I have the following class where I store some static data. I have as well a couple methods to filter that data, using LINQ. Like this:
static class Data {
// ...
static public Weapon[] weapons = new Weapon[] {
// ...
}
static public GetUnlockedWeapons() {
Data.weapons.Where( a => a.unlocked ).ToArray();
}
static public GetWeaponsType(string type) {
Data.weapons.Where( a => a.type == type ).ToArray();
}
// ...
}
But now I am seeing that this way is not very flexible. As I build more filters, combining them is quite hard and/or verbose.
I come from Ruby on Rails development, where there ActiveRecord has something like scopes that are chainable.
I was wondering if there was some way for me to chain my filters, in a way similar to this:
weapons = Data.weapons.unlocked().type("sword").andMore().andEvenMore();
Yes, you can do it like this:
static class Data {
// ...
static public Weapon[] weapons = new Weapon[] {
// ...
}
public static IEnumerable<Weapon> GetUnlockedWeapons(this IEnumerable<Weapon> weapons) {
return weapons.Where( a => a.unlocked );
}
public static IEnumerable<Weapon> GetWeaponsType(this IEnumerable<Weapon> weapons, string type) {
return weapons.Where( a => a.type == type );
}
// ...
}
And using it:
var weapons = Data.weapons.GetUnlockedWeapons().GetWeaponsType("pistol").AndMore().ToList();
There's no point returning an Array, since it's likely you'll chain it. Leave the materialization of the collection up to the caller (in this case we're using ToList)
How about defining your filters as extension methods to the IEnumerable<Weapon> type:
public static class Data
{
public Weapon[] GetUnlockedWeapons(this IEnumerable<Weapon> weapons)
{
return weapons.Where( a => a.unlocked ).ToArray();
}
public static Weapon[] GetWeaponsType(this IEnumerable<Weapon> weapons, string type)
{
return weapons.Where( a => a.type == type ).ToArray();
}
}
and now assuming that you have a list of weapons you could apply those filters to it:
Weapon[] weapons = new Weapon[]
{
// ...
};
weapons = weapons.unlocked().type("sword").andMore().andEvenMore();
Alternatively you could define an API that is using the so called fluent interface:
public class Data
{
public Data(Weapon[] weapons)
{
this.Weapons = weapons;
}
public Weapon[] weapons { get; private set; }
public Data GetUnlockedWeapons()
{
return new Data(this.Weapons.Where( a => a.unlocked ).ToArray());
}
public Data GetWeaponsType(this IEnumerable<Weapon> weapons, string type)
{
return new Data(this.Weapons.Where( a => a.type == type ).ToArray());
}
}
and then use like this:
Weapon[] weapons = new Weapon[]
{
// ...
};
weapons = new Data(weapons).unlocked().type("sword").andMore().andEvenMore().Weapons;
public static class WeaponFilters
{
public static Weapon[] GetUnlocked(this Weapon[] w)
{
return w.Where(x=> x.unlocked).ToArray();
}
public static Weapon[] Type(this Weapon[] w, string type)
{
return w.Where(x=> x.type == type).ToArray();
}
//some more filters...
}
Then You can use it like:
weapons = weapons.unlocked().type("sword");
Related
How do I make this expression dynamic based on the generic type passed in the parameter?
In the simplified form:
public static class CompareService
{
public static List<T> Run<T>(List<T> database_list, string directory_path)
{
var csv_list = CompareService.MergeRecordsFromFiles<T>(directory);
return CompareService.RunComparison<T>(database_list, csv_list);
}
public static T CompareData<T>(List<T> database_list, List<T> csv_list)
{
var diff = new List<T>();
foreach (var db_item in database_list)
{
// ...
// if T is of type Deathstar compare reference_number property
// if T is of type Stormtrooper compare id property
// if T is of type Sith compare id and anger_level property
var csv_item = csv_list.FirstOrDefault(x => x.reference_number == db_item.reference_number);
// Comparison code
ComparisonResult result = compareLogic.Compare(db_item, csv_item);
// ...
