Can we use c# indexer to index class properties? - c#

I want to index class properties like an array.
Public class Foo
{
propery p1{get;set;}
propery p3{get;set;}
propery p3{get;set;}
.
.
.
.
}
I wan to index every propery like an array
FOO.p1=Value
Foo[0]=Value(index 0 refers to p1)

I don't know much about the database, where there might have been a ready-made solution. But at least you can do it by reflection in this way:
using System.Reflection;
[AttributeUsage(AttributeTargets.Property, Inherited = true, AllowMultiple = false)]
public sealed class IndexedPropertyAttribute : Attribute
{
readonly int index;
public IndexedPropertyAttribute(int index)
{
this.index = index;
}
public int Index
{
get { return index; }
}
}
public abstract class WithIndexedProperties
{
private Lazy<IReadOnlyDictionary<int, PropertyInfo>> properties;
protected WithIndexedProperties()
{
properties = new Lazy<IReadOnlyDictionary<int, PropertyInfo>>(
() => {
var linq = from prop in this.GetType().GetProperties()
let attr = prop.GetCustomAttributes(typeof(IndexedPropertyAttribute), true)
where attr.Length is 1
select (((IndexedPropertyAttribute)attr[0]).Index, prop);
return linq.ToDictionary(p => p.Index, p => p.prop);
});
}
public object? this[int propertyIndex]
{
get
{
return properties.Value[propertyIndex].GetValue(this);
}
set
{
properties.Value[propertyIndex].SetValue(this, value);
}
}
}
And there is an example:
Clss obj = new Clss();
obj[0] = "ABC";
obj[2] = 222;
obj[4] = 444;
// Here obj.A will be "ABC", obj.B will be 444 and obj.C will be 222.
public class Clss : WithIndexedProperties
{
[IndexedProperty(0)]
public string? A { get; init; }
[IndexedProperty(4)]
public int B { get; init; }
[IndexedProperty(2)]
public int C { get; init; }
}

I think you need to do something like this. The code below is very generalized solution to your question and I might need some customization for yourself
using System.Reflection;
public class ReflectionBasedIndexedType
{
public int A1 { get; set; } = 10;
public int A2 { get; set; } = 20;
public string SomeString => "Hello There";
private readonly Dictionary<string, object> _underlyingCollection;
public object this[string name] => _underlyingCollection[name];
public ReflectionBasedIndexedType()
{
_underlyingCollection = GetUnderlyingCollection();
}
private Dictionary<string, object> GetUnderlyingCollection()
{
Dictionary<string, object> container = new();
// get the properties defined in the class, I am filtering
// with constraint that, I want get only public and class level
// Properties, which means I won't get any private/protected or
// static properties if there is defined such in the class
// also where filters out indexer property, which we have defined
// inside this class, without this line, there will be exception
IEnumerable<PropertyInfo> properties = GetType()
.GetProperties(BindingFlags.Instance | BindingFlags.Public)
.Where(x => x.GetIndexParameters().Length == 0);
foreach (PropertyInfo property in properties)
{
container.Add(property.Name, property.GetValue(this)!);
}
return container;
}
}
and than use case will be like this
ReflectionBasedIndexedType rbit = new();
var a1 = rbit[nameof(rbit.A1)];
var a2 = rbit[nameof(rbit.A2)];
var str = rbit[nameof(rbit.SomeString)];
Console.WriteLine(a1);
Console.WriteLine(a2);
Console.WriteLine(str);
and output in the console will be this
10
20
Hello There

I think you have two ways at least.
The first one, is #Swapper mentioned, yo can use reflection. In this way, the class is normal and you have to write your hug code in where you want to use that class.
The second way is easier but a little fuzy. You can use dynamic type. If you know how to use it, that's ok. Otherwise please let me know, then I will create a sample code for you.

