointer)
{
    ArgumentNullException.ThrowIfNull(pointer);
}

ArgumentException.ThrowIfNullOrEmpty(string?, string?)

Throws an ArgumentNullException if the argument is null, or an ArgumentException if the argument is an empty string.

Native API: ArgumentException.ThrowIfNullOrEmpty (introduced in .NET 7)

Polyfill availability: .NET Standard 2.0, .NET Framework 4.7.2-4.8.1, .NET 6.0

Example:

public void Process(string name)
{
    ArgumentException.ThrowIfNullOrEmpty(name);
}

ArgumentException.ThrowIfNullOrEmpty<T>(IEnumerable<T>?, string?)

Throws an ArgumentNullException if the argument is null, or an ArgumentException if the collection is empty.

Note: This is a custom extension method not present in the native .NET framework, providing convenient collection validation.

Availability: All supported frameworks

Example:

public void Process(IEnumerable<int> items)
{
    ArgumentException.ThrowIfNullOrEmpty(items);
}

ArgumentException.ThrowIfNullOrWhiteSpace(string?, string?)

Throws an ArgumentNullException if the argument is null, or an ArgumentException if the argument is empty or contains only white-space characters.

Native API: ArgumentException.ThrowIfNullOrWhiteSpace (introduced in .NET 8)

Polyfill availability: .NET Standard 2.0, .NET Framework 4.7.2-4.8.1, .NET 6.0, .NET 7.0

Example:

public void Process(string description)
{
    ArgumentException.ThrowIfNullOrWhiteSpace(description);
}

Range Validation

ArgumentOutOfRangeException.ThrowIfZero<T>(T, string?)

Throws an ArgumentOutOfRangeException if the argument is zero.

Native API: ArgumentOutOfRangeException.ThrowIfZero (introduced in .NET 8)

Polyfill availability: .NET Standard 2.0, .NET Framework 4.7.2-4.8.1, .NET 6.0, .NET 7.0

Example:

public void SetDivisor(int divisor)
{
    ArgumentOutOfRangeException.ThrowIfZero(divisor);
}

ArgumentOutOfRangeException.ThrowIfNegative<T>(T, string?)

Throws an ArgumentOutOfRangeException if the argument is negative.

Native API: ArgumentOutOfRangeException.ThrowIfNegative (introduced in .NET 8)

Polyfill availability: .NET Standard 2.0, .NET Framework 4.7.2-4.8.1, .NET 6.0, .NET 7.0

Example:

public void SetCount(int count)
{
    ArgumentOutOfRangeException.ThrowIfNegative(count);
}

ArgumentOutOfRangeException.ThrowIfNegativeOrZero<T>(T, string?)

Throws an ArgumentOutOfRangeException if the argument is negative or zero.

Native API: ArgumentOutOfRangeException.ThrowIfNegativeOrZero (introduced in .NET 8)

Polyfill availability: .NET Standard 2.0, .NET Framework 4.7.2-4.8.1, .NET 6.0, .NET 7.0

Example:

public void SetQuantity(int quantity)
{
    ArgumentOutOfRangeException.ThrowIfNegativeOrZero(quantity);
}

ArgumentOutOfRangeException.ThrowIfEqual<T>(T, T, string?)

Throws an ArgumentOutOfRangeException if the first argument is equal to the second argument.

Native API: ArgumentOutOfRangeException.ThrowIfEqual (introduced in .NET 8)

Polyfill availability: .NET Standard 2.0, .NET Framework 4.7.2-4.8.1, .NET 6.0, .NET 7.0

Example:

public void SetValue(int value)
{
    ArgumentOutOfRangeException.ThrowIfEqual(value, 0); // Value must not be zero
}

ArgumentOutOfRangeException.ThrowIfNotEqual<T>(T, T, string?)

Throws an ArgumentOutOfRangeException if the first argument is not equal to the second argument.

Native API: ArgumentOutOfRangeException.ThrowIfNotEqual (introduced in .NET 8)

Polyfill availability: .NET Standard 2.0, .NET Framework 4.7.2-4.8.1, .NET 6.0, .NET 7.0

Example:

public void ValidateConstant(int value)
{
    ArgumentOutOfRangeException.ThrowIfNotEqual(value, 42); // Value must be exactly 42
}

ArgumentOutOfRangeException.ThrowIfGreaterThan<T>(T, T, string?)

Throws an ArgumentOutOfRangeException if the first argument is greater than the second argument.

Native API: ArgumentOutOfRangeException.ThrowIfGreaterThan (introduced in .NET 8)

Polyfill availability: .NET Standard 2.0, .NET Framework 4.7.2-4.8.1, .NET 6.0, .NET 7.0

Example:

public void SetAge(int age)
{
    ArgumentOutOfRangeException.ThrowIfGreaterThan(age, 150); // Age must be 150 or less
}

ArgumentOutOfRangeException.ThrowIfGreaterThanOrEqual<T>(T, T, string?)

Throws an ArgumentOutOfRangeException if the first argument is greater than or equal to the second argument.

Native API: ArgumentOutOfRangeException.ThrowIfGreaterThanOrEqual (introduced in .NET 8)

Polyfill availability: .NET Standard 2.0, .NET Framework 4.7.2-4.8.1, .NET 6.0, .NET 7.0

Example:

public void SetCount(int count, int maximum)
{
    ArgumentOutOfRangeException.ThrowIfGreaterThanOrEqual(count, maximum); // Count must be less than maximum
}

ArgumentOutOfRangeException.ThrowIfLessThan<T>(T, T, string?)

Throws an ArgumentOutOfRangeException if the first argument is less than the second argument.

Native API: ArgumentOutOfRangeException.ThrowIfLessThan (introduced in .NET 8)

Polyfill availability: .NET Standard 2.0, .NET Framework 4.7.2-4.8.1, .NET 6.0, .NET 7.0

Example:

public void SetCount(int count)
{
    ArgumentOutOfRangeException.ThrowIfLessThan(count, 1); // Count must be at least 1
}

ArgumentOutOfRangeException.ThrowIfLessThanOrEqual<T>(T, T, string?)

Throws an ArgumentOutOfRangeException if the first argument is less than or equal to the second argument.

Native API: ArgumentOutOfRangeException.ThrowIfLessThanOrEqual (introduced in .NET 8)

Polyfill availability: .NET Standard 2.0, .NET Framework 4.7.2-4.8.1, .NET 6.0, .NET 7.0

Example:

public void SetMinimum(int value, int threshold)
{
    ArgumentOutOfRangeException.ThrowIfLessThanOrEqual(value, threshold); // Value must be greater than threshold
}

Framework Compatibility

Target Framework	Status	Notes
.NET Standard 2.0	✅ Supported	Full polyfill implementations
.NET Framework 4.7.2	✅ Supported	Windows only, full polyfill implementations
.NET Framework 4.8	✅ Supported	Windows only, full polyfill implementations
.NET Framework 4.8.1	✅ Supported	Windows only, full polyfill implementations
.NET 6.0	✅ Supported	Delegates to native implementations where available
.NET 7.0	✅ Supported	Delegates to native implementations where available
.NET 8.0	✅ Supported	Delegates to native implementations where available
.NET 9.0	✅ Supported	Full native delegation
.NET 10.0	✅ Supported	Full native delegation

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit issues, fork the repository, and create pull requests.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

Related Resources

• Official .NET API Documentation
• Argument Validation Best Practices
• Project Repository