}
return diff;
}
}
It is called from another generic service:
public static void Whatever<T>(List<T> list)
{
// ...
var directory_path = "C:\";
var delta = CompareService.CompareData<T>(list, directory_path);
// ...
}
The most naive implementation would be to check if your itemToFind can be cast to DeathStar, StormTrooper or Sith and if so call the instances property.
var deathStar = itemToFind as DeathStar;
if(deathStar != null)
return database_list.Where(x => ((DeathStar)x).reference_number == deathStar.reference_number).FirstOrDefault();
else
{
var sith = itemToFind as Sith;
if(sith != null)
return database_list.Where(x => ((Sith)x).anger_level == sith.anger_level).FirstOrDefault();
else
return database_list.Where(x => ((StormTrooper)x).id== ((StormTrooper)item).id).FirstOrDefault();
}
This is quite cumbersome, including many casts. In particular it completely bypasses the actual benefits of generics using any arbitrary type (that fullfills the constraints if existing). In your case you´d have a generic method that will only wortk for three decent types.
A better approach is to let all your classes implement a common interface that defines a property, for instance:
interface IObject {
int Level { get; }
}
Now all classes define that level-property:
clas DeathStar : IObject
{
public int Level { get { return this.reference_number; } }
}
clas Sith : IObject
{
public int Level { get { return this.anger_level; } }
}
clas StormTrooper: IObject
{
public int Level { get { return this.id; } }
}
Than you can use a constraint on your type T to implement that interface:
public static T CompareData<T>(List<T> list, T itemToFind) where T: IObject
Why not like this:
public static T CompareData<T>(List<T> list, Func<T, bool> predicate)
{
return database_list.FirstOrDefault(predicate);
}
And then use it like this:
var itemToFind = new ItemToFind();
var myObjectList = new List<MyObject>();
var item = CompareData<MyObject>(myObjectList, x=> x.MyObjectProperty == itemToFind.Id);
You could add a property selector:
public static class CompareService
{
public static T CompareData<T>(this List<T> list, T itemToFind, Func<T, int> propSelector)
{
int propToFind = propSelector(itemToFind); // cache
return database_list.FirstOrDefault(x => propSelector(x) == propToFind);
}
}
And call it like that:
listOfDeathstars.CompareData(deathStarToFind, ds => ds.reference_number);
listOfStormtroopers.CompareData(trooperToFind, t => t.id);
listOfSiths.CompareData(sithStarToFind, sith => new { sith.id, sith.anger_level});
Note: I added the this keyword in the signature to make it an extension (not sure if you intended that but forgot the keyword). And Where(predicate).FirstOrDefault() can be reduced to FirstOrDefault(predicate).
Ive got what I think may be an unusual problem (Ive searched around a lot for an answer, but I dont think Ive found one).
I have messages that are read from a queue and depending on the message type contains a payload that needs to be deserialized into a concrete c# class. This needs to eventually be concrete (I cant use generics the whole way) because Im using Expression Trees to perform Evaluations on the classes that arrive from the queue.
