I have a constructor that is in generated code. I don't want to change the generated code (cause it would get overwritten when I regenerate), but I need to add some functionality to the constructor.
Here is some example code:
// Generated file
public partial class MyGeneratedClass
{
public MyGeneratedClass()
{
Does some generated stuff
}
}
The only solution I can come up with is this:
// My hand made file
public partial class MyGeneratedClass
{
public MyGeneratedClass(bool useOtherConstructor):this()
{
do my added functinallity
}
}
I am fairly sure this will work, but I then have a lame unused param to my constructors and I have to go change them all. Is there a better way? If not that is fine, but I thought I would ask.
If you're using C# 3 and can change the generator, you can use partial methods:
// MyGeneratedClass.Generated.cs
public partial class MyGeneratedClass
{
public MyGeneratedClass()
{
// Does some generated stuff
OnConstructorEnd();
}
partial void OnConstructorEnd();
}
// MyGeneratedClass.cs
public partial class MyGeneratedClass
{
partial void OnConstructorEnd()
{
// Do stuff here
}
}
Would your environment allow you to inherit from MyGeneratedClass rather than have it as a partial class. You could then override the constructor?
Assuming you can't change the generator output, unfortunately, your options are a bit limited, and not ideal considering what you're looking for. They are:
Inherit from the generated class. The child class will implicitly call the parent's construtor.
Use a static method as an initializer
Related
With File scoped types in C# 11, It will not be possible to implement a partial class for a file scoped class in a different file.
Will this be an exception with the file-scoped classes? because it will lose the purpose of partial class in this way.
Reference: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/csharp/language-reference/keywords/file
With code generators you typically create a partial class in one file and ask the code generator to add functionality to this partial class in another file.
The code generator might want to create helper types in this other file to support the added functionality. The name given to this helper type could conflict with one of your types or types created by another code generator. This is where the file modifier is helpful.
This modifier is not meant to be applied to the partial class itself.
MyClass.cs (your code):
[GenerateHelpFunction] // Ask the code generator to add a method
public partial class MyClass
{
public void MyMethod()
{
var myText= new Text();
}
}
file class Text // Your class
{
}
MyClass.generated.cs (added by source generator):
public partial class MyClass
{
public void Help()
{
var sourceGeneratorsText = new Text();
...
}
}
file class Text // Helper type created by code generator
{
}
I have some code base which has is calling the following:
SetHazardDataService();
namespace Analytics.Foo.DataServices
{
class HDB:IDataService
{
}
}
With a member function declared in another class/file
using Analytics.Foo.DataServices
public void MyDataService()
{
var DbDataSvc = new HDB();
}
originally, I see the same definition used elsewhere but with (no idea if that works):
protected void MyDataService()
I included the public method in my class
I'm now trying to recreate that functionality, but I get the following issue:
The type Analytics.Foo.DataServices.HDB' has no constructors defined
I'm not sure what the issue is - any suggestions for why this is the case. There is no constructor that I can see. Plus I'm not able to see the other code working/but it doesn't give the same issue.
You need to create a constructor to class HDB, like this:
namespace Analytics.Foo.DataServices
{
class HDB:IDataService
{
public HDB()
{
}
}
}
We're working with XML and want a common interface amongst the main XML class and all of its components. However, sub-components of the XML class need additional methods, but they also need the main component's methods. Seems like a great use for inheritance.
Here is some code I wrote to accomplish this task. Hopefully, you can get a good idea of what we're going for based on usage:
using System;
namespace SampleNamespace
{
public class SampleClass
{
public static void Main()
{
var xmlDocumentFiles = new XmlDocumentFiles();
xmlDocumentFiles.Files.RootFile.SetFileName("Example.xml");
System.Console.WriteLine(
xmlDocumentFiles.Files.RootFile.GetFileName()
);
}
}
public class XmlDocumentFilesRoot
{
protected string _rootFileName;
public FilesClass Files { get { return (FilesClass) this; } }
}
public class FilesClass : XmlDocumentFilesRoot
{
public RootFileClass RootFile { get { return (RootFileClass) this; } }
}
public class RootFileClass : FilesClass
{
public void SetFileName( string newTitle )
{
_rootFileName = newTitle;
}
public string GetFileName()
{
return _rootFileName;
}
}
public class XmlDocumentFiles : RootFileClass
{
}
}
I was able to cast to child classes and to my surprise it runs just fine. Assuming nothing is put inside of the sub-classes other than methods which wouldn't make sense in the parent, will there ever be any problems (weird compilation errors, runtime crashes) with this class structure?
Are there any alternatives? I had initially tried nested classes + extension methods located outside of the main class, but there was a lot of code needed to set that up. See: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/19415717/using-c-sharp-extension-methods-on-not-in-nested-classes-to-establish-a-common
Extending functionality of a class, sounds like a decorator pattern.
Here's a head-first pdf on this subject:
http://oreilly.com/catalog/hfdesignpat/chapter/ch03.pdf
Also; I would like to discourage the triple '.' :
xmlDocumentFiles.Files.RootFile.SetFileName("Example.xml");
2 is evil, if you need 3: you will definitely lose maintainability.
Hope it helps.
I have two classes that I'd like to keep in separate files.
namespace GridSystem
{
public class Grid
{
public void AddItem(GridItem item)
{
item.InformAddedToGrid();
}
}
}
namespace GridSystem
{
public class GridItem
{
public void InformAddedToGrid()
{
Debug.Log("I've been added to the grid");
}
}
}
How do I ensure no other classes are allowed to call InformAddedToGrid?
