Logo Questions Linux Laravel Mysql Ubuntu Git Menu
 

C# generics - what is gained by making a wrapper class generic?

Tags:

c#

.net

generics

Consider this generic class:

public class Request<TOperation> 
    where TOperation : IOperation
{
    private TOperation _operation { get; set; }

    public string Method { get { return _operation.Method; } }

    public Request(TOperation operation)
    {
        _operation = operation;
    }
}

What real benefits does the generic version above offer over this non-generic version below?

public class Request
{
    private IOperation _operation { get; set; }

    public string Method { get { return _operation.Method; } }

    public Request(IOperation operation)
    {
        _operation = operation;
    }
}

The IOperation interface is:

public interface IOperation
{
    string Method { get; }
}
like image 810
MalcomTucker Avatar asked Feb 12 '13 14:02

MalcomTucker


People also ask

What C is used for?

C programming language is a machine-independent programming language that is mainly used to create many types of applications and operating systems such as Windows, and other complicated programs such as the Oracle database, Git, Python interpreter, and games and is considered a programming foundation in the process of ...

What is the full name of C?

In the real sense it has no meaning or full form. It was developed by Dennis Ritchie and Ken Thompson at AT&T bell Lab. First, they used to call it as B language then later they made some improvement into it and renamed it as C and its superscript as C++ which was invented by Dr.

What is C in C language?

What is C? C is a general-purpose programming language created by Dennis Ritchie at the Bell Laboratories in 1972. It is a very popular language, despite being old. C is strongly associated with UNIX, as it was developed to write the UNIX operating system.

Is C language easy?

C is a general-purpose language that most programmers learn before moving on to more complex languages. From Unix and Windows to Tic Tac Toe and Photoshop, several of the most commonly used applications today have been built on C. It is easy to learn because: A simple syntax with only 32 keywords.


2 Answers

With the generic version a method could take a parameter of type Request<FooOperation>. Passing in an instance of Request<BarOperation> would be invalid.
So, the generic version enables methods to ensure they get a request for the correct operation.

like image 127
Daniel Hilgarth Avatar answered Sep 30 '22 05:09

Daniel Hilgarth


In addition to all the other good answers, I'll add that the generic version does not take the boxing penalty if you happen to construct Request<T> with a T that is a value type that implements IOperation. The non-generic version boxes every time.

like image 42
Eric Lippert Avatar answered Sep 30 '22 05:09

Eric Lippert