The base class looks like this:
public abstract class BaseRuleMessage<T>
{
public abstract Func<T, bool> CompileRule(Rule r, T msg);
public T Deserialize(ClientEventQueueMessage message)
{
return JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<T>(message.Payload);
}
public BaseRuleMessage()
{
RulesCompleted = new List<int>();
}
public IEnumerable<Rule> FilterRules(RuleGroup ruleGroup)
{
return ruleGroup.Rules.Where(item =>
!RulesCompleted.Any(r => r.Equals(item.Id)));
}
I implement the base class like this:
public class UiTransactionUpdate : BaseRuleMessage<UiTransactionUpdate>
{
public override Func<UiTransactionUpdate, bool> CompileRule(Rule r, UiTransactionUpdate msg)
{
var expression = Expression.Parameter(typeof(UiTransactionUpdate));
Expression expr = BuildExpr(r, expression, msg);
return Expression.Lambda<Func<UiTransactionUpdate, bool>>(expr, expression).Compile();
}
public Guid TransactionId { get; set; }
public Guid GroupId { get; set; }
public decimal StatusValue { get; set; }
I then do something like this to call:
switch (message.MessageType)
{
case "UI_UPDATE":
{
message.Payload = RemoveNullGroupIdReference(jsonPayload, message.Payload);
var deserializedMessage = new UiTransactionUpdate().Deserialize(message);
deserializedMessage.RulesCompleted = deserializedMessage.RulesCompleted ?? new List<int>();
foreach (var rule in deserializedMessage.FilterRules(ruleGroup))
{
What I really want to know is how can I create a factory (or can I?) to be able to define the implementation of the base class in such a way that I can return a concrete class to use for my expression tree evaluations without having to repeat all the calling code for each type.
I avoided using dynamic but this meant that I had pass the object around as an object. I prefer not to use dynamic but in this case, casting objects at run-time may not be any better.
I also had to change the code so that instead of returning a Func<T, bool>, there is a method that would execute the Func. This was to avoid referring to the generic class. I'm not sure if you actually need the Func in your actual implementation.
I had to create a new base class that wasn't generically typed.
// Horrible name, do change it to something more appropriate
public abstract class BaseBaseRuleMessage
{
public IList<int> RulesCompleted { get; set; }
public IEnumerable<Rule> FilterRules(RuleGroup ruleGroup)
{
return ruleGroup.Rules.Where(item =>
!RulesCompleted.Any(r => r.Equals(item.Id)));
}
public BaseBaseRuleMessage DeserializeToBaseBaseRuleMessage(ClientEventQueueMessage message)
{
return (BaseBaseRuleMessage) DeserializeToType(message);
}
protected abstract object DeserializeToType(ClientEventQueueMessage message);
public abstract bool ExecuteRule(Rule rule, object msg);
}
Updated the BaseRuleMessage to derive from BaseBaseRuleMessage (and moved some properties to the base class.
public abstract class BaseRuleMessage<T> : BaseBaseRuleMessage
where T : BaseRuleMessage<T>
{
public abstract Func<T, bool> CompileRule(Rule r, T msg);
protected override object DeserializeToType(ClientEventQueueMessage message)
{
return JsonConvert.DeserializeObject(message.Payload, typeof(T));
}
protected BaseRuleMessage()
{
RulesCompleted = new List<int>();
}
public override bool ExecuteRule(Rule rule, object msg)
{
var message = (T) msg;
if (message == null)
{
throw new InvalidOperationException();
}
return CompileRule(rule, message).Invoke(message);
}
}
The concrete class is basically the same. I've implemented my own BuildExpr to make sure the code can compile.
public class UiTransactionUpdate : BaseRuleMessage<UiTransactionUpdate>
{
public override Func<UiTransactionUpdate, bool> CompileRule(Rule r, UiTransactionUpdate msg)
{
var expression = Expression.Parameter(typeof(UiTransactionUpdate));
Expression expr = BuildExpr(r, expression, msg);
return Expression.Lambda<Func<UiTransactionUpdate, bool>>(expr, expression).Compile();
}
public Guid TransactionId { get; set; }
public Guid GroupId { get; set; }
public decimal StatusValue { get; set; }
private Expression BuildExpr(Rule rule, ParameterExpression parameterExpression, UiTransactionUpdate message)
{
var transactionIdProperty = Expression.Property(parameterExpression, "TransactionId");
var value = Expression.Constant(rule.TransactionId);
return Expression.Equal(transactionIdProperty, value);
}
}
To use it:
var messageTypeToTypeMap = new Dictionary<string, Func<BaseBaseRuleMessage>>
{
{"UI_UPDATE", () => new UiTransactionUpdate()}
};
var factoryFunc = messageTypeToTypeMap[message.MessageType];
message.Payload = RemoveNullGroupIdReference(jsonPayload, message.Payload);
var ruleMessage = factoryFunc.Invoke();
var deserializedMessage = ruleMessage.DeserializeToBaseBaseRuleMessage(message);
deserializedMessage.RulesCompleted = deserializedMessage.RulesCompleted ?? new List<int>();
foreach (var rule in deserializedMessage.FilterRules(ruleGroup))
{
var isTrue = deserializedMessage.ExecuteRule(rule, deserializedMessage);
}
I have created an architecture in my C# code which does exactly what I want, but seems it would be very difficult to maintain in the long-run and am hoping there's a design pattern / better architecture I could be pointed towards.
