If you are writing reusable code, chances are high that you will write quite some code that deals with types, generics, and interfaces. Over the years, the collection of my helper extensions for that have grown. As some of my upcoming posts use them, I share them (also) for future reference.
1. Check if a Type Is Deriving From Another Type
Deriving types is a common practice. To some extent, you can use pattern matching. Sometimes, that isn’t enough, though (especially if you have a multi-level derivation path). This is when I use one of these two extensions:
Java
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public static bool IsDerivingFrom(this Type type, Type searchType)
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{
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if (type == null) throw new NullReferenceException();
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return
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type.BaseType != null &&
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(type.BaseType == searchType ||
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type.BaseType.IsDerivingFrom(searchType));
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}
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public static bool IsDerivingFromGenericType(this Type type, Type searchGenericType)
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{
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if (type == null) throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(type));
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if (searchGenericType == null) throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(searchGenericType));
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return
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type != typeof(object) &&
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(type.IsGenericType &&
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searchGenericType.GetGenericTypeDefinition() == searchGenericType ||
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IsDerivingFromGenericType(type.BaseType, searchGenericType));
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}
Update 1: Type.IsSubclassOf will give you the same result as IsDerivingFrom. The main purpose was (is) to use my implementation when having multiple levels of derivation and being able to debug the whole detection process.
2. Get Type of T From IEnumerable
Sometimes, one needs to know the item type of an IEnumerable. These two extensions will help you in this case:
Java
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[System.Diagnostics.CodeAnalysis.SuppressMessage("Style", "IDE0060:Remove unused parameter", Justification = "Extension method")]
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public static Type GetItemType<T>(this IEnumerable<T> enumerable) => typeof(T);
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public static Type? GetItemType(this object enumerable)
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=> enumerable == null ? null :
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(enumerable.GetType().GetInterface(typeof(IEnumerable<>).Name)?.GetGenericArguments()[0]);
3. Check if a Type Implements a Certain Interface
Interfaces are supposed to make the life of a developer easier. Like with the type derivation, sometimes we need to know if a type implements a certain interface. This extension answers the question for you:
Java
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public static bool ImplementsInterface(this Type? type, Type? @interface)
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{
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bool result = false;
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if (type == null || @interface == null)
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return result;
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var interfaces = type.GetInterfaces();
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if (@interface.IsGenericTypeDefinition)
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{
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foreach (var item in interfaces)
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{
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if (item.IsConstructedGenericType && item.GetGenericTypeDefinition() == @interface)
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result = true;
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}
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}
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else
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{
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foreach (var item in interfaces)
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{
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if (item == @interface)
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result = true;
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}
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}
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return result;
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}
Update 2: Type.IsAssignableFrom will also tell you if a type implements an interface. As for the IsDerivingFrom method, I wanted to be able to debug the detection, which is - besides from having an explicit implementation - the main reason for this method.
#web dev #mvvm #interface #types #type #assembly #extension methods #dev stories #helper #msicc
