I'm learning C# and coming from a Java world, I was a little confused to see that C# doesn't have a "package private". Most comments I've seen regarding this amount to "You cannot do it; the language wasn't designed this way". I also saw some workarounds that involve internal and partial along with comments that said these workarounds go against the language's design.
Why was C# designed this way? Also, how would I do something like the following: I have a Product class and a ProductInstance class. The only way I want a ProductInstance to be created is via a factory method in the Product class. In Java, I would put ProductInstance in the same package as Product, but make its constructor package private so that only Product would have access to it. This way, anyone who wants to create a ProductInstance can only do so via the factory method in the Product class. How would I accomplish the same thing in C#?
internal is what you are after. It means the member is accessible by any class in the same assembly. There is nothing wrong with using it for this purpose (Product & ProductInstance), and is one of the things for which it was designed. C# chose not to make namespaces significant -- they are used for organization, not to determine what types can see one another, as in java with package private.
partial is nothing at all like internal or package private. It is simply a way to split the implementation of a class into multiple files, with some extensibility options thrown in for good measure.
Packages don't really exist in the same way as they do in Java. Namespaces are used to organize code and prevent naming clashes, but not for access control. Projects/assemblies can be used for access control, but you can't have nested projects/assemblies like you can with packages.
Use internal to hide one project's members from another.
Related
I am currently working with a piece of software known as Kofax TotalAgility or KTA for short.
This is Business Process Automation Software, which I have the "pleasure" of expanding with custom .net libraries.
I have been creating a MS Graph library to perform actions with the MS Graph API. The API works great and I am quite pleased with how it turned out.
However due to the way KTA is accessing methods in classes I have used "Data classes" (dont know if that is the right word) to use as input parameters for my methods. To be clear these methods have no functionality other than to store data for methods to use, the reason I am doing this, is because of the way it is structured in the KTA class inspector (I am assuming that KTA uses the IL Code from my library to create a list of classes and methods).
This is what I am expecting the user is shown when they are using my methods. As you can see by using classes as input parameters I get this nice hierarchical structure.
By using classes as input parameters another issue occurs which is that my "Data Classes" are show in the list of classes, which produces alot of unnecessary clutter.
Is there a way to hide these classes from the inspector? I get that it might be an internal KTA issue, which of course would mean I am not asking in the right place, and it is an internal Kofax issue.
However if there is some C# or .NET way of doing this, that would be preferable.
There are a number of different terms for the data/parameter classes that you mention, such as DTO (data transfer objects), POCO (plain old C# objects), or the one that you can see in the KTA product dlls: model classes.
There is not a direct way to hide public classes from KTA. However, when you use the KTA API via the TotalAgility.Sdk.dll, you notice that you don’t see all of the parameter classes mixed in with the list of the classes that hold the SDK functions. The reason is just that these objects are in a separate referenced assembly: Agility.Sdk.Model.dll. When you are configuring a .NET activity/action in KTA, it will only list the classes directly in the assembly that you specify, not referenced assemblies.
If you are using local assembly references in KTA, then this should work because you can just have your referenced assembly in the same folder as your main dll. However if you are ILMerging into a single dll to can add it to the .NET assembly store, then this approach won’t work.
When ILMerged together, the best you can do is to have your parameter classes grouped in a namespace that helps make it clear. What I do is have a main project with just one class that acts as a wrapper for any functions I want to expose. Then use ILMerge with the internalize option, which changes visibility to internal for any types not in the primary assembly. To allow the model classes to still be public, I keep them in a specific namespace and add that namespace to the exclude list for the internalize command. See Internalizing Assemblies with ILMerge for more detail.
Keep in mind that anyone seeing this list is configuring a function call with your dll. Even if they are not a skilled developer, they should at least have some competence for this type of task (hopefully). So even if the list shows a bunch of model classes, it shouldn’t be too hard to follow instructions if you tell them which class is to be used.
I am a Java developer, totally new to C#. I am currently writing a DLL for distribution across my organization. It is a very simple library containing a couple of classes and I do not see any real use in putting all of them into some namespace just for the sake of it. Do I really have to use a namespace? If so, why? Is it some kind of a best practice?
