A tuple is a data structure that has a specific number and sequence of values. The Tuple`5 class represents a 5-tuple, or quintuple, which is a tuple that has five components.

You can instantiate a Tuple`5 object by calling either the Tuple`5.#ctor(`0, `1, `2, `3, `4) constructor or the static Tuple.Create``5(``0, ``1, ``2, ``3, ``4) method. You can retrieve the value of the tuple's components by using the read-only Tuple`5.Item1, Tuple`5.Item2, Tuple`5.Item3, Tuple`5.Item4, and Tuple`5.Item5 instance properties.

Tuples are commonly used in four different ways:

• To represent a single set of data. For example, a tuple can represent a database record, and its components can represent individual fields of the record.

• To provide easy access to, and manipulation of, a data set. The following example defines an array of Tuple`5 objects that contain the names of running backs in American football, the number of games in which they played, and the number of carries, total yards gained, and touchdowns scored during those games. The array is passed to the ComputeStatistics method, which calculates each running back's number of carries per game, average yards per game, average yards per carry, and average number of touchdowns per attempt.

  code reference: System.Tuple`5.Class#1

• To return multiple values from a method without the use of out parameters (in C#) or ByRef parameters (in Visual Basic). For example, the previous example returns its computed statistics, along with the name of the player, in an array of Tuple`5 objects.

• To pass multiple values to a method through a single parameter. For example, the System.Threading.Thread.Start(object) method has a single parameter that lets you supply one value to the method that the thread executes at startup. If you supply a Tuple`5 object as the method argument, you can supply the thread’s startup routine with five items of data.

Namespace: System
Assembly: mscorlib (in mscorlib.dll)
Assembly Versions: 4.0.0.0