version: "1.0.0" name: csharp-discards description: Use when writing or reviewing C# code that has an intentionally unused value — discarding return values, out _, deconstruction, pattern-matching discards, lambda discard parameters (_, _) =>, and when NOT to discard (a result that signals failure or must be observed).

Discards — say "I don't want this" explicitly

A discard (_) marks a value as intentionally unused. Default to a discard whenever a value genuinely doesn't matter at that call site — it documents intent for the next reader and for analyzers, instead of leaving them to guess whether an unused result was an oversight.

Discarding a return value

// ✅ deliberate fire-and-forget, decided on purpose
_ = Task.Run(() => BackgroundWork());
 
// ✅ the bool result of TryAdd genuinely doesn't matter here — caller
// only cares the entry exists afterward, not who added it
_ = dictionary.TryAdd(key, value);

_ = Task.Run(...) is a real decision, not a shortcut: an unobserved faulted Task can crash the process (or silently swallow an exception, depending on context) — see csharp-async for when a task must be awaited, stored, or have its exceptions observed some other way instead of discarded. Only discard a Task when you've actually decided you don't need its completion or its exceptions.

out _

Use it when a method only has a TryX(out T) shape but you only need the bool:

if (int.TryParse(input, out _))
{
    // only care that it parsed, not the value
}

Deconstruction

var (x, _) = GetCoordinates();   // only need x
foreach (var (key, _) in dictionary) { UseKey(key); }

Pattern discards

_ inside a pattern matches anything without binding it:

if (point is (_, 0)) { /* on the x-axis, x value not needed */ }
 
string Describe(object o) => o switch
{
    int n when n > 0 => "positive int",
    string => "string",
    _ => "something else",   // catch-all arm
};

`_` pattern vs. a variable named `_`: case _: / _ => is the discard pattern — it matches anything and binds nothing. If a variable literally named _ is already declared in the enclosing scope, _ in a pattern position stops being a discard and refers to that variable instead (comparing against its value, or shadowing rules apply depending on position) — this only matters in the rare case where _ was already used as a real identifier nearby; don't name a variable _ if you also want discard patterns in the same scope.

Lambda discard parameters (C# 9+)

Unused lambda parameters can be named _ instead of inventing a throwaway name — with two or more, they're true discard parameters (no name enters scope, they can repeat):

// event handlers — sender/args routinely unused
button.Click += (_, _) => Refresh();
 
// unused index in a Select/Where-style callback
items.Select((item, _) => Transform(item));

A single parameter named _ is not a discard — for backward compatibility, one _ parameter is treated as an ordinary parameter named _. Discard behavior (no scope entry, reusable name) only kicks in with two or more parameters named _ in the same parameter list.

Standalone _ = to silence an intentional non-use

_ = someObject.SomePropertyWithSideEffectingGetter; // deliberately triggering the getter, not using the value

The built-in analyzers IDE0058 (expression value is unused) and IDE0059 (value assigned is unused) both nudge toward either discarding explicitly or removing dead code, depending on the shape; CA1806 ("do not ignore method results") is the opposite-direction check — it flags ignoring a return value from certain BCL/pure methods where ignoring it is very likely a bug (e.g. calling string.Trim() and dropping the result). Don't blanket-suppress CA1806 by discarding — read what it's flagging first; see "When not to discard" below.

The shadowing gotcha

If a variable named _ is already declared in the enclosing scope, later uses of _ refer to that variable, not a fresh discard — including out _, which then writes into the real variable instead of throwing the value away:

int _ = 10;
_ = int.TryParse("42", out _);
Console.WriteLine(_); // prints 42 — `out _` reused the declared variable named `_`, it did not discard

Avoid declaring a variable literally named _ in any scope where discard syntax is also used nearby — the two meanings silently diverge.

When NOT to discard

Discard only what's genuinely unneeded. Don't discard:

• A bool/result from a TryX method when failure actually needs handling — _ = dict.TryGetValue(key, out var v) silently ignores a missing key that the caller then uses v's default for, which is usually a bug, not an intentional discard.
• A value that must be disposed — discarding an IDisposable-returning result (_ = File.OpenRead(path)) leaks the handle; the return value being unused doesn't mean the object doesn't need cleanup.
• A Task/ValueTask you actually need to await or whose exceptions must propagate — see csharp-async.
• Anything CA1806 is flagging without having actually read what it's pointing at — the rule exists because ignoring specific return values (immutable-string methods, Enumerable methods, etc.) is a common real bug, not just noise.

Caveat: expression trees

Discard parameters in a lambda are fine inside an Expression<Func<...>>, but discards elsewhere in an expression tree are not — and neither is any assignment expression, including _ = ...:

If code needs to run inside a Expression<TDelegate> consumed by an IQueryable provider, Moq-style matcher, or similar, keep discard usage to lambda parameter lists only — everything that reads as "assignment" (including a discard assignment) is rejected by the expression-tree conversion itself, not by the provider. See csharp-static-lambdas for the matching table covering static, patterns, and other newer syntax inside expression trees.

Checklist

• [ ] Fire-and-forget Tasks are discarded deliberately (_ = Task.Run(...)), with exceptions genuinely not needing observation — otherwise see csharp-async
• [ ] TryX(out _) used only when the out value truly isn't needed, not when a missing/failed result should be handled
• [ ] Deconstruction and lambda parameters use _ for pieces that are genuinely unused, not just untyped quickly
• [ ] No variable literally named _ declared in a scope that also uses discard syntax
• [ ] _ = used to intentionally silence CA1806/IDE0058/IDE0059 only after confirming the ignored value really doesn't matter
• [ ] Disposable or must-check results are never discarded
• [ ] Discards inside Expression<TDelegate> lambdas are limited to parameter lists — no out _, no _ = assignment