Do you need one? No. Should you have one? Yes. It'll help prevent clashes with identically named classes in other namespaces without having to resort to the (IMHO) ugly use of global::.
For throwaway test apps (e.g. checking Stack Overflow answers), I don't use a namespace. For anything else, I do. It's just an organization thing - if you're going to reuse code, it's helpful to separate it from other code you're also reusing in the same context. What I mean is, if you're creating an app using LibraryX and LibraryY, it's useful to be able to differentiate between them within the app. It's possible that they both use the same class names, for example - which will make the code ugly if you don't use namespaces.
Aside from anything else, if you're coding with Visual Studio it's actually more work not to include a namespace - you've got to modify the project to give it an empty default namespace.
There is no need to have a namespace. However developer studio expects you to be using a name space. For example, when you choose to add a class to a project developer studio will:
Create a file for the class
Add the file to the project
Create an empty class (in the above file) that is in the project’s default namespace.
A “project’s default namespace” is a developer studio concept not a C# concept and is set in the properties of the project.
As you are creating a dll for others to use, it will be a lot easier for the users of your dll if you have a name space:
People expect you to have a namespace (so may be confused if you don’t)
Namespaces make it a lot easier for your users if you have class (or enum etc) that is named the same as another class in any dll they are linking to.
Therefore I don’t see a good reason not to use a namespace.
My vote for "yes" i think it is good habit to use namespace. you can not be sure that people won't use same class names.
To respond to your comment about naming a class the same as it's namespace, read a little bit of the following article.
Short version: don't do that.
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/ericlippert/archive/2010/03/09/do-not-name-a-class-the-same-as-its-namespace-part-one.aspx
Basically System is a root namespace in asp.net C#.
In .net every programs is create with a default name space. This default namespace is called global name space. But program itself create any numbers of namespace, each of unique name.
learn more
http://asp-net-by-parijat.blogspot.in/2015/08/what-is-namespace-in-c-need-of.html
I am designing a WPF application that uses a DLL with maybe 40 public classes. I need these to be public for a variety of reasons including ease of data binding and obfuscation. I would like to allow other people to use only a portion of these classes as an API for my software.
I thought I would create the main library (core.dll) and an API library (coreAPI.dll) with the API DLL to be referenced in a new project. Is there a way to allow coreAPI.dll to expose only a few of the classes that exist in core.dll? It's not so much a security issue as I primarily want to simply hide some of the unwanted classes from the Visual Studio Intellisense.
Again, internal classes for the ones I want to hide is not really an option because I need to data bind some of these classes in WPF and for that, they must be public. Are there any other ways of doing this?
As Damien already mentioned, if the only thing you'd like to do is to hide from Intellisense you can add the following attribute to your hidden classes:
[System.ComponentModel.EditorBrowsable(System.ComponentModel.EditorBrowsableState.Never)]
If the primary issue is Intellisense, then moving these classes into a separate namespace would surely do the trick?
Of course, you could split the classes into two separate assemblies. You may have some issues there with having to expose more classes than you want (because they now live in separate assemblies), which might be resolvable using the InternalsVisibleTo attribute
Is there a concept in C# of class definition and implementation similar to what you find in C++?
I prefer to keep my class definitions simple by removing most, if no every, implementations details (it depends on several factors as you may know, but generally I move towards leaving most member implementation details outside the class definition). This has the benefit of giving me a bird's eye view of the class and its functionality.
However in C# it seems I'm forced to define my member functions at the point of declaration. Can this be avoided, or circumvent some way?
During my apprenticeship of C#, this is one aspect that is bothering me. Classes, especially complex ones, become increasingly harder to read.
This is really a case of needing to step back and see the bigger picture. Visual studio has many, many tools to help you write and manipulate your code, from outlining, #regions, class view, class diagrams, the Code Definition Window and many more.
C# isn't C++, if you try to make it so then you'll trip over yourself and no-one else will be able to read your code.
A day spent learning to use the Visual Studio tools will repay the investment many times over in terms of productivity and you'll soon wonder how you ever lived with that C++ way of doing things.