Related

Generate a strongly-typed proxy that can track changes on property names not values when one property is set to another

Setup:
public class Data
{
public int A { get; set; }
public int B { get; set; }
}
public class Runner
{
public static void Run(Data data)
{
data.A = data.B;
data.A = 1;
}
}
class Program
{
static void Main(string[] args)
{
var data = new Data() { A = 1, B = 2 };
Runner.Run(data);
}
}
Problem: I need to implement change tracking here for property names not values. Inside Runner.Run on the first line data.A = data.B I need to record somehow that "A" was set to "B" (literally property names) and then on the next line data.A = 1 I need to record that "A" was set to constant and say forget about it.
Constrains:
When setting one property to another (e.g. A = B) that needs to be recorded
When setting property to anything else (e.g. A = 1 or A = B * 2) this change needs to be forgotten (e.g. remember A only)
Suppose this is the tracker contract being used:
void RecordChange(string setterName, string getterName);
void UnTrackChange(string setterName);
Question:
I would like to somehow proxy the Data class so it still can be used in the interface code (e.g. Runner - is a whole bunch of a business logic code that uses Data) INCLUDING strong-typing and it can track it's changes without modifying the code (e.g. there is lots of places like 'data.A = data.B').
Is there any way to do it without resorting to I guess some magic involving IL generation?
Already investigated/tried:
PostSharp interceptors/Castle.DynamicProxy with interceptors - these alone cannot help. The most I can get out of it is to have a value of data.B inside setter interceptor but not nameof(data.B).
Compiler services - haven't found anything suitable here - getting the name of caller doesn't really help.
Runtine code generation - smth like proxy inherited from DynamicObject or using Relfection.Emit (TypeBuilder probably) - I lose typings.
Current solution:
Use the Tracker implementation of the abovementioned contract and pass it around into every function down the road. Then instead of writing data.A = data.B use method tracker.SetFrom(x => x.A, x => x.B) - tracker holds a Data instance and so this works. BUT in a real codebase it is easy to miss something and it just makes it way less readable.
It is the closest the solution I've come up with. It isn't perfect as I still need to modify all the contracts/methods in the client code to use a new data model but at least all the logic stays the same.
So I'm open for other answers.
Here's the renewed Data model:
public readonly struct NamedProperty<TValue>
{
public NamedProperty(string name, TValue value)
{
Name = name;
Value = value;
}
public string Name { get; }
public TValue Value { get; }
public static implicit operator TValue (NamedProperty<TValue> obj)
=> obj.Value;
public static implicit operator NamedProperty<TValue>(TValue value)
=> new NamedProperty<TValue>(null, value);
}
public interface ISelfTracker<T>
where T : class, ISelfTracker<T>
{
Tracker<T> Tracker { get; set; }
}
public class NamedData : ISelfTracker<NamedData>
{
public virtual NamedProperty<int> A { get; set; }
public virtual NamedProperty<int> B { get; set; }
public Tracker<NamedData> Tracker { get; set; }
}
Basically I've copy-pasted the original Data model but changed all its properties to be aware of their names.
Then the tracker itself:
public class Tracker<T>
where T : class, ISelfTracker<T>
{
public T Instance { get; }
public T Proxy { get; }
public Tracker(T instance)
{
Instance = instance;
Proxy = new ProxyGenerator().CreateClassProxyWithTarget<T>(Instance, new TrackingNamedProxyInterceptor<T>(this));
Proxy.Tracker = this;
}
public void RecordChange(string setterName, string getterName)
{
}
public void UnTrackChange(string setterName)
{
}
}
The interceptor for Castle.DynamicProxy:
public class TrackingNamedProxyInterceptor<T> : IInterceptor
where T : class, ISelfTracker<T>
{
private const string SetterPrefix = "set_";
private const string GetterPrefix = "get_";
private readonly Tracker<T> _tracker;
public TrackingNamedProxyInterceptor(Tracker<T> proxy)
{
_tracker = proxy;
}
public void Intercept(IInvocation invocation)
{
if (IsSetMethod(invocation.Method))
{
string propertyName = GetPropertyName(invocation.Method);
dynamic value = invocation.Arguments[0];
var propertyType = value.GetType();
if (IsOfGenericType(propertyType, typeof(NamedProperty<>)))
{
if (value.Name == null)
{
_tracker.UnTrackChange(propertyName);
}
else
{
_tracker.RecordChange(propertyName, value.Name);
}
var args = new[] { propertyName, value.Value };
invocation.Arguments[0] = Activator.CreateInstance(propertyType, args);
}
}
invocation.Proceed();
}
private string GetPropertyName(MethodInfo method)
=> method.Name.Replace(SetterPrefix, string.Empty).Replace(GetterPrefix, string.Empty);
private bool IsSetMethod(MethodInfo method)
=> method.IsSpecialName && method.Name.StartsWith(SetterPrefix);
private bool IsOfGenericType(Type type, Type openGenericType)
=> type.IsGenericType && type.GetGenericTypeDefinition() == openGenericType;
}
And the modified entry point:
static void Main(string[] args)
{
var data = new Data() { A = 1, B = 2 };
NamedData namedData = Map(data);
var proxy = new Tracker<NamedData>(namedData).Proxy;
Runner.Run(proxy);
Console.ReadLine();
}
The Map() function actually maps Data to NamedData filling in property names.

