Attributes

• Attributes, which are saved with an assembly's metadata, annotate programming elements such as types, fields, methods, and properties
  
• . NET defines a number of standard attributes that can be used to provide functionality, such as serialization, security, and compilation modifications etc.,
  
• Attributes are generally applied physically in front of type and type member declarations.
  
• They're declared with square brackets, "[" and "] ".
  

  E.g.:     [ObsoleteAttribute]
  

  E.g.:    [Serializable]
  

        public class myClass{.......}

• Attributes often have parameters that enable customization. 
  

  E.g.:     [Obsolete("You shouldn't use this method anymore.")]
  

• Attribute targets are specified by prefixing the attribute name with the target and separating it with a colon (:). 
  
• Custom attributes are defined in attribute classes based on the System.Attribute class. Custom attributes provide additional metadata that can be embedded in your class and examined at run time.