I'm trying to emulate Actionscript namespaces, which can be used on a method, in place of public, private, internal, etc. It doesn't exactly protect the method, but forces an extra step of including the namespace before the method can be accessed. Is there an alternative approach to this in C#?
If GridItem itself can be hidden from the outside world as well I would consider putting GridItem inside Grid as a nested class. That way it won't be visible outside of the class
http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/20628/A-Tutorial-on-Nested-Classes-in-C
Not that you should do this, you should do what TGH suggests, have a public interface for GridItem, and have gridItem nested in Grid (then have a factory method on Grid to create Items and use partial Grid class to have them in separate files).
Because there isn't a way of having friend methods ( you can do friend classes through InternalsVisibleToAttribute )
You COULD do this ( but don't... )
public partial class Grid
{
public void AddItem(GridItem item)
{
item.InformAddedToGrid();
}
}
public class GridItem
{
public void InformAddedToGrid()
{
if (new StackTrace().GetFrame(1).GetMethod().DeclaringType !=
typeof(Grid)) throw new Exception("Tantrum!");
Console.WriteLine("Grid called in...");
}
}
then
var g = new Grid();
g.AddItem(new GridItem()); // works
new GridItem().InformAddedToGrid(); // throws a tantrum...
A really ugly answer would be to make it private and use reflection.
Another ugly answer would be to make it throw an exception if the caller is wrong.
Both of these are much slower to execute than a normal call also.
I don't think there's a good answer. C# doesn't have friends.
IMHO the answer is simple: access modifiers are just there to remind the programmer of the intent of how public/private a class should be. Through reflection you can lift those barriers.
The usage you make of a class is all in your hands: if your class is meant to only be used in one place, make it so. If anything, if a class has a special way of being used, document it - put it in the XML comments.
That said, in this specific example I'd believe since the GridItem doesn't add itself to the grid, it's not its job to notify about it (what if "I've not been added to the grid"?). I think InformAddedToGrid belongs somewhere in your Grid class as a private method, where there's a concept of adding an item... assuming that's what AddItem(GridItem) really does.
You can do it as TGH suggested, with nested classes, except the other way around. Nest Grid within GridItem and make InformAddedToGrid private. Here I use a nested base class so the public API can remain the same. Note that no one outside of your assembly can inherit from GridBase because the constructor is internal.
public class GridItem
{
public class GridBase
{
internal GridBase() { }
public void AddItem(GridItem item)
{
item.InformAddedToGrid();
}
}
private void InformAddedToGrid()
{
Debug.Log("I've been added to the grid");
}
}
public class Grid : GridItem.GridBase { }
Another option is to have GridItem explicitly implement an internal interface. This way no one outside of your assembly can use the interface by name and therefore cannot call InformAddedToGrid.
public class Grid
{
public void AddItem(GridItem item)
{
((IGridInformer)item).InformAddedToGrid();
}
}
public class GridItem : IGridInformer
{
void IGridInformer.InformAddedToGrid()
{
Debug.Log("I've been added to the grid");
}
}
internal interface IGridInformer
{
void InformAddedToGrid();
}
I want to hide public methods from the IntelliSense member list. I have created an attribute that, when applied to a method, will cause the method to be called when its object is constructed. I've done this to better support partial classes. The problem is that in some environments (such as Silverlight), reflection cannot access private members, even those of child classes. This is a problem since all of the work is done in a base class. I have to make these methods public, but I want them to be hidden from IntelliSense, similar to how the Obsolete attribute works. Frankly, because I am anal about object encapsulation. I've tried different things, but nothing has actually worked. The method still shows up in the member drop-down.
How do I keep public methods from showing up in IntelliSense when I don't want them to be called by clients? How's that for a real question, Philistines! This can also apply to MEF properties that have to be public though sometimes you want to hide them from clients.
Update:
I have matured as a developer since I posted this question. Why I cared so much about hiding interface is beyond me.
Using the EditorBrowsable attribute like so will cause a method not to be shown in IntelliSense:
[System.ComponentModel.EditorBrowsable(System.ComponentModel.EditorBrowsableState.Never)]
public void MyMethod()
{
}
You are looking for EditorBrowsableAttribute
The following sample demonstrates how to hide a property of a class from IntelliSense by setting the appropriate value for the EditorBrowsableAttribute attribute. Build Class1 in its own assembly.
In Visual Studio, create a new Windows Application solution, and add a reference to the assembly which contains Class1. In the Form1 constructor, declare an instance of Class1, type the name of the instance, and press the period key to activate the IntelliSense drop-down list of Class1 members. The Age property does not appear in the drop-down list.
using System;
using System.ComponentModel;
namespace EditorBrowsableDemo
{
public class Class1
{
public Class1()
{
//
// TODO: Add constructor logic here
//
}
int ageval;
[EditorBrowsable(EditorBrowsableState.Never)]
public int Age
{
get { return ageval; }
set
{
if (!ageval.Equals(value))
{
ageval = value;
}
}
}
}
}
To expand on my comment about partial methods. Try something like this
Foo.part1.cs
partial class Foo
{
public Foo()
{
Initialize();
}
partial void Initialize();
}
Foo.part2.cs
partial class Foo
{
partial void Initialize()
{
InitializePart1();
InitializePart2();
InitializePart3();
}
private void InitializePart1()
{
//logic goes here
}
private void InitializePart2()
{
//logic goes here
}
private void InitializePart3()
{
//logic goes here
}
}