How to access anonymous method from generic list?

I've been working on a library to generate fake data using Faker.NET. The problem I'm having is that I don't know how to access an anonymous method that I'm passing to the constructor of my DataGenerator child classes.
The issue is that in order to create a list of generics I had to create base class DataGenerator but I cannot pull my Func<T> member up because that base class is not generic so no Tavailable. However, my DataGenerator<T> class does expose the Generator property which is my anonymous method but I haven't found a way to access it while iterating my list of data generators.
Any advice will be highly appreciated.
This is what I have so far:
public class Employee
{
public string FirstName { get; set; }
public string LastName { get; set; }
public Guid EmpUid { get; set; }
}
// Define other methods and classes here
public abstract class DataGenerator
{
public abstract int GetWeight(string matchingProperty);
public abstract Type Type { get;}
}
public abstract class DataGenerator<T> : DataGenerator
{
public readonly string[] Tags;
public readonly Func<T> Generator;
protected DataGenerator(Func<T> generator, params string[] tags)
{
Tags = tags;
//How to access this?
Generator = generator;
}
public override int GetWeight(string matchingProperty)
{
int sum = (from tag in Tags
where matchingProperty.ToLowerInvariant().Contains(tag.ToLowerInvariant())
select 1).Sum();
return sum;
}
public override Type Type {
get { return typeof(T); }
}
}
public class StringDataGenerator : DataGenerator<string>
{
public StringDataGenerator(Func<string> generator, params string[] tags) : base(generator, tags)
{
}
}
public class GuidDataGenerator : DataGenerator<Guid>
{
public GuidDataGenerator(Func<Guid> generator, params string[] tags)
: base(generator, tags)
{
}
}
And I'm testing it here:
private static void Main(string[] args)
{
var dataGeneratorList = new List<DataGenerator>
{
new StringDataGenerator(Name.First, "first", "name"),
new StringDataGenerator(Name.Last, "last", "name"),
new GuidDataGenerator(Guid.NewGuid, "uid", "id")
};
var writeProperties = typeof (Employee).GetProperties().Where(p => p.CanWrite);
foreach (var property in writeProperties)
{
foreach (var dataGenerator in dataGeneratorList)
{
if (property.PropertyType == dataGenerator.Type)
{
var weigth = dataGenerator.GetWeight(property.Name);
//How to access generator here???
var testValue = dataGenerator.Generator.Invoke();
}
}
}
}
As you tagged, given your current setup, reflection is probably your only option.
var func = dataGenerator.GetType().GetField("Generator").GetValue(dataGenerator);
var testValue = func.GetType().GetMethod("Invoke").Invoke(func, null);
I'm not sure anyone could call this super nice, and it won't be super fast, but it's probably sufficient for anything you need fake data in, I suppose.
For good measure, here's it in action.
Your question is actually a bit more complicated than it may seem at face-value. A nice way of handling this if you only ever use it in object form is just to add an abstract Generate method to the base, non-generic class:
public abstract object Generate();
Then override it in your generic one:
public override object Generate()
{
return this.Generator();
}
Of course, this return an object, which isn't nice in a generic class. But at least it avoids reflection.
Another solution to avoid this reflection nonsense might be the use of covariance, although that will, unfortunately, break for value types, like Guid.
public interface IDataGenerator<out T>
{
int GetWeight(string matchingProperty);
Type Type { get;}
T Generate();
}
public abstract class DataGenerator<T> : IDataGenerator<T>
{
public readonly string[] Tags;
public readonly Func<T> Generator;
protected DataGenerator(Func<T> generator, params string[] tags)
{
Tags = tags;
//How to access this?
Generator = generator;
}
public T Generate(){
return this.Generator();
}
. . .
}
That then turns into a preferable,
private static void Main(string[] args)
{
var dataGeneratorList = new List<IDataGenerator<object>>
{
new StringDataGenerator(Name.First, "first", "name"),
new StringDataGenerator(Name.Last, "last", "name")
// But this line doesn't work
// new GuidDataGenerator(Guid.NewGuid, "uid", "id")
};
var writeProperties = typeof (Employee).GetProperties().Where(p => p.CanWrite);
foreach (var property in writeProperties)
{
foreach (var dataGenerator in dataGeneratorList)
{
if (property.PropertyType == dataGenerator.Type)
{
var weigth = dataGenerator.GetWeight(property.Name);
var testValue = dataGenerator.Generate();
}
}
}
}

