Binding to interface and displaying properties in base interface - c#

This question (along with its answer) explains why you can't easily bind a DataGridView to an interface type and get columns for properties inherited from a base interface.
The suggested solution is to implement a custom TypeConverter. My attempt is below. However, creating a DataSource and DataGridView bound to ICamel still only results in one column (Humps). I don't think that my converter is being used by .NET to decide which properties it can see for ICamel. What am I doing wrong?
[TypeConverter(typeof(MyConverter))]
public interface IAnimal
{
string Name { get; set; }
int Legs { get; set; }
}
[TypeConverter(typeof(MyConverter))]
public interface ICamel : IAnimal
{
int Humps { get; set; }
}
public class MyConverter : TypeConverter
{
public override PropertyDescriptorCollection GetProperties(ITypeDescriptorContext context, object value, Attribute[] attributes)
{
if(value is Type && (Type)value == typeof(ICamel))
{
List<PropertyDescriptor> propertyDescriptors = new List<PropertyDescriptor>();
foreach (PropertyDescriptor pd in TypeDescriptor.GetProperties(typeof(ICamel)))
{
propertyDescriptors.Add(pd);
}
foreach (PropertyDescriptor pd in TypeDescriptor.GetProperties(typeof(IAnimal)))
{
propertyDescriptors.Add(pd);
}
return new PropertyDescriptorCollection(propertyDescriptors.ToArray());
}
return base.GetProperties(context, value, attributes);
}
public override bool GetPropertiesSupported(ITypeDescriptorContext context)
{
return true;
}
}

DataGridView does not use TypeConverter; PropertyGrid uses TypeConverter.
If it relates to list-controls like DataGridView, then the other answer is wrong.
To provide custom properties on a list, you need one of:
ITypedList on the data-source
TypeDescriptionProvider on the type
Both are non-trivial.

My Workaround happens in the binding of the dgv.
I do need that the base interfaces and the inheriting interfaces remain in the same structure, just because i do other things width the final concerete class, not only show the data on a DataGridView. So, for example:
interface IGenericPerson
{
int ID { get; set; }
string Name { get; set; }
}
interface IOperator : IGenericPerson
{
bool IsAdmin { get; set; }
}
the concrete class:
class Operator : IOperator
{
public Operator(){}
public Operator(int id, string name, bool isAdmin)
{
this.ID = id;
this.Name = name;
thsi.IsAdmin = isAdmin;
}
public int ID { get; set; }
public string name { get; set; }
public bool IsAdmin { get; set; }
}
and in a Gateway Class:
public IList<IOperator> GetOperators()
{
IList<IOperator> list = new List<IOperator>();
list.add(new Operator(112, "Mark Twain", false);
list.add(new Operator(112, "Charles Manson", false);
list.add(new Operator(112, "Richard Nixon", true);
return list;
}
Now, if i try to bind a datagridView like this:
Gateway gt = new Gateway();
dgv.DataSource = gt.GetOperators();
I get a DataGridView with the only bool IsAdmin column from the IOperator Interface, not the ID, neither the Name propertys from its base interface.
but if I do this:
Gateway gt = new Gateway();
IList<IOperator> list = gt.GetOperators();
IList<Operator> ds = new List<Operator>();
foreach(IOperator op in list)
ds.add((Operator)op);
dgv.DataSource = ds;
Everything works in the right way.
In this way i don't need to change the structure of the intarfaces chain, useful for other purposes, and only qhen displaying data i just insert the snippet above.

My Suggestion would be to create a Interface that "reimplements" the propertys you want:
Let's say you have two interfaces:
public interface IHasName1
{
String Name1 { get; set; }
}
public interface IHasName2 : IHasName1
{
String Name2 { get; set; }
}
And a class that implements IHasName2:
public class HasTwoNames : IHasName2
{
#region IHasName1 Member
public string Name1 { get; set; }
#endregion
#region IHasName2 Member
public string Name2 {get; set; }
#endregion
}
Now, thx for figuring that out btw., if you have a List with objects of concrete type HasTwoNames and you bind that list to a dgv, it only displays the member (Name2) of IHasName2.
A "workaround" is to create a new interface "IHasEverything" that inherits from IHasName2 and therefore from IHasName1 and reimplements the Propertys you need in your binding (you can do that with the new statement
public interface IHasEverything : IHasName2
{
new String Name1 { get; set; }
new String Name2 { get; set; }
}
Now your concrete class "HasTwoNames" needs to implement IHasEverything, too:
public class HasTwoNames : IHasName2, IHasEverything
{
...
}
You can bind this List to a datagridview:
public List<IHasEverything> elements = new List<IHasEverything> {
new HasTwoNames { Name1 = "Name1", Name2 = "Name2"},
new HasTwoNames { Name1 = "Name3", Name2 = "Name4"},
};
I know that this is just a workaround and only possible if you can modify the implementing class. But it works.
(If you remove a property from IHasName2, the code will still compile but you get a warning that IHasEverything does not need the new keyword.

