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While simple value objects wrap single primitives, many domain concepts involve multiple related properties (e.g., a date range's start and end). This article introduces Complex Value Objects in .NET, which group these properties into a cohesive unit. This ensures internal consistency, centralizes validation, and encapsulates behavior. Discover how to implement these for clearer, safer code using the library Thinktecture.Runtime.Extensions, which minimizes boilerplate when handling such related data.

Traditional C# enums often fall short when needing to associate data or behavior with constants, or ensure strong type safety. This article explores the "Smart Enum" pattern as a superior alternative. Leveraging the library Thinktecture.Runtime.Extensions and Roslyn Source Generators, developers can easily implement Smart Enums. These provide a robust, flexible, and type-safe way to represent fixed sets of related options, encapsulating both data and behavior directly within the Smart Enum. This results in more maintainable, expressive, and resilient C# code, overcoming the limitations of basic enums.

Overusing primitive types like string or int for domain concepts ("primitive obsession") causes bugs from missed validation, like invalid emails or negative monetary values. This article explores Value Objects as a .NET solution. Learn how these self-validating, immutable types prevent entire classes of errors, make code more expressive, and reduce developer overhead. We'll demonstrate creating robust domain models with minimal boilerplate, improving code quality without necessarily adopting full Domain-Driven Design, and see how Roslyn Source Generators make this practical.