object initializer and automatic properties

  • Thread starter Thread starter bill tie
  • Start date Start date
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bill tie

Consider the following:

object myObject = new Object();
myObject = new { foo = "fooStr", bar = "barStr" };

How do I retrieve the value of foo from myObject?
 
bill tie said:
Consider the following:

object myObject = new Object();
myObject = new { foo = "fooStr", bar = "barStr" };

How do I retrieve the value of foo from myObject?
Click to expand...

You can't. Note that this is using anonymous types, not object
initializers or automatic properties.

Anonymous types are usually used either within a context where the type
is propagated (e.g. LINQ) or with implicitly typed local variables,
e.g.:


var myObject = new { foo = "fooStr", bar = "barStr" };

string x = myObject.foo;
 
To simplify the riddle I tried to emulate a class that I had perused in the
Reflector. The class MAY look like this:

public class FunkyClass
{
public object FunkyProperty
{
get;
set;
}
}

....

myList.Add(new FunkyClass
{
FunkyProperty = new { foo = "fooStr", bar = "barString" }
}
);

What gives?
 
bill tie said:
To simplify the riddle I tried to emulate a class that I had perused in the
Reflector. The class MAY look like this:

public class FunkyClass
{
public object FunkyProperty
{
get;
set;
}
}
Click to expand...

Right: *That* is an automatically implemented property.
myList.Add(new FunkyClass
{
FunkyProperty = new { foo = "fooStr", bar = "barString" }
}
);
Click to expand...

And *that* is using an object initializer.
What gives?
Click to expand...

I don't see what you mean. Previously you were using one particular
feature, now you're using two different ones. What's confusing you?
 
Actually, it is using all of auto-properties (get;set;}, an object
initializer ({FunkyInitialize=...}) and an anonymous type (new { foo =
"fooStr", bar = "barString" }).

Since the auto-property is typed as object there is no friendly way of
getting the properties, except for reflection / component-model:

var item = myList[0].FunkyProperty;
// (item is typed as "object" due to FunkyProperty)
foreach(PropertyDescriptor prop in
TypeDescriptor.GetProperties(item)) {
Console.WriteLine("{0}={1}", prop.Name,
prop.GetValue(item));
}

Marc
 
One other thought; you might want to verify the syntax isn't actually
more like:

var myList = new Dictionary<int, string> {
{1,"abc"}
};

This is the more general form of a collection-initializer, meaning
call .Add(1,"abc")

Just a thought...

Marc
 
Marc Gravell said:
Actually, it is using all of auto-properties (get;set;}, an object
initializer ({FunkyInitialize=...}) and an anonymous type (new { foo =
"fooStr", bar = "barString" }).
Click to expand...

Whoops - hadn't seen the anonymous type part. Doh!
 
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