Summary
In this chapter, we progressed from traditional methods of error handling to functional approaches. We identified the strengths, challenges, patterns, and anti-patterns of the FP way.
Functional programming offers not just a way to code, but a mindset shift. By treating errors as data, we benefit from type safety, expressiveness, and predictability.
However, our goal is not to get rid of all exceptions and nulls but to create more readable and resilient software. Luckily, with the development of C#, functional error handling is becoming easier and more integrated.
Like all paradigms, functional programming is not a silver bullet. While errors as data can be powerful, you have to remember the real world where your code runs. Networking failures, database outages, and hardware malfunctions are realities. Striking a balance between functional purity and real-world pragmatism is key.
A couple of times in this chapter, we used delegates, and in order to get a better...