Create reference to a primitive type field in class

I have a few classes which have some primitive fields and I would like to create a generalized wrapper for them in order to access their fields. This wrapper should somehow contain a reference to the fields of my classes so that I can read/write the values of these fields. The idea is to create a genralized architecture for these classes so that I dont have to write code for each of them. The classes have fields which have a number in them which will be used as an Id to access the fields.
This is some example code that might shed some light on my requirement. What I want in the end is to change the value of some field in the object of Fancy1 class without accessing the object itself but through its wrapper.
class Fancy1
{
public double level1;
public bool isEnable1;
public double level2;
public bool isEnable2;
public double level3;
}
class Fancy2
{
public double level4;
public bool isEnable4;
public double level6;
public bool isEnable6;
public double level7;
}
class FieldWrapper
{
public int id { get; set; }
public object level { get; set; }
public object isEnabled { get; set; }
public FieldWrapper(int id, object level, object isEnabled)
{
this.id = id;
this.level = level;
this.isEnabled = isEnabled;
}
}
class FancyWrapper
{
private Fancy scn;
public FancyWrapper(Fancy scn)
{
if (!(scn is Fancy))
throw new ArgumentException(scn.GetType().FullName + " is not a supported type!");
this.scn = scn;
}
private Dictionary<int, FieldWrapper> fieldLut = new Dictionary<int, FieldWrapper>();
private List<FieldWrapper> _fields { get { return fieldLut.Values.ToList(); } }
public List<FieldWrapper> fields
{
get
{
if (_fields.Count == 0)
{
foreach (System.Reflection.FieldInfo fieldInfo in scn.GetType().GetFields())
{
if (fieldInfo.FieldType == typeof(double))
{
int satId = getIdNr(fieldInfo.Name);
fieldLut.Add(satId, new FieldWrapper(satId, fieldInfo.GetValue(scn), true));
}
}
foreach (System.Reflection.FieldInfo fieldInfo in scn.GetType().GetFields())
{
if (fieldInfo.FieldType == typeof(bool))
{
int satId = getIdNr(fieldInfo.Name);
fieldLut[satId].isEnabled = fieldInfo.GetValue(scn);
}
}
}
return _fields;
}
}
private int getIdNr(string name)
{
System.Text.RegularExpressions.Match m = System.Text.RegularExpressions.Regex.Match(name, #"\d+");
return Int32.Parse(m.Value);
}
}
class Program
{
static void Main(string[] args)
{
Fancy1 fancy = new Fancy1();
fancy.level1 = 1;
fancy.isEnable1 = true;
fancy.level2 = 2;
fancy.isEnable2 = false;
fancy.level3 = 3;
FancyWrapper wrapper = new FancyWrapper(fancy);
wrapper.fields[2].level = 10;
// fancy.level2 should somehow get the value I set via the wrapper
Console.WriteLine(fancy.level2);
Console.ReadLine();
}
}
EDIT: Fancy classes cannot be changed since they are part of an interface!
Depending on how many Fancy classes you are dealing with, you could create an adapter/facade class for each the expose a common interface. eg:
class Fancy1
{
public double level1;
public bool isEnable1;
public double level2;
public bool isEnable2;
public double level3;
}
public class FieldWrapper
{
private Action<double> _levelSetter;
private Func<double> _levelGetter;
private Action<bool> _enableSetter;
private Func<bool> _enableGetter;
public double level { get { return _levelGetter(); } set { _levelSetter(value); }}
public bool isEnabled { get { return _enableGetter(); } set { _enableSetter(value); }}
internal FieldWrapper(Func<double> levelGetter, Action<double> levelSetter, Func<bool> enableGetter, Action<bool> enableSetter)
{
_levelGetter = levelGetter;
_levelSetter = levelSetter;
_enableGetter = enableGetter;
_enableSetter = enableSetter;
}
}
abstract class FancyWrapper
{
public FieldWrapper[] Fields { get; protected set; }
}
class Fancy1Wrapper : FancyWrapper
{
private Fancy1 _fancy1;
public Fancy1Wrapper(Fancy1 fancy1)
{
_fancy1 = fancy1;
this.Fields = new[] { new FieldWrapper(() => fancy1.level1, level => _fancy1.level1 = level, () => _fancy1.isEnable1, enable => _fancy1.isEnable1 = enable),
new FieldWrapper(() => fancy1.level2, level => _fancy1.level2 = level, () => _fancy1.isEnable2, enable => _fancy1.isEnable2 = enable), };
}
}
Or you could invest 5 minutes learning data structures. Consider following example:
var levels = new Dictionary<int, bool>
{
{1, true},
{2, false}
};
if (levels[1])
{
//will run, because level 1 is true
}
if (levels[2])
{
//will not run, because level 2 is false
}
if (levels.ContainsKey(3) && levels[3])
{
//will not run, because dictionary does not contain entry for key 3
}
levels.Add(3, false);
if (levels.ContainsKey(3) && levels[3])
{
//will not run, because level 3 is false
}
levels[3] = true;
if (levels.ContainsKey(3) && levels[3])
{
//will run, because level 3 is true
}
That may seem like what you want, but it really isn't. It is extremely awkward on any number of levels. More specifically, pointers are generally rather "Un-C#-like" and having to know about these numbers defeats the point of having separate classes to begin with.
Think closely about what you want to accomplish. If you're having problems translating it into code, we're here to help. :)

