ref and out

The ref keyword causes arguments to be passed by reference. The effect is that any changes to the parameter in the method will be reflected in that variable when control passes back to the calling method.

class RefExample
{
    static void Method(ref int i)
    {
        i = 44;
    }
    static void Main()
    {
        int val = 0;
        Method(ref val);
        // val is now 44
    }
}

The out keyword causes arguments to be passed by reference. This is like the ref keyword, except that ref requires that the variable be initialized before it is passed. To use an out parameter, both the method definition and the calling method must explicitly use the out keyword.

class OutExample
{
    static void Method(out int i)
    {
        i = 44;
    }
    static void Main()
    {
        int value;
        Method(out value);
        // value is now 44
    }
}