I have created an object Test which, again, does exactly what I need perfectly which has the following structure:
class Test
{
public static Dictionary<string, Func<Test, object>> MethodDictionary;
public double Var1;
public double Var2;
private Lazy<object> _test1;
public object Test1 { get { return _test1.Value; } }
private Lazy<object> _test2;
public object Test2 { get { return _test2.Value; } }
public Test()
{
_test1 = new Lazy<object>(() => MethodDictionary["Test1"](this), true);
_test2 = new Lazy<object>(() => MethodDictionary["Test2"](this), true);
}
}
What this allows me to do is, at run-time to assign a dictionary of functions to my Test object and the 2 properties Test1 & Test2 will use the functions loaded into it to return values.
The implementation looking somewhat as follows:
class Program
{
static void Main(string[] args)
{
Dictionary<string, Func<Test, object>> MethodDictionary = new Dictionary<string,Func<Test,object>>();
MethodDictionary.Add("Test1", TestMethod1);
MethodDictionary.Add("Test2", TestMethod2);
Test.MethodDictionary = MethodDictionary;
var x = new Test() { Var1 = 20, Var2 = 30 };
Console.WriteLine(x.Test1.ToString());
Console.WriteLine(x.Test2.ToString());
Console.ReadKey();
}
private static object TestMethod1(Test t)
{ return t.Var1 + t.Var2; }
private static object TestMethod2(Test t)
{ return t.Var1 - t.Var2; }
}
And it works great and has proven very efficient for large sets of Test objects.
My challenge is that if I ever want to add in a new method to my Test class, I need to add in the:
private Lazy<object> _myNewMethod;
public object MyNewMethod { get { return _myNewMethod.Value; } }
Update the constuctor with the key to look for in the dictionary
And, although that is pretty simple, I'd love to have a 1-line add-in (maybe some form of custom object) or have the properties read directly form the dictionary without any need for defining them at all.
Any ideas? ANY help would be great!!!
Thanks!!!
One of the ways in which you could achieve your desired behavior, is to use something that resembles a miniature IoC framework for field injection, tuned to your specific use case.
To make things easier, allow less typing in your concrete classes and make things type-safe, we introduce the LazyField type:
public class LazyField<T>
{
private static readonly Lazy<T> Default = new Lazy<T>();
private readonly Lazy<T> _lazy;
public LazyField() : this(Default) { }
public LazyField(Lazy<T> lazy)
{
_lazy = lazy;
}
public override string ToString()
{
return _lazy.Value.ToString();
}
public static implicit operator T(LazyField<T> instance)
{
return instance._lazy.Value;
}
}
Furthermore, we define an abstract base class, that ensures that these fields will be created at construction time:
public abstract class AbstractLazyFieldHolder
{
protected AbstractLazyFieldHolder()
{
LazyFields.BuildUp(this); // ensures fields are populated.