Assigning fields dynamically

I have set of properties as follows:
public string Foo1 {set;get;}
public string Foo2 {set;get;}
public string Foo3 {set;get;}
public string Foo4 {set;get;}
public string Foo5 {set;get;}
public string Foo6 {set;get;}
public string Foo7 {set;get;}
public string Foo8 {set;get;}
public string Foo9 {set;get;}
......
public string Foo50 {set;get;}
then i m iterating through a collection as follows:
foreach(var element in sortedCollection.Keys){
if(element != null)
// in this block I would like to assign the element to the properties above
// ex:
foo?? = sortedCollection[element];
// ?? need to be replaced by index.
}
Is there an easy way to do this?
I think a better design would be:
public List<string> Foos { get; private set; }
If you can't change it, you could probably do something like:
var type = typeof(MyCalss);
int index = 1;
foreach (var key in sortedCollection.Keys)
{
var value = sortedCollection[key];
var prop = type.GetProperty("Foo" + index);
if (prop != null) prop.SetValue(this, value, null);
index++;
}
... of course with some error handling, and where this assumes this is a method within your class. Can you determine an index based on the values in your sortedCollection?
you can use reflection and do it in a loop:
for ( int i = 1 ; i < 51 ; i++)
this.GetType().GetProperty(string.Format("Foo{0}",i)).SetValue(this,desiredValue,null);
but i think i'll recommend using indexers
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/2549tw02%28v=vs.80%29.aspx
You can do what you want by:
Using a for loop instead of foreach. This way you can operate with the current index.
Using reflections. You can get a list of properties for your class and access them dynamically. For example, see Type.GetProperties.
But why don't you just use a List<string> Foos instead of lots of properties?
You should use reflection.
this.GetType().GetProperty("Foo" + i).SetValue(this, sortedCollection[element], null);
Two things though:
GetProperty's cost is not null. So if you're doing this a lot of times, you might want to store the result of GetProperty in some field and then use this field in your foreach.
If your properties are really named Something1, Something2, etc..., then you may have a design flaw you may want to correct before doing this (replace all you string members with one List).
You need to use reflection (Type.GetProperty()) to get the property and set it's value.
Assuming that the properties are defined in class called MyClass:
foreach(var element in sortedCollection.Keys){
if(element != null)
// in this block I would like to assign the element to the properties above
// ex:
//foo?? = sortedCollection[element];
// not sure how you are getting the index here, may be you need to use for loop
PropertyInfo pi = typeof(MyClass).GetProperty("Foo" + index);
// ?? need to be replaced by index.
if (pi != null)
{
pi.SetValue(<object of MyClass>, sortedCollection[element], null);
}
}
void Main()
{
var foo = new Foo();
foo[1] = "Foo1";
//foo.Dump();
}
public class Foo
{
public string Foo1 {set;get;}
public string Foo2 {set;get;}
public string Foo3 {set;get;}
public string Foo4 {set;get;}
public string Foo5 {set;get;}
public string Foo6 {set;get;}
public string Foo7 {set;get;}
public string Foo8 {set;get;}
public string Foo9 {set;get;}
public string this[int index]
{
get
{
return getPropertyValue(index);
}
set
{
setPropertyValue(index, value);
}
}