Related

How to get members of abstract class using reflection?

I have following:
var type = typeof(ExampleClass);
public abstract class ExampleClass
{
public string Name { get; set; }
public abstract class InternalExampleClass
{
public string InternalName { get; set; }
}
}
How can I get the value of Name, InternalName?
I tried to use type.GetFields() but it doesn't return InternalName
help me, please
I can't answer all points of your question. But I can give you an idea how to start.
You don't have access to constants, but there is a workaround. First, you need an instance of your abstract class in order to use reflection. Since you can't create an object of an abstract class, you need a class which inherits it. This class contains properties set to the value of your constants.
public class InheritedReportAPI : ReportAPI
{
public string constName { get; } = ReportAPI.Name;
public string constSignatureBase { get; } = ReportAPI.SignatureBase;
public string constEventsReportsDeleted { get; } = ReportAPI.Events.ReportsDeleted;
}
Then you can use Reflection to get names and/or values of these properties.
var inheritedReportApi = new InheritedReportAPI();
var propertyList = inheritedReportApi.GetType().GetProperties();
foreach(var property in propertyList)
System.Console.WriteLine($"{property.Name}: {property.GetValue(inheritedReportApi)}");
The result:
constName: reports
constSignatureBase: /report/reports
constEventsReportsDeleted: reports_deleted

Get existing instance of List<T>

I've inherited a bloated project that uses a huge class as an in-memory database:
public class Database
{
public class Parameter1
{
public string Code { get; set; }
public string Label { get; set; }
public List<Parameter1Value> paramValues;
}
public class Parameter2
{
public string Code { get; set; }
public string Label { get; set; }
public List<Parameter2Value> paramValues;
}
public class Parameter1Value
{
public string Value { get; set;}
public Parameter parameter { get; set;}
}
public class Parameter2Value
{
public int Value { get; set;}
public Parameter2 parameter { get; set;}
}
public List<Parameter1> parameter1List { get; set; }
public List<Parameter2> parameter2List { get; set; }
}
I am creating a generic method that creates instances of Parameter1 or Parameter2 (see below) and should add those to their respective lists, but I don't know how to use those types to get the parameter1List or parameter2List instances from my Database class. The Database class holds only one List<T> property for each defined type. Is this possible?
This is the generic method used to create instances:
public static Database Add<T>(this Database database, string code, string label) where T : new()
{
T itemToCreate = (T)Activator.CreateInstance(typeof(T));
itemToCreate.Code = code;
itemToCreate.Label = label;
var listForItem = database.GetList<T>; // This is the missing functionality
listForItem.Add(itemToCreate);
return database;
}
Here is a solution using interfaces and generic constraints.
Create an interface to represent a generic parameter class and add members to the interface as required:
public interface IParameter { ... }
And an interface to represent a list of parameters:
public interface IParameterList<TParameter> where TParameter : IParameter
{
List<TParameter> ParameterList { get; set; }
}
Have the Database and Parameter classes implement these new interfaces:
public class Parameter1 : IParameter
public class Parameter2 : IParameter
public class Database : IParameterList<Parameter1>, IParameterList<Parameter2>
{
List<Parameter1> IParameterList<Parameter1>.ParameterList { get => parameter1List; set => parameter1List = value; }
List<Parameter2> IParameterList<Parameter2>.ParameterList { get => parameter2List; set => parameter2List = value; }
...
}
Add a where TParameter : IParameter constraint to your generic Parameter factory function, and have the factory function require an argument of type IParameterList<TParameter> which is an instance of the Database class. This satisfies the compiler that the Database class owns a list of TParameter. Now we just do db.ParameterList.Add(r) to add our new parameter to the correct list.
public static TParameter CreateParameter<TParameter>(IParameterList<TParameter> db) where TParameter : IParameter, new()
{
var r = new TParameter(); // This is the generic function you mentioned. Do stuff here to create your Parameter class.
db.ParameterList.Add(r); // Add the newly created parameter to the correct list
return r;
}
Code dump (full working version after I picked up your edit which added the generic factory function):
public class Parameter1 : IParameter
{
public string Code { get; set; }
public string Label { get; set; }
public List<Parameter1Value> paramValues;
}
public class Parameter2 : IParameter
{
public string Code { get; set; }
public string Label { get; set; }
public List<Parameter2Value> paramValues;
}
public class Parameter1Value
{
public string Value { get; set; }
public Parameter parameter { get; set; }
}
public class Parameter2Value
{
public int Value { get; set; }
public Parameter2 parameter { get; set; }
}
public class Database : IParameterList<Parameter1>, IParameterList<Parameter2>
{
// Note: Setters for the List properties probably not needed here or in IParameterList as with the following code we instantiate them at class construction time and, in this MCVE at least, there are no further assignments
public List<Parameter1> parameter1List { get; set; } = new List<Parameter1>();
public List<Parameter2> parameter2List { get; set; } = new List<Parameter2>();
List<Parameter1> IParameterList<Parameter1>.ParameterList { get => parameter1List; set => parameter1List = value; }
List<Parameter2> IParameterList<Parameter2>.ParameterList { get => parameter2List; set => parameter2List = value; }
public static TParameter Add<TParameter>(IParameterList<TParameter> db, string code, string label) where TParameter : IParameter, new()
{
var itemToCreate = new TParameter();
itemToCreate.Code = code;
itemToCreate.Label = label;
db.ParameterList.Add(itemToCreate); // Add the newly created parameter to the correct list
return itemToCreate;
}
}
public interface IParameter
{
string Code { get; set; }
string Label { get; set; }
}
public interface IParameterList<TParameter> where TParameter : IParameter
{
List<TParameter> ParameterList { get; set; }
}
// Testing:
void Main()
{
var db = new Database();
Database.Add<Parameter1>(db, "hello", "hello2");
Database.Add<Parameter1>(db, "hello", "hello2");
Database.Add<Parameter2>(db, "hello", "hello2");
Console.WriteLine($"P1 count (should be 2): {db.parameter1List.Count()}; P2 count (should be 1): {db.parameter2List.Count}");
}
Output:
P1 count (should be 2): 2; P2 count (should be 1): 1
Here is a solution which acquires the target list using generics and reflection:
public static List<T> GetList<T>(this Database dataBase) where T : new()
{
return dataBase.GetType()
.GetProperties()
.Where(x => x.PropertyType == typeof(List<T>))
.Select(x => (List<T>)x.GetValue(dataBase))
.FirstOrDefault();
}
Credit: Michael Randall in the comments