}
}
Skipping for a moment how this is achieved (explained further below), this allows the following way of defining your Test class:
public class Test : AbstractLazyFieldHolder
{
public double Var1;
public double Var2;
public readonly LazyField<double> Test1;
public readonly LazyField<double> Test2;
}
Note that these fields are immutable, initialized in the constructor. Now, for your usage example, the below snippet shows the "new way" of doing this:
LazyFields.Configure<Test>()
// We can use a type-safe lambda
.SetProvider(x => x.Test1, inst => inst.Var1 + inst.Var2)
// Or the field name.
.SetProvider("Test2", TestMethod2);
var x = new Test() { Var1 = 20, Var2 = 30 };
Console.WriteLine(x.Test1);
double test2Val = x.Test2; // type-safe conversion
Console.WriteLine(test2Val);
// Output:
// 50
// -10
The class below provides the services that support the configuration and injection of these field value.
public static class LazyFields
{
private static readonly ConcurrentDictionary<Type, IBuildUp> _registry = new ConcurrentDictionary<Type,IBuildUp>();
public interface IConfigureType<T> where T : class
{
IConfigureType<T> SetProvider<FT>(string fieldName, Func<T, FT> provider);
IConfigureType<T> SetProvider<F, FT>(Expression<Func<T, F>> fieldExpression, Func<T, FT> provider) where F : LazyField<FT>;
}
public static void BuildUp(object instance)
{
System.Diagnostics.Debug.Assert(instance != null);
var builder = _registry.GetOrAdd(instance.GetType(), BuildInitializer);
builder.BuildUp(instance);
}
public static IConfigureType<T> Configure<T>() where T : class
{
return (IConfigureType<T>)_registry.GetOrAdd(typeof(T), BuildInitializer);
}
private interface IBuildUp
{
void BuildUp(object instance);
}
private class TypeCfg<T> : IBuildUp, IConfigureType<T> where T : class
{
private readonly List<FieldInfo> _fields;
private readonly Dictionary<string, Action<T>> _initializers;
public TypeCfg()
{
_fields = typeof(T)
.GetFields(BindingFlags.Instance | BindingFlags.Public)
.Where(IsLazyField)
.ToList();
_initializers = _fields.ToDictionary(x => x.Name, BuildDefaultSetter);
}
public IConfigureType<T> SetProvider<FT>(string fieldName, Func<T,FT> provider)
{
var pi = _fields.First(x => x.Name == fieldName);
_initializers[fieldName] = BuildSetter<FT>(pi, provider);
return this;
}
public IConfigureType<T> SetProvider<F,FT>(Expression<Func<T,F>> fieldExpression, Func<T,FT> provider)
where F : LazyField<FT>
{
return SetProvider((fieldExpression.Body as MemberExpression).Member.Name, provider);
}
public void BuildUp(object instance)
{
var typedInstance = (T)instance;
foreach (var initializer in _initializers.Values)
initializer(typedInstance);
}
private bool IsLazyField(FieldInfo fi)
{
return fi.FieldType.IsGenericType && fi.FieldType.GetGenericTypeDefinition() == typeof(LazyField<>);
}
private Action<T> BuildDefaultSetter(FieldInfo fi)
{
var itemType = fi.FieldType.GetGenericArguments()[0];
var defValue = Activator.CreateInstance(typeof(LazyField<>).MakeGenericType(itemType));
return (inst) => fi.SetValue(inst, defValue);
}
private Action<T> BuildSetter<FT>(FieldInfo fi, Func<T, FT> provider)
{
return (inst) => fi.SetValue(inst, new LazyField<FT>(new Lazy<FT>(() => provider(inst))));
}
}
private static IBuildUp BuildInitializer(Type targetType)
{
return (IBuildUp)Activator.CreateInstance(typeof(TypeCfg<>).MakeGenericType(targetType));
}
}
Look at library https://github.com/ekonbenefits/impromptu-interface.
