
Object calcInstance = Activator.CreateInstance(calcType) Īnd access its members (the following examples illustrate getting values for the public double Number property): // get info about property: public double Number Type calcType = testAssembly.GetType("Test.Calculator") Then, you can use reflection to load the Test.dll assembly: // dynamically load assembly from file Test.dllĪssembly testAssembly = create an instance of the calculator class: // get type of class Calculator from just loaded assembly To access the sample class Calculator from Test.dll assembly, the Calculator class should be defined as the following: namespace Test This is how you would create instances of DateTime class from the system assembly: // create instance of class DateTimeĭateTime dateTime = (DateTime)Activator.CreateInstance(typeof(DateTime)) You first get the “type” object, then use the type to browse members such as “methods” and “properties.” Implementing reflection in C# requires a two-step process. The above example results in the following output: System.Int32

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This example illustrates how to use the static method GetType to find the Type of a variable: // Using GetType to obtain type information: Reflection can be used to create applications called type browsers which allow users to select types and then read the data provided about them.
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Consequently, if you use reflection only in specific scenarios, your code should remain performant. Reflection should be employed when the problem cannot be solved using traditional methods. Now, the million-dollar question: Is reflection slow in C#? The short answer is “yes.” Generally speaking, code that utilizes reflection is slower than code written in a conventional manner.īut is this a problem? Most of the time, it shouldn’t be. One example is unit test frameworks, which use reflection to identify test classes and methods marked with the necessary attributes. Several important tools make use of reflection to enable their working. When you write a C# program that uses reflection, you can use either the TypeOf operator or the GetType() method to get the object’s type. You can compare Reflection to C++RTTI (Runtime Type Information), except that it has a much wider swath of capabilities. For example, you can get all members of the object by typing “.” before an object when viewing your Visual Studio editor IntelliSense.Ī program reflects on itself when it extracts metadata from its assemblies, then uses it to modify its own behavior or inform the user. You need to use Reflection when you want to inspect the contents of an assembly.


To understand reflection in C#, there are a few basics you should understand about the hierarchy of its programming constructs: Using reflection, you can, for instance, load a class dynamically from an Assembly, test whether a given type has a specific member, and even create code dynamically. We call “reflection” the ability that some programming languages have to inspect their own constructs dynamically. Let’s jump right in and discover the world of C# reflection! C# Reflection: The FundamentalsĪs promised, let’s begin by covering the basics of C# reflection. By the end of the post, you should have a solid understanding of the fundamentals of C# reflection and how you can write code that leverages its power. Then, we’ll examine a pressing question: is C# reflection slow?Īfter that, we’ll do justice to the “examples” part of the title: you’ll learn how to get started with C# reflection in practice. What is reflection in C#? Why do people use it? We’ll break all that down for you in plain English. We’ll open the post by covering some fundamentals. That’s what we call reflection, and in this post, you’ll learn how C# reflection works. Sounds like magic? Welcome to the world of C# reflection.īeing able to write code that can examine and modify other pieces of code dynamically is quite a useful power. To write code that can read, examine and even write code in runtime.
