What's with using C# attributes with the 'Attribute' suffix?

Question

I'm looking at some C# code that applies several LINQ to SQL attributes with the Attribute suffix, e.g. ColumnAttribute, instead of the plain Column that I am used to using. Is there any reason but verbosity to do this?

Answer 1

There is no semantic difference. Probably whoever wrote the code just preferred that notation.

It's also possible that the code was automatically generated using a tool. Code generation tools usually don't bother to strip the Attribute bit from the attribute's type name.

Answer 2

Most attributes end with the word Attribute, including ColumnAttribute, CLSCompliantAttribute, and SerializableAttribute. The compiler allows the last word Attribute to be omitted. It's the programmer's choice whether to add Attribute to such names or not.

The Attribute suffix, however, is merely a convention: it is perfectly valid, albeit unusual, to define an attribute, for example, as follows:

    [AttributeUsage(AttributeTargets.All)]
    public class Foo : Attribute {

    }

just as it is to define an exception named Throwable, for example.