With it and using DynamicObject i wrote sample code that shows how to simplify adding new methods:
public class Methods
{
public Methods()
{
MethodDictionary = new Dictionary<string, Func<ITest, object>>();
LazyObjects = new Dictionary<string, Lazy<object>>();
}
public Dictionary<string, Func<ITest, object>> MethodDictionary { get; private set; }
public Dictionary<string, Lazy<object>> LazyObjects { get; private set; }
}
public class Proxy : DynamicObject
{
Methods _methods;
public Proxy()
{
_methods = new Methods();
}
public override bool TryGetMember(GetMemberBinder binder, out object result)
{
result = _methods.LazyObjects[binder.Name].Value;
return true;
}
public override bool TrySetMember(SetMemberBinder binder, object value)
{
_methods.MethodDictionary[binder.Name] = (Func<ITest, object>)value;
_methods.LazyObjects[binder.Name] = new Lazy<object>(() => _methods.MethodDictionary[binder.Name](this.ActLike<ITest>()), true);
return true;
}
}
//now you can add new methods by add single method to interface
public interface ITest
{
object Test1 { get; set; }
object Test2 { get; set; }
}
class Program
{
static void Main(string[] args)
{
var x = new Proxy().ActLike<ITest>();
x.Test1 = new Func<ITest, object>((y) => "Test1");
x.Test2 = new Func<ITest, object>((y) => "Test2");
Console.WriteLine(x.Test1);
Console.WriteLine(x.Test2);
}
}
I don't know what you are trying to do, but I think you can use a simpler approach like this:
class Test
{
public static Dictionary<string, Func<Test, object>> MethodDictionary;
public double Var1;
public double Var2;
}
Calling the function is simple:
static void Main(string[] args)
{
Dictionary<string, Func<Test, object>> MethodDictionary = new Dictionary<string,Func<Test,object>>();
MethodDictionary.Add("Test1", TestMethod1);
MethodDictionary.Add("Test2", TestMethod2);
Test.MethodDictionary = MethodDictionary;
var x = new Test() { Var1 = 20, Var2 = 30 };
Console.WriteLine(Test.MethodDictionary["Test1"](x).ToString());
Console.WriteLine(Test.MethodDictionary["Test2"](x).ToString());
Console.ReadKey();
}
Basically i have a container which implements IEquatable (sample shown below)
public class ContainerClass : IEquatable<ContainerClass>
{
public IEnumerable<CustomClass> CustomClass { get; set; }
public override bool Equals(object obj) { ... }
public bool Equals(ContainerClass other) { ... }
public static bool operator ==(ContainerClass cc1, ContainerClass cc2) { ... }
public static bool operator !=(ContainerClass cc1, ContainerClass cc2) { ... }
public override int GetHashCode() { ... }
}
and a CustomClass which also implements IEquatable
public class CustomClass : IEquatable<CustomClass>
{
public string stringone { get; set; }
public string stringtwo { get; set; }
public override bool Equals(object obj) { ... }
public bool Equals(CustomClass other) { ... }
public static bool operator ==(CustomClass cc1, CustomClass cc2) { ... }
public static bool operator !=(CustomClass cc1, CustomClass cc2) { ... }
public override int GetHashCode() { ... }
}
All this is working fine, so for example, the following works
IEnumerable<CustomClass> customclassone = new List<CustomClass>
{
new CustomClass { stringone = "hi" },
new CustomClass { stringone = "lo" }
};
IEnumerable<CustomClass> customclasstwo = new List<CustomClass>
{
new CustomClass { stringone = "hi" }
};
var diff = customclassone.Except(customclasstwo);
ContainerClass containerclassone = new ContainerClass
{
CustomClass = customclassone.AsEnumerable()
};
ContainerClass containerclasstwo = new ContainerClass
{
CustomClass = customclasstwo.AsEnumerable()
};
var diff2 = containerclassone.CustomClass.Except(customclasstwo.CustomClass);
After this code both diff and diff2 when enumerated contain the expected results. However, if i then try
IEnumerable<CustomClass> oldCustom = oldContainerClass.CustomClass;
IEnumerable<CustomClass> newcustom = newContainerClass.CustomClass;
var exceptlist = oldCustom.Except(newcustom);
When i try to enumerate the exceptlist i get "At least one object must implement IComparable.". The only difference between oldCustom and newCustom from the ones in the above working examples is the way they are populated. Anyone got any idea why this is happening?