Update in response to comments
I have long since stopped regarding my code as simple text files. I regard code as an organic thing and I find that allowing myself to rely on a feature-rich IDE lets me move up and down levels of abstraction more easily and enhances my productivity no end. I suppose that could be a personal trait and perhaps it is not for everyone; I have a very 'visual' mind and I work best when I can see things in pictures.
That said, a clever IDE is not an excuse for poor style. There are best practices for writing "clean code" that don't require an smart IDE. One of the principles of clean code is to keep the definition of something near its use and I think that could be extended to cover declaration and definition. Personally, I think that separating the declaration and definition makes the code less clear. If you are finding that you get monster classes that are hard to understand, then that might be a sign that you're violating the Single Responsibility Principle.
The reason for separate definition and declaration in c/C++ is because C++ uses a single pass compiler, where forward references cannot be resolved later, unlike C# and its two-pass compiler which can happily find references regardless of the order of declaration. This difference stems from the different design philosphies of the compilers: C/C++ considers each source file to be a unit of compilation, whereas in C# the entire project is considered to be the unit of compilation. I suppose when you are used to working in the C/C++ way then separating the declaration and definition can appear to be a desirable element of style, but I personally believe that keeping declaration and use (or in this case declaration and definition) enhances, rather then reduces, readability. I used to be a C programmer myself until I started using C# in 2001. I always loved C and thought it's way of doing things was the 'bees knees'. These days when I read C/C++ code I think it looks absolutely horrendous and I can't believe we used to put up with working that way. It's all a matter of what you are used to, I suppose.
If you're using Visual Studio, you can take advantage of the Class View. You can also use the expand/collapse features of the source code editor.
In the improbable case that your tools don't help, you can always write a quick utility that will summarize the class for you.
If the class has been compiled, you can use Reflector to view the class, too.
No, there is no concept of implementation and header files in C# like you find in C/C++. The closest you can come to this is to use an interface, but the interface can only define the public members of your class. You would then end up with a 1-to-1 mapping of classes and interfaces, which really isn't the intent for how interfaces are to be used.
You could get a similar result by defining an interface for each of your classes which they then implement.
It sounds like you're referring to interfaces. In c#, you can define all of your member functions in an interface, and then implement them in another class.
In C# you could fake it with partial classes and partial members to a point, however, forward declarations and prototypes go the way of the dodo bird with your newer languages. Class View, Class Diagrams, Intellisense, et al, all help to remove the potential need for those "features".
Define an interface.
Then it's nice to be able to automatically implement the interface using a nice code assist tool.
If you find that a class is hard to read or difficult to understand, that's often a sign that the class is trying to do too much. Instead of trying to duplicate C++'s separation of declarations and definitions, consider refactoring the troublesome class into several classes so that each class has less responsibility.
Whenever it's possible or desirable, I'll go with the previous responses and define an interface. but it's not always appropriate.
alternatively, you can work around this "problem" by using some static code inspection tools. Resharper's "File Structure" window will give you exactly what you want. you can also use the built in "Class View" from visual studio. but I prefer the former.
The prototyping that I guess you are referring to does not really exist in C#. Defining interfaces as others have suggested will give you a point where you have declarations of your methods collected, but it's not the same thing as prototypes, and I am not so sure that it will help you in making your implementation classes easier to read.
C# is not C++, and should probably not be treated as C++.
Not sure what you mean by your classes continue to grow and become hard to read. Do you mean you want a header file like view of a class's members? If so, like John suggested, can't you just collapse the implementation so you don't have to see it?
If you don't want every class to implement a certain thing, then interfaces are probably the way to go (like others are saying).
But as a side thought, if your classes themselves get more and more complex as a your write the program, perhaps it's more of a design issue than a language problem? I think a class should have one responsibility and not take on more and more responsibilities as the program grows, rather the number of classes and how old classes are used should grow and get more complex as you continue to develop your software?
There are two remedies for this to make it more C++-ish:
Create an interface file that declares all method signatures and properties
Implement that interface in a class across multiple files by using the partial modifier on the class definitions
Edits:
// File: ICppLikeInterface.cs
public interface ICppLikeInterface
{
...