private void setPropertyValue(int i, string value)
{
var propi = this.GetType().GetProperty("Foo" + i);
if (propi != null)
propi.SetValue(this,value,null);
}
private string getPropertyValue(int i)
{
var propi = this.GetType().GetProperty("Foo" + i);
if (propi != null)
return (string)propi.GetValue(this, null);
return null;
}
}
I would actually use reflection, or if this is called a lot, make a dynamic method and ILEmit to do it (much faster at runtime than reflection).
However just to suggest something different, you could change the class containing the Foo* properties to have each getter/setter read from an indexed list:
public class FooOfDoom
{
public string[] Foos = new string[2];
public string Foo1
{
set { Foos[0] = value; }
get { return Foos[0]; }
}
public string Foo2
{
set { Foos[1] = value; }
get { return Foos[1]; }
}
}
Then your class doesn't really change, as far as its contract with all the other code, since the properties are still there, but now you can assign right to Foos instead of through each individual property.
Again, in reality I would actually use a DynamicMethod if I was doing it myself.
Personally, I disagree with most of the other posters here. I think the use of reflection should be limited to those situations where it is really called for (object inspection, certain GUI situations, etc). In this case, with just a little more typing, it is possible to write a strongly-typed program and still do what you want. I'll offer two alternatives. Both alternatives will offer the ability to access your properties by name as well as by index.
In the first alternative, I'll assume that we are allowed to change the definition of your properties. In the second alternative, I'll assume that those definitions must remain unchanged.
The first alternative moves the data to a separate array, adds helper methods to access the data by index, and alters the properties to use the helper methods:
private class Version1 {
private readonly string[] underlyingData=new string[50];
public string Foo1 { get { return ReadFoo(1); } set { SetFoo(1, value); } }
public string Foo2 { get { return ReadFoo(2); } set { SetFoo(2, value); } }
public string Foo3 { get { return ReadFoo(3); } set { SetFoo(3, value); } }
//......
public string Foo50 { get { return ReadFoo(50); } set { SetFoo(50, value); } }
private string ReadFoo(int index) {
return underlyingData[index-1]; //1-based indexing
}
private void SetFoo(int index, string value) {
underlyingData[index-1]=value; //1-based indexing
}
}
The second alternative leaves the property definitions unchanged, and two static arrays of delegates representing the reading and writing function of those properties.
private class Version2 {
private static readonly Func<Version2, string>[] readers=new Func<Version2, string>[] {
c => c.Foo1,
c => c.Foo2,
c => c.Foo3,
//......
c => c.Foo50,
};
private static readonly Action<Version2, string>[] writers=new Action<Version2, string>[] {
(c,v) => c.Foo1=v,
(c,v) => c.Foo2=v,
(c,v) => c.Foo3=v,
//......
(c,v) => c.Foo50=v,
};
public string Foo1 { set; get; }
public string Foo2 { set; get; }
public string Foo3 { set; get; }
//......
public string Foo50 { set; get; }
private string ReadFoo(int index) {
return readers[index-1](this); //1-based indexing
}
private void SetFoo(int index, string value) {
writers[index-1](this, value); //1-based indexing
}
}

How do I reinitialize or reset the properties of a class?

