Quick overview of generic type support in F#

F# has generic type as the parameterized type support, just as in C#/VB, and all have the same concept and similar semantics, although F# goes further by allowing type generalizations.

For example, in F#, to declare a type that has a generic type parameter in use:

List<'t> 

If the parameter is used in code, the parameter of the generic type must be filled in, such as in this example:

List<int> 

In our last example, the generic type becomes specialized as int. The List is a sample of a concrete type that has a generic type as the type parameter. This concept is also similar to the semantics in C#/VB.

Note

Throughout this book, the types in F# that support the generic type such as F# List, Map, Set, and Array will use the same notation as F# types in the MSDN Library, although the complete compilation name may differ. For example, F# Map type is known as FSharpMap from outside of F#'s scope (when used in other languages such as...