}
// File: CppLikeImplementation1.cs
public partial class CppLikeImplementation : ICppLikeInterface
{
...
}
// File: CppLikeImplementation2.cs
public partial class CppLikeImplementation : ICppLikeInterface
{
...
}
The C++ way of separating interface into a header file is mostly (I think) due to an early design decision when C was created to allow fast, incremental compilations during the "old days", as the compiler throws away any meta data, contrary to Smalltalk. This is not a matter with C# (nor Java) where tens of thousands of lines compiles within seconds on recent hardware (C++ still doesn't)
I'm working with a 3rd party c# class that has lots of great methods and properties - but as time has gone by I need to extend that class with methods and properties of my own. If it was my code I would just use that class as my base class and add my own properties and method on top - but this class has an internal constructor. (In my opinion it was short sited to make the constructor internal in the first place - why limit the ability to subclass?)
The only thing I could think of was to create method / properties on my class that simply called into theirs - but it's acres of code and, well, it just doesn't "feel" right.
Is there any way to use this class a base class?
You ask: "Why limit the ability to subclass?"
Because designing for inheritance is tricky, particularly if you're designing for other developers to inherit from your class. As Josh Bloch says in Effective Java, you should design for inheritance or prohibit it. In my view, unless you have a good reason to design for inheritance, you shouldn't do so speculatively.
Does the class implement an interface which you could also implement (possibly by proxying most calls back to an instance of the original)? There's often no really elegant answer here - and the best solution will depend on the exact situation, including what you're trying to add to the class.
If you're not adding any more state - just convenience methods, effectively - then extension methods may work well for you. But they don't change what data an object is capable of storing, so if you need to add your own specialised data, that won't work.
Sounds like a perfect application for extension methods:
MSDN extension method docs
"Extension methods enable you to "add" methods to existing types without creating a new derived type, recompiling, or otherwise modifying the original type. Extension methods are a special kind of static method, but they are called as if they were instance methods on the extended type. For client code written in C# and Visual Basic, there is no apparent difference between calling an extension method and the methods that are actually defined in a type."
If the class has an internal constructor, and there are no public constructors, then that suggests that the designers did not intend for it to be subclassed. In that case, you can use encapsulation, or you can use extension methods.
Only if your class lives in the same assembly as the class you want to inherit from. An internal constructor limits the concrete implementations of the abstract class to the assembly defining the class. A class containing an internal constructor cannot be instantiated outside of the assembly.
Resharper has a nice feature to create delegating members.
Here is a sample of what you can do with it. It takes a couple of seconds.
I will not discuss whether you can build your own Facade around that 3rd party class. Previous authors are right, the library could be designed in the way that will not allow this. Suppose they have some coupled classes that have singletons that should be initialized in specific order or something like this - there may be a lot of design mistakes (or features) that 3rd party developers never care about, because they do not suppose that you will use their library in that way.
But OK, lets suppose that building a facade is not an impossible task, and you have in fact only one problem - there are too many methods you have to write wrappers around, and it is not good to do this manually.
I see 3 solutions to address exactly that problem
1) I suppose that new "dynamic" types of .NET 4.0 will allow you to workaround that problem without having to write "acres of code"
You should incapsulate an instance of 3rd party class into your class as a privare member with dynamic keyword
Your class should be derived from Dynamic or implement IDynamicObject interface. You will have to implement GetMember/SetMember functions that will forward all calls to the encapsulated instance of 3rd party class
Well, c# 4.0 is a future, Let's see on other solutions:
2) Do not write code manually if you have significant number of public methods (say more then 100). I would write a little console app that uses reflection and finds all public members and then automatically generates code to call encapsulated instance. For example
public type MethodName(params)
{
this.anInstanceOf3rdPartyClass.MethodName(params);
}
3) You can do the same as 2, but with the help of existing reflection tools, for example RedGate .NET Reflector. It will help you to list all classes and methods signatures. Then, paste all this in Word and a simple VB macro will let you generate the same code as you could do in 2.
Remark: As soon as you are not copying the code, but only copying method signatures, that are publicly available, I don't think you will violate the license agreement, but anyway it worth to re-check