I've created a class with properties that have default values. At some point in the object's lifetime, I'd like to "reset" the object's properties back to what they were when the object was instantiated. For example, let's say this was the class:
public class Truck {
public string Name = "Super Truck";
public int Tires = 4;
public Truck() { }
public void ResetTruck() {
// Do something here to "reset" the object
}
}
Then at some point, after the Name and Tires properties have been changed, the ResetTruck() method could be called and the properties would be reset back to "Super Truck" and 4, respectively.
What's the best way to reset the properties back to their initial hard-coded defaults?
You can have the initialization in a method instead of inlining with the declaration. Then have the constructor and reset method call the initialization method:
public class Truck {
public string Name;
public int Tires;
public Truck() {
Init();
}
public void ResetTruck() {
Init();
}
private void Init() {
Name = "Super Truck";
Tires = 4;
}
}
Another way is not to have a reset method at all. Just create a new instance.
Reflection is your friend. You could create a helper method to use Activator.CreateInstance() to set the default value of Value types and 'null' for reference types, but why bother when setting null on a PropertyInfo's SetValue will do the same.
Type type = this.GetType();
PropertyInfo[] properties = type.GetProperties();
for (int i = 0; i < properties.Length; ++i)
properties[i].SetValue(this, null); //trick that actually defaults value types too.
To extend this for your purpose, have private members:
//key - property name, value - what you want to assign
Dictionary<string, object> _propertyValues= new Dictionary<string, object>();
List<string> _ignorePropertiesToReset = new List<string>(){"foo", "bar"};
Set the values in your constructor:
public Truck() {
PropertyInfo[] properties = type.GetProperties();
//exclude properties you don't want to reset, put the rest in the dictionary
for (int i = 0; i < properties.Length; ++i){
if (!_ignorePropertiesToReset.Contains(properties[i].Name))
_propertyValues.Add(properties[i].Name, properties[i].GetValue(this));
}
}
Reset them later:
public void Reset() {
PropertyInfo[] properties = type.GetProperties();
for (int i = 0; i < properties.Length; ++i){
//if dictionary has property name, use it to set the property
properties[i].SetValue(this, _propertyValues.ContainsKey(properties[i].Name) ? _propertyValues[properties[i].Name] : null);
}
}
Unless creating the object is really expensive (and Reset isn't for some reason). I see no reason to implement a special reset method. Why don't you just create a new instance with a usable default state.
What is the purpose of reusing the instance?
If you did your initialization in a Reset method you can be good to go:
public class Truck {
public string Name;
public int Tires;
public Truck() {
ResetTruck();
}
public void ResetTruck() {
Name = "Super Truck";
Tires = 4;
}
}
Focusing of separation of concerns (like Brian mentioned in the comments), another alternative would be to add a TruckProperties type (you could even add your default values to its constructor):
public class TruckProperties
{
public string Name
{
get;
set;
}
public int Tires
{
get;
set;
}
public TruckProperties()
{
this.Name = "Super Truck";
this.Tires = 4;
}
public TruckProperties(string name, int tires)
{
this.Name = name;
this.Tires = tires;
}
}
Inside your Truck class, all you would do is manage an instance of the TruckProperties type, and let it do its reset.
public class Truck
{
private TruckProperties properties = new TruckProperties();
public Truck()
{
}
public string Name
{
get
{
return this.properties.Name;
}
set
{
this.properties.Name = value;
}
}
public int Tires
{
get
{
return this.properties.Tires;
}
set
{
this.properties.Tires = value;
}
}
public void ResetTruck()
{
this.properties = new TruckProperties();
}
}
This certainly may be a lot of (unwanted) overhead for such a simple class, but in a bigger/more complex project it could be advantageous.
That's the thing about "best" practices... a lot of times, there's no silver bullet, but only recommendations you must take with skepticism and your best judgement as to what applies to you in a particular case.
I solved a similar problem with reflection. You can use source.GetType().GetProperties() to get a list of all properties which belong to the object.
Although, this is not always a complete solution. If your object implements several interfaces, you will also get all those properties with your reflection call.
So I wrote this simple function which gives us more control of which properties we are interested in resetting.
public static void ClearProperties(object source, List<Type> InterfaceList = null, Type SearchType = null)
{
// Set Interfaces[] array size accordingly. (Will be size of our passed InterfaceList, or 1 if InterfaceList is not passed.)
Type[] Interfaces = new Type[InterfaceList == null ? 1 : InterfaceList.Count];
// If our InterfaceList was not set, get all public properties.