switch/case on viewmodel in controller, any refactoring advice?

I could use some advice on refactoring. In my application users are able to dynamically add new form fields; customfield. For each type (text, dropdown, checkbox, etc.) a ViewModel (TextBoxViewModel, DropDownViewModel, CheckboxViewModel, etc.) is defined.
When I post a form, the appropriate Edit action is executed and I read each customfield to store their values.
Currently the implementation works but is ugly; I switch/case/if/else through all ViewModel types and based on the type I execute the required logic.
This is the the current implementation:
private static void MapToModel(Ticket ticket, TicketViewModel model)
{
ticket.Id = model.Id;
ticket.Name = model.Name;
ticket.Attributes.Clear();
foreach (var cvm in model.Controls)
{
var attribute = new TicketAttribute
{
Id = cvm.Id,
Name = cvm.Name,
};
if (cvm is TextBoxViewModel)
{
attribute.Value = ((TextBoxViewModel) cvm).Value;
}else if (cvm is DropDownListViewModel)
{
attribute.Value = ((DropDownListViewModel)cvm).Values;
}
ticket.Attributes.Add(attribute);
}
}
And I would like to refactor this to something like this, but without putting all logic in the ViewModel. Best I could come up with is the visitor pattern where I would add a Accept method to the ViewModel class, and use visitors to execute the logic required:
This would still require the same switching logic on types in the AddAttribute method:
foreach (var cvm in model.Controls)
{
ticket.Attributes.AddAttribute(cvm);
}
This would require logic in the ViewModel class
foreach (var cvm in model.Controls)
{
ticket.Attributes.Add(cvm.AddAttribute);
}
I want to refactor this to create a more generic approach, so that in future when new types of fields are added I don't have to update all codes with new constructions to check for types.
[solution after the provided help]
I had to cast the object, I cannot use different returntypes in different implementations of IControlViewModel so that is one part I have to work around, but overall this is beautiful.
ticket.Attributes = model.Controls
.OfType<IControlViewModel>()
.Select(cvm => new TicketAttribute {
Id = cvm.Id,
Name = cvm.Name,
Value = (string)cvm.OutputValue
})
.ToList();
public interface IControlViewModel
{
string Id { get; }
string Name { get; }
object OutputValue { get; }
}
public abstract class ControlViewModel : IControlViewModel
{
public string Id { get; set; }
public abstract string Type { get; }
public string Label { get; set; }
public string Name { get; set; }
public bool Visible { get; set; }
public abstract object OutputValue { get; }
}
public class TextBoxViewModel : ControlViewModel
{
public override string Type
{
get { return "textbox"; }
}
public override object OutputValue
{
get
{
return Value;
}
}
public string Value {set; }
}
1) Create an interface which defines that you will have output value property on each of your view models
public interface IControlViewModel
{
object OutputValue{get;}
}
2) Implement interface in each of your viewmodels:
public TextBoxViewModel: IControlViewModel
{
...
public object OutputValue
{
get
{
//return whatever is your expected output value from control
return Value;
}
}
...
}
3) Then you can get all attributes with this single LINQ statement:
ticket.Attributes = model.Controls
.OfType<IControlViewModel>()
.Select(cvm => new TicketAttribute {
Id = cvm.Id,
Name = cvm.Name,
Value = cvm.OutputValue
})
.ToList();
4) This code will work fine even if you create new control types, just make sure to implement interface in your new viewmodels.