I suspect that you attempted to sort these contents of the ContainerClass.CustomClass. Due to the deferred execution, you don't know there's a problem until you iterate through it and Except() is just a red herring. CustomClass doesn't implement the IComparable interface so the sort fails with that error. Your CustomClass should either implement the IComparable<T> interface or you should pass in an IComparer on your OrderBy().
e.g.,
oldContainerClass.CustomClass = someListOfSomeType.OrderBy(x => x.CustomClasss, myComparer)
.Select(x => x.CustomClass);
Though it would help to see what exactly you assigned to these properties so we can give you a more precise reason.
Below is a heavily cut down version of some code I have
public class DataInfo<T>
{
public DataInfo(string description, Func<T, object> funcToGetValue)
{
this.description = description;
this.funcToGetValue= funcToGetValue;
}
public readonly string description;
public readonly Func<T, object> funcToGetValue;
}
public class DataType1
{
public int fieldA { get; set; }
public string fieldB { get; set; }
}
public class CurrentUse
{
static List<DataInfo<DataType1>> data1 = new List<DataInfo<DataType1>>()
{
new DataInfo<DataType1>("someStuff", data => data.fieldA),
new DataInfo<DataType1>("someOtherStuff", data => data.fieldB)
};
}
(There are many types, and don't worry not everything is public really!)
This is working and is OK as far as it goes, but the fact that I have to keep repeating new DataInfo<DataType1> bothers me a bit.
I tried creating a non generic helper verion of DataInfo to create the objects for me as so
public class DataInfo
{
public static DataInfo<T> Create<T>(string description, Func<T, object> func)
{
return new DataInfo<T>(description, func);
}
}
public class DesiredUse
{
static List<DataInfo<DataType1>> data1 = new List<DataInfo<DataType1>>()
{
DataInfo.Create("someStuff", data => data.fieldA),
DataInfo.Create("someOtherStuff", data => data.fieldB)
};
}
But that doesn't work as it the compiler cannot resolve fieldA & fieldB as it cannot infer the type of data.
Any ideas how I can get rid of the duplicated type info? I don't mind making changes, as long as I end up with a list of DataInfos
I'd create a builder class:
public sealed class DataInfoListBuilder<T> : IEnumerable
{
private readonly List<DataInfo<T>> list = new List<DataInfo<T>>();
public void Add(string description, Func<T, object> function)
{
list.Add(DataInfo.Create<T>(description, function));
}
public List<DataInfo<T>> Build()
{
return list;
}
public IEnumerator GetEnumerator()
{
throw new InvalidOperationException
("IEnumerator only implemented for the benefit of the C# compiler");
}
}
Then use it as:
static List<DataInfo<DataType1>> data1 = new DataInfoListBuilder<DataType1>
{
{ "someStuff", data => data.fieldA },
{ "someOtherStuff", data => data.fieldB }
}.Build();
I haven't tested it, but I think that should work. You could make it a non-generic type within DataInfo, in which case you'd use:
static List<DataInfo<DataType1>> data1 = new DataInfo<DataType1>.Builder
{ ... }.Build();
You can possibly inherit from List> and provide a specialized add method:
public class SpecialList<T> : List<DataInfo<T>>
{
public void Add(string description, Func<T, object> func)
{
base.Add(new DataInfo<T>(description, func));
}
}
Then, you can use it like this:
public class CurrentUse
{
public static SpecialList<DataType1> Data1
{
get
{
SpecialList<DataType1> list = new SpecialList<DataType1>();
list.Add("someStuff", data => data.fieldA);
list.Add("someOtherStuff", data => data.fieldB);
return list;
}
}