if (InterfaceList == null)
Interfaces[0] = source.GetType();
else // Otherwise, get only the public properties from our passed InterfaceList
for (int i = 0; i < InterfaceList.Count; i++)
Interfaces[i] = source.GetType().GetInterface(InterfaceList[i].Name);
IEnumerable<PropertyInfo> propertyList = Enumerable.Empty<PropertyInfo>();
foreach (Type face in Interfaces)
{
if (face != null)
{
// If our SearchType is null, just get all properties that are not already empty
if (SearchType == null)
propertyList = face.GetProperties().Where(prop => prop != null);
else // Otherwise, get all properties that match our SearchType
propertyList = face.GetProperties().Where(prop => prop.PropertyType == SearchType);
// Reset each property
foreach (var property in propertyList)
{
if (property.CanRead && property.CanWrite)
property.SetValue(source, null, new object[] { });
}
}
else
{
// Throw an error or a warning, depends how strict you want to be I guess.
Debug.Log("Warning: Passed interface does not belong to object.");
//throw new Exception("Warning: Passed interface does not belong to object.");
}
}
}
And it's use:
// Clears all properties in object
ClearProperties(Obj);
// Clears all properties in object from MyInterface1 & MyInterface2
ClearProperties(Obj, new List<Type>(){ typeof(MyInterface1), typeof(MyInterface2)});
// Clears all integer properties in object from MyInterface1 & MyInterface2
ClearProperties(Obj, new List<Type>(){ typeof(MyInterface1), typeof(MyInterface2)}, typeof(int));
// Clears all integer properties in object
ClearProperties(Obj,null,typeof(int));
You'd probably need to save the values off in private fields, so that they can be restored later. Maybe something like this:
public class Truck
{
private static const string defaultName = "Super Truck";
private static const int defaultTires = 4;
// Use properties for public members (not public fields)
public string Name { get; set; }
public int Tires { get; set; }
public Truck()
{
Name = defaultName;
Tires = defaultTires;
}
public void ResetTruck()
{
Name = defaultName;
Tires = defaultTires;
}
}
You're essentially looking for the State Design Pattern
If you want a specific past "state" of your object you can create a particular save point to return every time you want. This also let you have a diferent state to backup for everey instance that you create. If you class has many properties who are in constant change, this could be your solution.
public class Truck
{
private string _Name = "Super truck";
private int _Tires = 4;
public string Name
{
get { return _Name; }
set { _Name = value; }
}
public int Tires
{
get { return _Tires; }
set { _Tires = value; }
}
private Truck SavePoint;
public static Truck CreateWithSavePoint(string Name, int Tires)
{
Truck obj = new Truck();
obj.Name = Name;
obj.Tires = Tires;
obj.Save();
return obj;
}
public Truck() { }
public void Save()
{
SavePoint = (Truck)this.MemberwiseClone();
}
public void ResetTruck()
{
Type type = this.GetType();
PropertyInfo[] properties = type.GetProperties();
for (int i = 0; i < properties.Count(); ++i)
properties[i].SetValue(this, properties[i].GetValue(SavePoint));
}
}
If you aren't using a Code Generator or a Designer that would conflict, another option is to go through C#'s TypeDescriptor stuff, which is similar to Reflection, but meant to add more meta information to a class than Reflection could.
using System.ComponentModel;
public class Truck {
// You can use the DefaultValue Attribute for simple primitive properites
[DefaultValue("Super Truck")]
public string Name { get; set; } = "Super Truck";
// You can use a Reset[PropertyName]() method for more complex properties
public int Tires { get; set; } = 4;
public void ResetTires() => Tires = 4;
public Truck() { }
public void ResetTruck() {
// Iterates through each property and tries to reset it
foreach (PropertyDescriptor prop in TypeDescriptor.GetProperties(GetType())) {
if (prop.CanResetValue(this)) prop.ResetValue(this);
}
}
}
Note that ResetValue will also reset to a shadowed property if one exists. The priority of which option is selected is explained in the docs:
This method determines the value to reset the property to in the following order of precedence:
There is a shadowed property for this property.
There is a DefaultValueAttribute for this property.
There is a "ResetMyProperty" method that you have implemented, where "MyProperty" is the name of the property you pass to it.
You may represent an object state as a struct or record struct and then set the state to the default value in the Reset method like this:
public class Truck {
record struct State(string Name, int Tires);
private static readonly State _defaultState = new("Super Truck", 4);
private State _state = _defaultState;
public string Name => _state.Name;
public int Tires => _state.Tires;
public Truck() {}
public void ResetTruck() => _state = _defaultState;
}
It is probably the fastest way as well.
Also, a record struct will give you the trivial implementations of the ToString, Equals, GetHashCode.

Categories