Practical usage of virtual functions in c#

So basically if in your ancestor class you want a certain behaviour for a method. If your descendent uses the same method but has a different implementation you can override it, If it has a virtual keyword.

using System;
class TestClass 
{
   public class Dimensions 
   {
      public const double pi = Math.PI;
      protected double x, y;
      public Dimensions() 
      {
      }
      public Dimensions (double x, double y) 
      {
         this.x = x;
         this.y = y;
      }

      public virtual double Area() 
      {
         return x*y;
      }
   }

   public class Circle: Dimensions 
   {
      public Circle(double r): base(r, 0) 
      {
      }

      public override double Area() 
      { 
         return pi * x * x; 
      }
   }

   class Sphere: Dimensions 
   {
      public Sphere(double r): base(r, 0) 
      {
      }

      public override double Area()
      {
         return 4 * pi * x * x; 
      }
   }

   class Cylinder: Dimensions 
   {
      public Cylinder(double r, double h): base(r, h) 
      {
      }

      public override double Area() 
      {
         return 2*pi*x*x + 2*pi*x*y; 
      }
   }

   public static void Main()  
   {
      double r = 3.0, h = 5.0;
      Dimensions c = new Circle(r);
      Dimensions s = new Sphere(r);
      Dimensions l = new Cylinder(r, h);
      // Display results:
      Console.WriteLine("Area of Circle   = {0:F2}", c.Area());
      Console.WriteLine("Area of Sphere   = {0:F2}", s.Area());
      Console.WriteLine("Area of Cylinder = {0:F2}", l.Area());
   }
}

Edit: Questions in comment
If I don’t use virtual keyword in base class, will it work?

If you use the override keyword in your descendent classes it will not work. You will generate compiler error CS0506 ‘function1’ : cannot override inherited member ‘function2’ because it is not marked “virtual”, “abstract”, or “override”

If you don’t use the override You’ll get the CS0108 warning ‘desc.Method()’ hides inherited member ‘base.Method()’ Use the new keyword if hiding was intended.

To get around this put the new keyword in front of the method you are hiding.

e.g.

  new public double Area() 
  {
     return 2*pi*x*x + 2*pi*x*y; 
  }

..and is it compulsory to override a virtual method in derived class?
No, if you don’t override the method, the descendent class will use method it is inheriting from.