Is Class SubClass or Object

Note: I'm asking about subclasses, not derived classes.
Basically, what I need to do is check properties of an object and look for those that have a specific attribute set.
The problem I have is that a lot of the properties are from subclasses
public class ExampleAttribute : Attribute
{
public object Whatever { get; set; }
}
public class MiddleEarth
{
[Example]
public Type EntityType { get; set; }
}
public class Elf : MiddleEarth
{
[Example]
public SubClass ItsLateAndImTired { get; set; }
public IList<Arg> Args { get; set; }
//Need to check properties of this object as well
public class SubClass
{
public object SubProperty { get; set; }
[Example]
public object SubPropertyWithAttribute { get; set; }
}
public class Arg
{
[Example]
public string Something { get; set; }
}
}
Now, I'm trying to do it as follows...but for reasons noted in the comments it won't work
public List<string> IterateProperties(object _o)
{
List<string> problems = new List<string>();
foreach (PropertyInfo info in _o.GetType().GetProperties())
{
//All 3 of these will return the exact same thing
Type thisType = this.GetType();
Type oType = _o.GetType();
Type infoType = info.ReflectedType;
//IsSubClassOf only checks for derived classes,
//so it's not the method I'm looking for
if (info.ReflectedType.IsSubclassOf(this.GetType()))
{
object sub = info.GetValue(_o, null);
if (sub != null)
{
problems.AddRange(this.IterateProperties(sub));
}
}
object[] attributes = info.GetCustomAttributes(typeof(ExampleAttribute), true);
foreach (object o in attributes)
{
if (info.GetValue(_o, null) == null)
{
problems.Add(String.Format("Attribute {0} in class {1} cannot be null", info.Name, info.ReflectedType.ToString()));
}
}
}
return problems;
}
Any ideas?
I believe what you're looking for is Type.GetNestedTypes()
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-GB/library/493t6h7t.aspx
I'm not sure, but think that GetProperties method got some flags that can help...

How to implement a property in an interface

I have interface IResourcePolicy containing the property Version. I have to implement this property which contain value, the code written in other pages:
IResourcePolicy irp(instantiated interface)
irp.WrmVersion = "10.4";
How can I implement property version?
public interface IResourcePolicy
{
string Version
{
get;
set;
}
}
In the interface, you specify the property:
public interface IResourcePolicy
{
string Version { get; set; }
}
In the implementing class, you need to implement it:
public class ResourcePolicy : IResourcePolicy
{
public string Version { get; set; }
}
This looks similar, but it is something completely different. In the interface, there is no code. You just specify that there is a property with a getter and a setter, whatever they will do.
In the class, you actually implement them. The shortest way to do this is using this { get; set; } syntax. The compiler will create a field and generate the getter and setter implementation for it.
You mean like this?
class MyResourcePolicy : IResourcePolicy {
private string version;
public string Version {
get {
return this.version;
}
set {
this.version = value;
}
}
}
Interfaces can not contain any implementation (including default values). You need to switch to abstract class.
The simple example of using a property in an interface:
using System;
interface IName
{
string Name { get; set; }
}
class Employee : IName
{
public string Name { get; set; }
}
class Company : IName
{
private string _company { get; set; }
public string Name
{
get
{
return _company;
}
set
{
_company = value;
}
}
}
class Client
{
static void Main(string[] args)
{
IName e = new Employee();
e.Name = "Tim Bridges";
IName c = new Company();
c.Name = "Inforsoft";
Console.WriteLine("{0} from {1}.", e.Name, c.Name);
Console.ReadKey();
}
}
/*output:
Tim Bridges from Inforsoft.
*/
but i already assigned values such that irp.WrmVersion = "10.4";
J.Random Coder's answer and initialize version field.
private string version = "10.4';
You should use abstract class to initialize a property. You can't inititalize in Inteface .

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