C# Academy · Lesson

Polymorphic behaviors

Use interface-based polymorphism: process mixed shapes uniformly, add new shapes without changing callers, and compose small behaviors.

Lesson 3 of 38 steps

Polymorphic behaviors is a free C# Academy lesson on CoddyKit. This is lesson 3 of 3. You can read the complete lesson below for free — then practise it hands-on in the browser with a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor. It is part of the C# Academy learning path, and your progress syncs across the web and the CoddyKit app. The C# Academy course includes 3 lessons in total.

Polymorphism overview

Goal: Use polymorphism to keep callers simple.

Work with IShape everywhere
Mix many shapes in one list
Add new shapes without changing code
Compose tiny behaviors (formatting, filtering)

One API for all shapes

Accept the IShape interface in helpers. Runtime dispatch picks the right implementation.

using System;

public interface IShape
{
  double Area();
  double Perimeter();
}

public sealed class Rectangle : IShape
{
  private readonly double _w, _h;
  public Rectangle(double w, double h) { _w = w; _h = h; }
  public double Area() { return _w * _h; }
  public double Perimeter() { return 2 * (_w + _h); }
}

public sealed class Circle : IShape
{
  private readonly double _r;
  public Circle(double r) { _r = r; }
  public double Area() { return 3.14159 * _r * _r; }
  public double Perimeter() { return 2 * 3.14159 * _r; }
}

public class Program
{
  // One function works for any IShape (dynamic dispatch on overrides)
  static void PrintSummary(IShape s)
  {
    Console.WriteLine("A=" + s.Area() + " P=" + s.Perimeter());
  }

  public static void Main(string[] args)
  {
    PrintSummary(new Rectangle(3, 4));
    PrintSummary(new Circle(2));
  }
}

Mixed list processing

Store many shapes in a List<IShape>. Iteration stays simple while behavior varies per instance.

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;

public interface IShape { double Area(); double Perimeter(); }

public sealed class Rectangle : IShape
{
  private readonly double _w, _h;
  public Rectangle(double w, double h) { _w = w; _h = h; }
  public double Area() { return _w * _h; }
  public double Perimeter() { return 2 * (_w + _h); }
}

public sealed class Circle : IShape
{
  private readonly double _r;
  public Circle(double r) { _r = r; }
  public double Area() { return 3.14159 * _r * _r; }
  public double Perimeter() { return 2 * 3.14159 * _r; }
}

public class Program
{
  public static void Main(string[] args)
  {
    List<IShape> shapes = new List<IShape>();
    shapes.Add(new Rectangle(2, 5));
    shapes.Add(new Circle(1.5));
    shapes.Add(new Rectangle(1, 1));

    foreach (IShape s in shapes)
    {
      Console.WriteLine("A=" + s.Area());
    }
  }
}

Open for extension

Polymorphism supports open extension: new shapes integrate without editing existing callers.

using System;

public interface IShape { double Area(); double Perimeter(); }

public sealed class Triangle : IShape
{
  private readonly double _a, _b, _c;
  public Triangle(double a, double b, double c) { _a = a; _b = b; _c = c; }
  public double Perimeter() { return _a + _b + _c; }
  public double Area()
  {
    double s = (_a + _b + _c) / 2.0;
    return Math.Sqrt(s * (s - _a) * (s - _b) * (s - _c));
  }
}

public class Program
{
  // Existing helper still works; no changes needed
  static void Show(IShape s) { Console.WriteLine("A=" + s.Area() + " P=" + s.Perimeter()); }

  public static void Main(string[] args)
  {
    Show(new Triangle(3, 4, 5)); // new type plugs in
  }
}

Behavior composition (strategy)

Compose tiny behaviors via small interfaces (like a formatter). Swap strategies without changing the shape.

using System;

public interface IShape { double Area(); double Perimeter(); }

public sealed class Rectangle : IShape
{
  private readonly double _w, _h;
  public Rectangle(double w, double h) { _w = w; _h = h; }
  public double Area() { return _w * _h; }
  public double Perimeter() { return 2 * (_w + _h); }
}

// Small strategy interface for formatting
public interface IShapeFormatter
{
  string Format(IShape s);
}

public sealed class SimpleFormatter : IShapeFormatter
{
  public string Format(IShape s) { return "A=" + s.Area() + " P=" + s.Perimeter(); }
}

public class Program
{
  static void Print(IShape s, IShapeFormatter f)
  {
    Console.WriteLine(f.Format(s));
  }

  public static void Main(string[] args)
  {
    Print(new Rectangle(3, 2), new SimpleFormatter());
  }
}

Polymorphism tips

Tips:

Pass IShape to helpers; avoid type checks.
Keep helpers tiny and pure when possible.
Add new shapes freely; do not edit existing callers.
Use small behavior interfaces (formatting, filtering) to extend features.

Interface benefit

Quick check: What is the main benefit of programming against the IShape interface in this library?

Answer it in the interactive lesson

Recap

Recap: Take parameters as IShape, process mixed lists, and add shapes without touching callers. Compose small behaviors for formatting or filtering to keep code flexible.

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Is the “Polymorphic behaviors” lesson free?

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What will I learn in “Polymorphic behaviors”?

Use interface-based polymorphism: process mixed shapes uniformly, add new shapes without changing callers, and compose small behaviors. You practise C# Academy with hands-on code you run directly in the browser, and a 24/7 AI tutor answers your questions as you work through the lesson.

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