Generics 1

[Badgers]

Hi

I have a function below of which I want to make the second param a generic so I could pass in different data types.

private string GetElementText(ref XmlReader xmlReader, ref string nodeValue)
{

if (xmlReader.IsStartElement())
{
// Read to get the first child of the node
// and make sure it has no name
xmlReader.Read();
if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(xmlReader.Name))
{

nodeValue = FormatNodeValue(xmlReader.Value);
}
}
else
{
//By passing in nodeValue, if end of element then we donot overwrite it.
}

return nodeValue;
}

Thanks inadvance.

 

[TallOne]

Just use "ref Object nodeValue" but later you'll have to cast and probably put in "if" statement to get typeof

If your talking about collections then yeah,

using System.Collections.Generic;
....ref List<oYourObject> nodeValue...

 

[jmeckley]

Tim is looking for something like this

private string GetElementText<T>(XmlReader xmlReader, ref T nodeValue)
{
   if (xmlReader.IsStartElement())
   {
      xmlReader.Read();
      if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(xmlReader.Name))
      {
         nodeValue = (T)Convert.ChangeType(typeof(T), xmlReader.Value);
      }
   }
   else
   {
   }
   return nodeValue;
}

although I don't understand why you would ref the parameter nodeValue and return nodeValue and the result of the function. I would pick one or the other.

Generics are much more powerful than List<T>. If you look at an of the fluent API's out there (StructureMap, being #1, Castle Windsor and Fluent NHiberate close behind) they heavily rely on generics to enable compile time checks.

Jason Meckley
Programmer
Specialty Bakers, Inc.

faq855-7190

 

[Badgers]

thats the business.